At 23 years old, chef David Bouhadana may seem too young to be an ambassador for traditional Japanese sushi.
But don't let his youthfulness fool you: At Sushi Uo--a hidden LES den that he opened last fall--Bouhadana has embraced a nearly abandoned technique with artistic flair: serving live sashimi.
The show happens every Tuesday night, when Bouhadana replicates his version of ikizukuri ("prepared alive")--a ceremonious procedure in which a fish is stunned, sliced and served with its heart still beating--with sashimi, shellfish and mollusks.
Bouhadana begins the process by making graceful slits along the fish's flesh before picking it up and slamming it down on the cutting board, where it curls and seizes, rendering it firm to the bite--in some cases, almost crunchy.
Hands this capable deserve your trust: Take his recommendation of the silky abalone, snappy penn shell and lightly sweet surf clam, all arriving artfully arranged on a platter ($25 to $35, depending on market price). And don't be alarmed by the octopus tentacle twitching on your plate: It's just one of its three hearts still beating--which is to say, it's alive and kicking.
Sushi Uo, 151 Rivington St. (between Suffolk and Clinton sts.); 212-677-5470
