Sushi on Me

Down a set of stairs on a busy block of Roosevelt Avenue, under the elevated 7 train, Sushi on Me runs omakase as a party rather than a hushed ritual. The basement counter takes a dozen or so guests per seating, each about an hour long, and the chefs work to music, colored lights and the odd puff of smoke, refilling sake cups across the counter and drinking along with the room. The sake is unlimited and included, which is the detail everyone leaves talking about. A second Sushi on Me now runs on Driggs Avenue in Williamsburg; this Queens counter is the original.

The meal is fifteen courses served piece by piece: nigiri, hand rolls and fatty tuna that guests finish with a kitchen torch themselves, with an uni shot along the way. The set price has stayed close to $100 before tax and tip, and seats are booked through OpenTable with a deposit. It is a birthday-and-anniversary room, made for couples who want dinner and a show at once. Anyone hoping for quiet conversation over the fish should book somewhere else.