The 50 Best Restaurants 2012: A Closer Look

O YA
Chinatown

Each bite from Tim Cushman’s elaborate contemporary-Japanese menu—every painstakingly calibrated micro sea bean or watermelon pearl that garnishes the fresh slices of sashimi and nigiri—warrants a moment of silent appreciation. So, then: Shhhh.

Order the $175-per-person omakase, and your meal might look a little something like this (one plate at a time, of course).

All photos by Bruce Peterson / Styling by Kara Butterfield

	1. Kumamoto oyster with watermelon pearls and cucumber mignonette
	2. Hamachi with spicy banana-pepper mousse
	3. Wild Ivory King salmon with lemongrass-curry sauce, toasted garlic, and sesame
	4. Warm eel with Thai basil, kabayaki, and fresh Kyoto sansho
	5. Kinmedai with ume vinaigrette and shiso
	6. “Legs and Eggs,” petite Maine lobster legs with white-sturgeon caviar and tomalley aioli
	7. Squid with uni butter, uni powder, micro sea beans, and shiso
	8. Wild bluefin tuna with “Republic of Georgia” herb sauce
	9. Salmon with Vietnamese dashi caramel and spicy rau ram salsa
	10. Shima aji and Santa Barbara sea urchin with ceviche vinaigrette and cilantro
	11. Sea bass with spicy cucumber vinaigrette, avocado, benitade, and cilantro
	12. Tasmanian ocean trout with smoked salmon roe, wasabi vinaigrette, and cucumber bloom
	13. Shiso-leaf tempura with grilled lobster, charred tomato,and ponzu aioli
	14. Mushroom sashimi with rosemary-garlic oil, sesame froth, and homemade soy sauce
	15. Seared petite Wagyu strip loin with bone-marrow chawanmushi and toasted-garlic sake-soy sauce
	16. Miso-marinated Delice de Bourgogne cheese (paired with Harpoon Rye IPA)
	17. Foie-gras nigiri with balsamic-chocolate kabayaki, raisin-cocoa pulp, and a sip of eight-year-aged sake
	18. Chocolates (three varieties): Salted hojicha caramel; pomegranate, rosewater, and elderflower; and yuzu kosho, gianduja, and sesame brittle