A Five-Step Cure for Fear of Sushi

A trip to an upscale sushi bar can be a stressful experience. Taichi Kitamura, the master chef at Chiso, one of Seattle’s most popular sushi restaurants, has been observing customers from behind the counter for years and offers these tips for enjoying your next sushi dinner:

1. Clear your mind of preconceptions — If you think a sushi bar is a place where trendy people who dress right and have perfect jobs order raw fish in flawless Japanese, then think again. The neighborhood sushi bar is more like a new, upscale version of the American diner. The sushi chef and his staff want to create a community of regular customers. They secretly share your annoyance with sushi snobs and know-it-alls, and they’d much prefer to get to know their guests. “I’ve helped customers get married,” Kitamura says proudly. The best sushi bars in the US combine mouthwatering Japanese cuisine with a dash of Madge, the diner waitress, pencil behind her ear, asking, “Honey, you want fries with that?” Except, Madge is now serving geoduck.
2. Picking a sushi bar is like picking a dentist or barber, just a whole lot more fun — Popular Seattle chef Tamara Murphy has said that picking your favorite sushi bar is like picking a dentist. That’s because there needs to be a relationship of trust. The ultimate sushi experience comes about when a customer and a chef have rapport. “Expect to establish a relationship with a sushi bar,” Kitamura says. “Find one that suits you. It’s an investment, so if you don’t like it the first time, don’t go back.” Once you’ve settled on a regular spot, then you’ll be able to start a relationship with the chef, if you sit at the counter; or your server, if you sit at the table. Either way, the ultimate goal is to explore the world of sushi with the aid of a guide who’s tuned into your tastes.
3. Be honest about what you like — Remember Matt Dillon’s Saturday Night Live skit, “How to Order Sushi Like a CEO?” He played a businessman who pretended to know everything about sushi, but obviously hated each and every bite. Don’t be that guy. As you become a regular at a sushi joint, let the chef know what you like and don’t like. He’ll be able to tell by the expression on your face, anyway, but he’d rather hear that, for example, the eel melted in your mouth while the sea urchin sort of freaked you out. This helps him decide what to recommend next time you stop by for a meal. Soon you’ll be off on a pleasurable culinary adventure, the chef guiding the way. And if you’re not into culinary adventures, then what exactly are you doing in a sushi bar?
4. Expect to spend at least $30 per person — When it comes to cost, Kitamura lays it on the line: “It’s really difficult to do a chef’s course for, say, $15 per person. There’s not much we can do. But if you can spend $30 to $50, including drinks, you should be able to have a very nice meal.”
5. Trying to impress your date? Get to know the chef first — A good sushi chef is good at many things: Choosing the ingredients, preparing the fish, bantering with the guests and not showing his or her irritation when a first-time customer comes in and starts speaking loud Japanese, blabbing about how so-and-so in L.A. named a sushi roll after him, et cetera ad nauseam. “If a regular wants to impress his or her date by speaking Japanese, I’m happy to oblige,” says Kitamura, a longtime resident of the US and fluent English speaker. “But if a first-timer tries to do it, I just feel used.” Simple but sage advice from a master chef.