Martha Stewart's Favorite Sushi Restaurant Is Famous Among New Yorkers

If there's one thing we trust in this life, it's Martha Stewart's opinion when it comes to all things food. And while it's true that she shines at arming aspiring home chefs with incredible hacks and dishing out advice on proper dining-out etiquette, she also happens to have excellent taste when it comes to restaurants. One that sticks out in our minds is a Michelin-recommended Japanese eatery in Midtown Manhattan: Sushi Yasuda, which the icon has praised many times.

Dinner with Jane and steve at sushi Yasuda in NYC pic.twitter.com/llvtNemw3f

— Martha Stewart (@MarthaStewart) March 15, 2016

Known as one of New York's most sought-after sushi restaurants, Sushi Yasuda offers both dining tables and a classic sushi bar experience (also known as an omakase bar), where diners sit at a counter directly in front of the chefs — though if you choose the latter, don't forget to follow some sushi bar etiquette rules to score the freshest meal. As much as you may think of it as a way to order your food, omakase is traditionally a menuless dining experience. When you enter the world of Sushi Yasuda, you'll be putting your trust fully in the chefs, allowing them to create spreads based on their own senses, the season, and the ingredients they have on hand.

Sushi Yasuda was founded in 1999 by three co-owners: Naomichi Yasuda, Shige Akimoto, and Scott Rosenberg. Yasuda, after whom the restaurant is named, was the master sushi chef from its opening until he returned to Tokyo in 2011. A man who lived and breathed old-school sushi, Yasuda was renowned for creating elegant meals with the finest fish available thanks to his connections with quality distributors that allowed the restaurant to hand-select each fish. Though he's no longer there, he personally trained the remaining sushi chefs, steering clear of the modern need to make everything big and bright, and instead focusing on simply making very excellent sushi.

But it's not only the fish. The rice at Sushi Yasuda, which is made with a combination of short- and medium-grain, is said to be one of the key elements that makes the restaurant extraordinary. Mixed with a potion of red and white Japanese rice vinegars, it balances the fish, giving you a full-circle journey when enjoying your meal.

Though located in one of the busiest cities in the world, the interior of the restaurant is calming, with service that's known to be exceptional. Simple and minimalistic in decor, you'll find little to distract you from the quiet artistry of the sushi chefs. Open for lunch and dinner every day but Sunday (with dinner only on Saturday), Sushi Yasuda also offers a take-out menu for hungry New Yorkers.