Sushi Ikumi

On our list of the best special-occasion restaurants in New York.

Chef Jongin Jeong, who came up at the kaiseki restaurant Hirohisa, runs the ten-seat counter alone, walking each table through the courses as they come — otsumami, then a long run of nigiri built on fish flown in from Japan, finished with house-made ice cream. He corrects the plating himself and explains where each piece is from before it's served. Seatings run at 6 and 8:30 Tuesday through Saturday, plus a Saturday lunch sitting, and a credit card holds the table against a 48-hour cancellation window.