MOST OF THE top-flight sushi bars in Los Angeles follow a school of omakase involving ornate small dishes that precede the parade of nigiri. It might be a few plates or a half dozen; they will display various culinary techniques (steaming, grilling, frying) and might include a zensai course of seasonal vegetables and seafood distilled into single exquisite bites. Morihiro Onodera, who has been making sushi in Los Angeles off and on for nearly 40 years, helped define this style. At his 2-year-old restaurant in Atwater Village, the first dish is usually homemade tofu: a square of near-custard made with particularly sweet soy milk from Kyoto, crowned with freshly grated wasabi and set in a pool of soy sauce. It arrives in a beautiful ceramic bowl, in a shade of robin’s egg with a speckled brown glaze, that Onodera fashioned himself.

Onodera has a special place in L.A. His splicing of traditions and innovations, his quest for the perfect sushi rice and his talents as a ceramist have made him a legend. Some sushi bars radiate serenity, or gravity. His tiny place exudes a chaotic sort of warmth. Seiichi Daimo, a certified sake sommelier, pours the most compelling pairings of any sushi bar in L.A. When I joked with Onodera once that he serves so many opening omakase courses that maybe some customers could leave satisfied without any nigiri, he bellowed back, “No way. This is a sushi restaurant!” You will leave very full and deeply aware that this is what fine dining in Los Angeles is all about.

• 3133 Glendale Blvd., Los Angeles, (323) 522-3993, morionodera.com

Chef Mori Onodera serves his exquisite sushi on ceramic wares he makes himself.