Best New Restaurants

Many restaurants are good; few are special. But there might be no better word to describe Sumibiyaki Arashi, Peter Ho’s 14-seat omakase East Broadway restaurant specializing not in nigiri but in yakitori. It has garnered so much buzz — including a Michelin star less than a year after opening — that it’s tough to snag a reservation. The lucky ones sit at the intimate chef’s counter to watch as Ho rotates, rests and fans each skewer on his custom charcoal grill. “The way that we grill is at really high heat, and also at a very close range,” Ho says. “The charcoal and the food are almost touching, so it requires a lot of flipping and focus; otherwise, it’ll burn.” That very technique and attention is what gives each skewer — be it chicken thigh, chicken oyster or zucchini brushed with chicken fat — its deep flavours and aromatics. The 60-year-old tare brushed onto every skewer helps, too. Expertly butchered, perfectly moist chicken is the main event here, with a rotating cast of other seasonal treats.