Our new favorite sushi bar is in the Malört factory, and if that isn’t the most Chicago thing ever, we don’t know what is. Head sushi chef Patrick Bouaphanh first began rolling sushi at Mariano’s (gotta start somewhere) and cut his teeth at Sushi Dokku. More to the point, he has traveled enough in Japan to form an approach we wish more locals would emulate: Buy great fish at the source, cut it with care, season it with delicacy, and serve it at the right temperature vis-à-vis the rice. No truffle-oil funny business on the nigiri. Here, you’ll find wonderful farmed bluefin tuna from Spain and a variety of selections from Tokyo fish markets including ishidai (knifejaw) and kinmedai (golden eye snapper). All are available à la carte, so if an expensive omakase isn’t your plan, no problem. While you can get any number of cocktails using Malört, partner Andrew Choi instead recommends a sake to accompany the meal and finishing with a shot of Chicago’s finest and a pickled ginger chaser: “That’s our pickleback.”