Tomoe Sushi   

The one thing every New Yorker covets -- next to the inside scoop on a rent-controlled apartment -- is the intimate knowledge that their sushi place is the best sushi place of all time. In this case, followers of Tomoe may be onto something. Its celebrity quotient is no match for Nobu; its Japanese businessman quotient is no match for Sushi of Gari; and its cocktail quotient is no match for Sushi Samba. But there's something about this West Village go-to that keeps the waiting list full forever and lines around the block. The menu includes a flag of Japanese cooked dishes, like broiled squid, steamed clam broth and tatsuta (fried chicken). But it's the schools of sushi and rolls that turn skeptics into droolers. Fulton Fish Market-fresh, no-frills in presentation and cut as big as Loch Ness herself, the offerings are plentiful and straightforward. After toro and eel, the most exotic it really gets is a shiso and mountain yam hand roll or sea urchin sushi. As can be expected from a superior sushi spot, their specs can sometimes be idiosyncratic -- call ahead to confirm hours.