About Sushi Nakazawa
100 Very Best 2019Some will be wary—this spinoff of a Manhattan omakase restaurant is attached to the Trump hotel, and its New York–based owner didn’t make any friends when he dissed DC’s food scene a few years ago. But here’s the thing: Nakazawa operates on such a high plane that it’s easy to forget everything beneath it. Go for counter seats over a table in the dining room. There, you can watch Masaaki Ucho symphonize a 20-piece procession of Edomae-style nigiri, all fashioned from wild fish on impeccably seasoned rice. Each morsel is conceived with different accessories, whether hay-smoked sockeye salmon or a trio of tuna, presented from leanest to most unctuous. You’ll dine to the tune of silky jazz in the stark space, where servers deliver valet-like service. There’s nothing else in Washington—and, many argue, New York—of its caliber. Very expensive.
Ann Limpert joined Washingtonian in late 2003. She was previously an editorial assistant at Entertainment Weekly and a cook in New York restaurant kitchens, and she is a graduate of the Institute of Culinary Education. She lives in Petworth.
Anna Spiegel covers the dining and drinking scene in her native DC. Prior to joining Washingtonian in 2010, she attended the French Culinary Institute and Columbia University’s MFA program in New York, and held various cooking and writing positions in NYC and in St. John, US Virgin Islands.
Jessica Sidman covers the people and trends behind D.C.’s food and drink scene. Before joining Washingtonian in July 2016, she was Food Editor and Young & Hungry columnist at Washington City Paper. She is a Colorado native and University of Pennsylvania grad.
