O Ya Named Best New Restaurant in the U.S.

Our heartiest congratulations to Tim and Nancy Cushman, whose O Ya restaurant (winner of 2007 Best of Boston awards for “Best New Restaurant” and “Best Sushi“), won the coveted top spot on New York Times restaurant critic Frank Bruni‘s list of the ten best new restaurants in the country.

The victory is even sweeter for the anticipation: Bruni’s countdown has run over several weeks, starting with the #10 slot (winner: Central Michel Richard in Washington, D.C.). We knew O Ya was somewhere in the top ten–the full list was initially presented in alphabetical order–and with each week that it wasn’t named to the #8, #7, #6, or #5 slots, our excitement grew. Today, the triumph is complete.

And so, the top restaurant critic in the country has given Boston his blessing. Somewhat smugly, I have to note, at least in his audio commentary on the NYT website. “We’d come back to Boston for this!” he marvels, sounding very much like a New Yorker who’s forgotten that there’s life outside the city.

Still, if this brings the Cushmans the fame they deserve, we couldn’t be happier.