Let me first quote what my husband, who is a shrimp connoisseur of sorts, said at Sugano last night: ""This is the best piece of shrimp I've ever tasted...ever."" He was referring to the piece of sushi he had just eaten.
Lexington has a number of wonderful Japanese restaurants and there are few I would give a thumbs down to, but Sugano is just different. It's a no muss, no fuss ""dive"" type of place where the goal seems to be simply to provide amazing food. And the food is really amazing. Even if the atmosphere was nearly intolerable, we would tolerate it for the food. Luckily, the atmosphere is really interesting and every visit is different. Because the ""front"" area is so small many conversations are easily heard. This isn't annoying like it would be in many other restaurants; many patrons seem to (a)be regulars (b)be fluent in the Japanese language (c)truly have a kinship with the staff.
Sugano isn't the only sushi restaurant my husband and I frequent, but if asked for the most 'authentic' Japanese cuisine in town it would be our immediate answer.
more