Illustration: The Ellaphant in the Room
The Studio at Clemente Bar, 11 Madison Ave.
One must be careful with cults of personality. Still, when sushi god Eiji Ichimura got into a public flame war with his previous backers instead of, say, easing into retirement, I thought, Here’s someone to watch. Now, Ichimura-san plies his trade at a counter perched above Eleven Madison Park’s dining room, doling out bites that bedevil lesser men, like gizzard shad. Unintervened upon, it is an untasty, blunt-nosed brack dweller. Ichimurafied, with cutting, vinegaring, and time, it becomes transcendent. —M.S.
