Esoji Japanese Restaurant

Like his Tokyo counterpart Jiro Ono (the fanatical sushi chef upon whom the 2011 mega-documentary Jiro Dreams of Sushi was based), Hiroshi Horikawa also obsesses about fish, turning out artful and authentic Japanese cuisine in a town more famous for rodeos than roe. But these days, even cowboys — not to mention Prescott’s own rough-and-tumble firefighters — have a yen for Horikawa’s popular sushi rolls, as well as sturdier rice bowls, noodle dishes and traditional entrées such as shabu-shabu. Bringing his 40 years of experience in Manhattan and Tokyo’s high-end Ginza district to the table, Horikawa offers a delicious mash-up of the trendy (think tuna poke and quail-egg shooters) and the traditional. How did Prescott get so lucky?

Established: 2007 Cuisine: Japanese/sushi
Chef: Owner Hiroshi Horikawa
Price: $-$$
Open: Lunch, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., Monday through Saturday; dinner, 5 p.m. to 9:30 p.m., Monday through Saturday