522 8th St. SE, Washington, USA
$$$$ ・ Japanese,Sushi
Chef Yi "Ricky" Wang, who trained under Chef Nakazawa before running a series of pop-ups, is now settled in at this counter, located up a set of metal stairs in an industrial-chic space. Take special note of the paintings that line that staircase—they're nods to a longstanding tradition of fishermen brushing their catch with ink and pressing it into rice paper—and you may be presented with a similar piece at your meal. Chef Wang's omakase features a few otsumami, perhaps poached sweet shrimp in a smoked Maine uni sauce, before progressing to nigiri. It's all impressive, from the Boston surf clam finished with kumquat kosho to the hay-smoked Spanish mackerel sourced from the Carolinas that's bold but balanced. Musk melon with strawberries imported from Japan is a satisfying finale.