100 Very Best 2014
Expertly sliced sushi, tables full of chatty business types, and Japanese-fusion dishes that really work: Not much has changed at chef Kaz Okochi’s 14-year-old Japanese restaurant near George Washington University. We’re fine with that. From simple seared-scallop nigiri topped with lemon and salt to the Bird’s Nest—baby calamari with uni, quail egg, and truffle-soy sauce—Kaz’s culinary mash-ups continue to impress. Weekdays at lunch, generous (and takeout-friendly) bento boxes and swift service make the place a steady option for office dwellers in search of a fresh-fish fix.
Open: Monday through Friday for lunch and dinner, Saturday for dinner.
Don’t Miss: Foie gras nigiri with plum-wine gelée; seared salmon belly with lemon and soy sauce; hijiki-seaweed-and-jícama salad; creamy seaweed salad; sweet botan shrimp with yuzu tapioca; tuna with black truffle; ginger-ice-cream sandwich.
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.
