Go to Tsukushinbo. Although I can’t believe I’m saying that, because really I want it all to myself. I’ve regularly sat at the sushi counter since I moved to Seattle seven years ago, and it’s no overstatement to say that the sushi is better every time (and it was great to start with). Here’s the thing: Tsukushinbo is a family business. Mom and Dad are in the kitchen making great non-sushi izakaya (Japanese tapas) while the kids run the front. So Tsukushinbo has tons of family charm, but that’s just the setting. American-born Sho, the son behind the sushi bar, is passionate about sushi in a way we understand as a Japanese phenomenon, but don’t necessarily expect in the U.S. Sit at the counter and talk to him. He is always studying, inventing, traveling, learning, traversing the politics of American sushi-chef training, and most of all making just plain amazing sushi. It warms my soul to see the years pass and Sho’s passion continue to grow.