While Nobu and Morimoto and Masa and a handful of sushi chefs hog the local (and national) spotlight and preside over blingy, self-titled restaurants, the enormously talented Yuji Sano—who moved to NYC after training at his parents’ sushi place in Tokyo—toils away at Taro Sushi on Flatbush. Sit at the sushi bar for maximum Sano interface, and prepare to eat some of the best sushi around. Don’t expect bells and whistles (no gold leaf or white truffle or caviar-adorned courses here); instead, prepare for a parade of profoundly flavorful, perfectly cut specimens, from botan ebi (jumbo sweet shrimp) to sawara (Spanish mackerel) to kohada (Japanese sardines) to luxuriously rich ankimo (monkfish liver). At $40-$60—depending on the number of courses—the omakase here is one of the city’s most exciting, least-known bargains. The restaurant recently moved to a bigger spot mere yards away, and the service feels more polished in the new digs.
Taro Sushi. 224 Flatbush Ave. at St. Marks, Park Slope; (718) 398-5240
Prices/Features: Moderately Priced/Vegetarian-Friendly