How America’s First 3 Star Michelin Sushi Chef Serves His Fish

Rarely does chef Masa Takayama of Manhattan sushi shrine Masa allow cameras into his restaurant. But Eater's Kat Odell scored a seat at his bar to taste through America's best omakase. Like Madonna, chef Masa Takayama is a mononmyous character known by fans simply as "Masa," also the name of his eponymous restaurant in New York's Time Warner Center. And after three decades of cutting fish and helping to shape (and refine) America's sushi culture, it's a moniker well-deserved. At Masa, the show is sushi, and it's one that has received countless accolades for Chef's near-perfect, and extremely pricey fish. Actually, Masa is the single most expensive restaurant in the country and one that replicates, in many ways, a classic Japanese omakase experience. While dishes many not always be entirely traditional, the service, energy and overall thought behind the meal is totally Japanese. On very few occasions does chef Masa allow cameras into his restaurant and, in fact, he's notorious for his no photography policy. Regardless, Eater's Kat Odell scored a prime seat to experience the best sushi in this country.