Hirohisa

Hidden behind a barely marked door is this Soho Japanese offering a traditional Kappo-style menu with à la carte and omakase options featuring seasonal ingredients, plus a serious sake list. The spare space has an open kitchen, a sushi bar and a handful of tables, and its minimalist vibe means the attention stays on the food.

The cooking at Hirohisa is very Japanese, in the let-the-ingredients-speak mode that can leave some Americans cold. Some of the grilled meat dishes, for instance, leave a smaller impression in the memory than on the bill. But elsewhere on the menu Hirohisa Hayashi, the chef, brings out the whispering harmonies that result when one small wave of flavor laps against another. Hirohisa is a...