Opens on Friday in Manhattan.Directed by David GelbIn Japanese, with English subtitles1 hour 21 minutes; not ratedAn aristocracy of taste guides the philosophy behind Sukiyabashi Jiro, the tiny, sushi-only restaurant in the Ginza shopping district of Tokyo that is spotlighted in David Gelb’s hagiographic debut feature, “Jiro Dreams of Sushi.” The chef, Jiro Ono, 85 in the film, plainly sees no reason to alter the 10-seat, fixed-menu, basement establishment — much less retire from a profession in which he is widely regarded as a god among men. Why change a good thing, when, in 2008, Michelin’s inaugural Tokyo guide awarded the eatery three stars — sans toilet? (The rating was reaffirmed in November.)Mr. Ono’s cult of admirers in this 81-minute documentary includes a Japanese food critic, the patiently diligent kitchen workers, an awe-struck former apprentice, dealers in fish and rice, cooing customers, and two sushi-slinging sons fully aware of the paternal burden of excellence.

They all yield valuable angles on the master, but despite foodie-baiting close-ups of nigiri sushi brushed with soy sauce, and montages of skillful food prep, the film falls short as a satisfying exploration of craft. how to keep sushi rice from stickingLike many other such portraits, it wastes valuable time declaring its subject’s excellence that could be spent fleshing out demonstrations, explanations, context.Mr. Ono’s inspiring dedication is not in doubt: it will come as no surprise that he is a workaholic. jiro dreams of sushi editorRather more absorbing are his story of fleeing home at 9 (later photos show a young man staring with rock-solid confidence), his parsing of fatty tuna’s simplistic taste and glimpses of his wicked wit. order sushi online barcelona

The question of authorship within restaurants remains tantalizingly, or politely, open; order sushi in barcelonathe filmmakers fabricate suspense around the relative merits of Mr. Ono’s eldest son, Yoshikazu, whose managerial role is paramount.jiro dreams of making sushiSlathered in the Philip Glass iterations that have become a hackneyed substitute for editorial momentum, the documentary is shot with the Red camera, whose look is well suited to the glistening of the exquisitely prepared fish. sushi in dublin cityIt sure beats takeout.jiro dreams of sushi watch movieJiro Dreams of Sushi is the story of 85 year-old Jiro Ono, considered by many to be the world’s greatest sushi chef.

For most of his life, Jiro has been mastering the art of making sushi, but even at his age he sees himself still striving for perfection, working from sunrise to well beyond sunset to taste every piece of fish; meticulously train his employees; and carefully mold and finesse the impeccable presentation of each sushi creation. At the heart of this story is Jiro’s relationship with his eldest son Yoshikazu, the worthy heir to Jiro’s legacy, who is unable to live up to his full potential in his father’s shadow. The sushi of Jiro’s dreams will run you $20/minute Sukiyabashi Jiro is a 3-star Michelin restaurant in Tokyo that many say serves the best sushi in the world. The chef/owner, 86-year-old Jiro Ono, was the subject of last year’s excellent Jiro Dreams of Sushi documentary film. Adam Goldberg of A Life Worth Eating ate at Sukiyabashi Jiro yesterday. The meal was 21 courses, about US$380 per person (according the web site, excluding drinks), and lasted only 19 minutes.

That’s more than a course a minute and, Goldberg estimates, around $20 per person per minute. And apparently totally worth it. Goldberg has photos of each course up on Flickr and his site has a write-up of his 2009 meal. Three slices of tuna came next, akami, chu-toro, and oo-toro increasing from lean, to medium fatty, to extremely fatty cuts. The akami (lean toro) was the most tender slice of tuna I’ve ever tasted that did not contain noticeable marbelization. The tuna was marinated in soy sauce for several minutes before service, perhaps contributing to this unique texture. The medium fatty tuna had an interesting mix of crunch and fat, while the fatty tuna just completely melted in my mouth. My friend with whom I shared this meal began to tear (I kid you not). Lest you think Goldberg’s meal was an anomaly, this is a typical meal at Sukiyabashi Jiro. Dave Arnold wrote about his experience earlier this year: The sushi courses came out at a rate of one per minute.

19 courses in 19 minutes. No ordering, no real talking — just making sushi and eating sushi. After the sushi is done you are motioned to leave the sushi bar and sit at a booth where you are served your melon. We took that melon at a leisurely 10 minute pace, leaving us with a bill of over $300 per person for just under 30 minutes time. Nastassia and Mark thought the pace was absurd and unpleasant. They felt obliged to keep up with Jiro’s pace. I didn’t feel obliged, but kept up anyway. I didn’t mind the speed. I could have easily eaten even faster, but I’m an inhuman eating machine — or so I’m told. At the end of the meal, Jiro went outside the restaurant and stood guard at the entrance, waiting to bid us formal adieu. This made Nastassia even more nervous about rushing to get out. At over 10 dollars a minute I have no problem letting an 86 year old man stand and wait for me to finish my melon if he wants to.There's so much drooly food porn on TV these days, it takes an exceptional subject to arrest our senses and hold our attention.

Now 86, Jiro Ono — the world's premier sushi chef — is that subject. And the lovely little documentary “Jiro Dreams of Sushi” honors Ono while making his culinary creations of horse mackerel, squid, egg, halibut, fatty tuna, “medium” tuna, lean tuna and gizzard shad, served in his 10-seat Tokyo restaurant, look like the most wondrous mouthfuls of fish on rice on the planet.More than one interview subject in producer-director David Gelb's film speaks of how "nervous" they were trying Ono's restaurant, located underground near the Ginza subway station, for the first time or simply the most recent time. It's a sacred temple of sushi, not well suited to leisurely meals (some diners eat in as few as 15 minutes) or idle chatter regarding its coveted three-star Michelin rating. Ono's presence is quiet but charged from within, and he emits the cool, exacting regard of the monumentally self-critical specialist.Two Ono sons figure into this story. The younger,Takashi,has opened up his own restaurant elsewhere in Tokyo.

Older brother Yamamoto, now 51, per Japanese custom is in line to take over for his father when Jiro retires.It's not easy being compared with their father, whose own childhood was harsh and virtually fatherless (his father drank and took off when Jiro was 7). Jiro's work ethic borders on the pathological, even among world-class chefs. "Nowadays," Jiro says on camera with a slight smile, "parents tell their children, 'You can return if it doesn't work out.' When parents say stupid things like that, the kids turn out to be failures."The details are delectable in"Jiro Dreams of Sushi,"such as the time taken to properly massage an octopus before boiling (30 to 40 minutes) or the aspects of Jiro's calling that drive him each day (his goal, always, he says, is to "be regarded honorably").At 72 minutes, Gelb's documentary (which does revert to the food-doc fallback of the slow-mo close-up once too often) regards with fondness its subject and his kingdom. Plus, we meet a variety of interdependent characters, from tuna vendors to rice experts, all in thrall to Jiro and his sons.