Oh Fish!, Washington

The idea for sushi restaurant Oh Fish came in a sandwich shop. As chef Kaz Okochi moved through the line choosing his bread and toppings, he realized: why not sushi? He spent years figuring out how to translate the concept of customization to the sushi market (not to mention how to incorporate the diversity of ingredients he had encountered in Osaka). The result is a restaurant where, in addition to dining on crunchy shrimp, spicy tuna, and other [signature maki] http://www.ohfish.com/sign-maki.html), customers can design their own rolls for chefs to create in front of them as they shout "Thanks chef, you da man!" Starting with bases such as spicy salmon or shrimp salad, they add veggies such as cucumber, kimchee, cilantro, or carrots. They continue with sauces, making tough decisions between wasabi soy sauce and spicy mayo before finishing with bread crumbs, sesame seeds, or Japanese chili-powder.