Getting Schooled at Ino, and Other Acts of Discovery

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Chef Ino-san will check you.

​We were about to put some gorgeously fatty ankimo (monkfish liver) into our mouth, but at the last second threw a sliver of pickled ginger on top. And that's where we went terribly wrong: We pissed off the chef.

"No!" snapped chef Noboru Inoue (Ino-san), his face contorted with agitation. "That is for between bites!"

We sheepishly took the ginger off, and popped the liver into our mouth. He was right; it didn't need a thing.

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Ino's ankimo (monkfish liver) nigiri.

​Maybe you've had a similar experience at the sushi counter at Ino, a tiny, high-end spot tucked away in Japan Center's Miyako Mall. Infractions can include putting ginger on the nigiri, whipping out your cell phone, freaking out about pieces dropping directly onto the counter, cracking jokes at the chef, and other faux pas. While we don't particularly like being disciplined during a meal, following Ino-san's orders can be the rare case where enduring a bit of humiliation is worth it, especially if it makes you confront surprising combinations, such as a handroll of crispy fried smelt tucked in with a shiso leaf.

Warning: It seems as if one of Ino-san's true pleasures in life is to watch reactions to his heavy hand with wasabi, though by the time we tasted one such zinger, we were already way into all the punishment.

Ino Sushi: 22 Peace Plaza (at Buchanan), 922-3121.