Sasabune

I think I ate an entire aquarium at Sasabune, a "fish-and-nothing-but-the-fish" sushi bar. Overwhelmed with omakase, I kept asking, "This is the last plate, right?" "No, not yet," was the repeated answer.

I only had one (fish)bone to pick, and it was with the opener. The plate of albacore slices suffered from a surplus of vinegary ponzu sauce. However, everything else was extraordinary, well-presented and sparkling fresh. Most plates arrived with two complementary (alas, not complimentary) pieces of sushi, coordinated by color and taste. After the albacore, I was served the most unbelievable raw oysters, their milky flesh tender, sweet and dabbed with hot spicy radish. "Kumamotos have been inconsistent this year," remarked the server, "so these are from Canada." Now I finally see why oysters are considered an aphrodisiac.

What came next: bigeye and fatty tuna; yuzu-salted New Zealand red snapper and fluke, rich wild salmon and yellowtail; light pink live scallop and giant clam; cooked butterfish and mirin-marinated yellowtail scallion maki with nice crackly nori; ice-cold salmon roe and custardy sea urchin; vinegared kanpachi and horse mackerel; a large blue crab maki, its sweet crabmeat mixed with a bit of mayo ("Many customers come just for this," said my server, "It's like they're addicted"); and finally ("Are we there yet," I wondered) richly sauced freshwater eel. In all of these dishes, there was a great fish-to-rice ratio, and the server had a charming habit of telling me exactly which fish were to be dipped in soy sauce and which should be left alone.

After this giant repast, I was actually asked if I wanted to order anything else, but there was just no way! I smiled at the chef and staggered out the door.

Sasabune: 401 East 73rd St., (212) 249-8583.