"Veteran sushi chef Shinji Kurita, who learned the craft at his parents’ eatery in Japan, is a true shokunin—an artist who has dutifully practiced over many years and become a master. His omakase counter in Old Town, Scottsdale serves just two small seatings per night, and these meals are a marine adventure. Given the distance from the market in Japan from which Kurita overnights his fish, he liberally employs curing and other methods of extending freshness. Omakase flights tend to start with a non-fish opener, perhaps eggplant or yam variations, and then plunge into creative seafood-centric preparations before flowing into a final parade of nigiri. All the while, the Kurita slices and molds fish to downtempo music with the grace of a dancer—at Shinbay, omakase can feel like a movie. Meals cost $225+, so people tend to dress up some and devote their full attention to them." - Lizbeth Scordo, Chris Malloy