Shuko’s Jimmy Lau cuts fatty tuna with a long blade. Non-blowout omakase: Shuko, Icca, Moko, Sushi Lab Result: Perfectly crisp seaweed underneath spicy crab, subtly funky XO scallop with tobiko roe, and yes, even creamy Santa Barbara uni. You can literally watch the nori on your caviar temaki go limp at an omakase spot if you stop to take a few iPhone pics, so how could such an indulgence possibly survive a bike messenger? The chefs cover the nori with a biodegradable plastic wrap that you slip off without disturbing the fillings you’ll feel like a magician pulling the linens off of a set table. The supply chain masters at Nami Nori have perfected the art of fancy delivery hand rolls. Ryan: Robert! I have a solution for your gummy seaweed. The sushi is of the mildly innovative sort, with dabs of this and sprinkles of that and the fish is some of the freshest you’ve ever tasted, with assortments priced from $25 to $60. Marks (yes, the middle one): At Osakana, a satellite of a famous Brooklyn sushi bar, customers pick up their sushi in what looks like a science lab, and no, they can’t sit down since it’s to-go only.

The best sushi takeout I’ve found is hidden on a quiet block of St. That’s why if you want to carry out sushi you’d better eat it right away, even if it entails standing on the sidewalk. Let’s face it, in the time it takes to deliver your sushi, the fish often becomes tired, the rice finger loses its stickiness and falls apart, and any nori that may be involved becomes damp and gummy. Robert: There is a slew of sushi delivery places around town, many of them no better than ghost kitchens. Best takeout/delivery: Osakana, Nami Nori And every meal ends with a heart bowl of chicken guk-su noodle soup. In the style of kimbap, Shim eschews traditional sushi vinegar, seasoning his rice instead with aromatic sesame oil and daikon. Imagine: Scallops with dressed with makgeolli vinaigrette, mackerel with black vinegar jelly, and soy-braised galbi wraps. There’s surely not a single other New York omakase spot tearing up the traditional sushi envelope like Mari, which finds its niche with a cross between Japanese temaki and Korean kimbap. Chef Sungchul Shim (Kochi) only serves more sustainable bigeye, and often offers just a single piece - as part of spicy tuna roll topped with crispy potato crisps. Ryan: Tired of eating bluefin tuna three or more ways at every other omakase parlor? Mari is the place for you. Wildcard/creative: MariĪ caviar salmon hand roll at Mari. So what follows is an account of some of our favorite sushi meals at multiple price levels. The 2011 documentary Jiro Dreams of Sushi, in turn, energized and educated a customer base that wanted to appreciate sushi - without dropping an entire paycheck on dinner.

But in the nearly two decades since that aristocratic venue opened, scores more high-end sushi venues have opened, some of them run by capable Masa alums, others having arrived from Japan and elsewhere.

Once upon a time, Masa was the big-deal operator, and Michelin continues to navigate under the delusion that the Deutsche Bank Center restaurant, where dinner for two will top $2,000, is the country’s best sushi spot. But here’s the saving grace: While New York’s best sushi will always trend in an expensive direction, you don’t have to spend an iPad’s worth of funds on an omakase date to have an incredible meal. It’s an absurd reality, fueled by supply chain issues, labor costs, and let’s be honest, plain old-fashioned greed. The going rate for a top-tier New York sushi meal is $400 before sake.

Moko sushio