Los Angeles

For dictators, relaxing the rules even slightly represents a major mellowing out -- like when Mao allowed the reformist-minded Deng Xiaoping to reenter politics, or Castro allowed his brother to be "New Dictator". Relaxing the rules on raw fish: SugarFish.

A tiny, back-to-basics spot from Kazunori "Sushi Nazi" Nozawa, Sugar takes a step back from the rigid "You'll eat what I give you" of omakase, and instead presents three preset menus: #1 (small), #2 (medium), #3 (medium plus fishier rolls and one more piece of sushi -- so, "large-ish"). Each menu'll always include edamame, plus Nozawa's signature blue-crab rolls and albacore sushi, which the chef claims will melt in your mouth (unfortunately, no candy shell prevents it from also melting in your hands). The rest of your prix fixe rotates daily, but may include anything from toro rolls to simple yellowtail sushi to white shrimp -- blanched for mere seconds in boiling water, then cooled in icewater to prevent further cooking, and to shame the white shrimp with tail shrinkage.

SugarFish will offer a few items a la carte, but you can only order them after your your main meal's finished -- because the Cultural Revolution is one thing, but the ultimate tyranny is the Clean Plate Club.

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