My dining companion and I weren’t quite sure what to expect as we sat down at Shibumi‘s 400-year old cypress counter. It was a Thursday evening and the crowds were slow to arrive. Eventually the 40-seat room filled up with folks who knew their way around the place, and Chef David Schlosser hit his groove, moving in and out of the kitchen to make sure that everyone was well taken care of.

After settling on the $95 omakase, we kicked back with an Old Fashioned each ($16) and awaited the parade of kappo-style dishes. The term kappo, which technically means “to cut and to cook,” also describes Shibumi’s style of cooking:

…a less formal cuisine that emphasizes the proximity between the diner and the chef who is cutting and cooking the food.

As we sipped our drinks, a few “rare tastes” (chinmi) in the form of house-made fermented seafood arrived.