It could be worse. I could be addicted to drugs, to drink, to eBay, to hang-gliding. Instead, I'm addicted to Saito's sushi. For me, there's no seat as spellbinding as one facing Yutaka Saito, who keeps me in his thrall with the breadth and quality of what's in his sushi case. This treasure trove of seasonal seafood is paramount to my pleasure, yet it's the slender, elegant, knife-wielding man who makes this contemporary café my ultimate destination in this sushi-saturated city.

Born in Tokyo and apprenticed to his trade as a teen, Saito is the master of my raw-fish universe. The trust factor looms large in our relationship: I trust him to provide me with the fattiest cuts of bluefin tuna, the most delicate morsels of Spanish mackerel and some of his precious fresh-grated wasabi; he trusts me to eat first and ask questions later. A smile and a nod and I'm his daring disciple, making no choice but to put myself in his practiced hands, wanting for nothing but another melting mouthful.

With an artist's eye and a practiced craftsman's skill, chef Yutaka Saito is a master of the sushi universe.

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