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"Trust Me" might be a difficult motto for any New Yorker to follow. At this outpost of the famed Los Angeles and Honolulu sushi shrine, a sign reading "Today's Special—Trust Me" is the only menu option you'll get. So behind the counter, sushi chef Kenji Takahashi is not only cutting each morsel of fresh fish himself, he's also doing all the ordering for you. The mandatory omakase, or chef's tasting menu, seems to sit well with customers; plenty of chic East Siders crowd the 30 or so seats at the bamboo sushi bar and dark wooden tables to feast on courses that change daily. An opening of buttery albacore sashimi dressed with ponzu sake sauce is a signature, however, as is remarkable kelp-wrapped salmon with a pinch of sesame seeds. Unlike other neighborhood favorites, there are no gobs of mayonnaise or Tabasco here. Instead, barely-there sauces such as lime wasabi or teriyaki and yuzu work to highlight amberjack, fluke, or mackerel. — Benjamin Kneen

Salmon with kelp and sesame seeds, $3.50; red snapper with lemon and pepper, $3.50; fluke with lime and wasabi, $3.50

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