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Balanced between my chop sticks was a coil of tuna, crab and avocado topped with smelt roe, and bound by a ridiculously thin layer of cucumber. I know it was ridiculously thin because I glanced at the bar and watched a chef with a knife the envy of Norman Bates transform an average cuke into a sheet of pale green paper. Those sushi men and their knife skills.

I paused to stare at my little slice of kaleidoscope, the tuna naruto, breathed deeply, and pondered its beauty and tranquility.

Then I wondered if I could cram the whole thing in my mouth without total embarrassment. I went for it, (what business lunch?) stuffing my cheeks like Dizzy Gillespie. They soon went scarlet.

Derek Chang’s Koto invites that sort of behavior.

The fish slide down like butter, the nothing-fancy vibe is terribly relaxed, and there’s a lot of collective oohing and ahhing when those oversized white plates hit the table.

Who comes here? Everyone from beer bellies to exposed midriffs. That should be no surprise. In the last couple of years in Baton Rouge, Executive Chef/Owner Chang has become the hardest-working man in sushi, and Japanese fare has become the new Mexican.

And Koto, one of the first local sushi restaurants, has thankfully become the new Koto. Chang bought the College Drive spot in 2004, rescuing it from a dozen years of mediocrity. The Taiwanese Chang, who started sushi training at 15, has pulled a major coup by zeroing in on freshness and artistry.

Koto’s sprawling menu features detailed photographs and clear descriptions, and is consequently accessible, even for the reluctant.

Furthermore, the young wait staff is adept at answering questions within two essential categories: fish textures and sauce flavor.

They’ve also caught on to Chang’s penchant for cooking by gut. Said our female server about the escolar salad: “Sometimes the chef makes it really spicy, sometimes it’s not so spicy. You can also get it with fruit. Tonight it’s with strawberries,”($9). We bit on the non-fruit option, a pile of meltaway white escolar tossed with a mayo-based sauce tinged orange with chili oil. Topped with tiny strands of scallion, it came together beautifully.

Chang has said he’s a “sushi man” plain and simple and much prefers being a chef than a restaurant owner. Maybe that’s why Koto’s improved color scheme and floor plan ends up feeling big and practical rather than sexy and lustrous. On the other hand, the presentation of the sushi is just the opposite. Each signature roll is served in isolation and set off by accoutrements and showmanship.

For example, the Spice Girl, which features black pepper-spiced tuna, avocado and smelt roe, is perched on a pedestal of rice running the length of it. The whole thing is topped with moist crab and dusted with dried red spices and black sesame seeds ($12). And the aforementioned naruto, also with salmon, blue crab or king crab, is separated and arranged flat on drizzles of terra cotta sweet miso sauce ($10).

On a recent Friday, a 20-minute wait for dinner sent us to the pass-through bar. Things moved quickly, and before we knew it, we were facing our first plate, the shumai, steamed shrimp dumplings ($4).

Shaped like small cylinders and bound by soft rice paper, the shumai were tender and pillowy and enhanced by a thin, tangy dipping sauce.

A great way to begin.

Next up was the spiky wasabi shrimp, deftly fried in Japanese bread crumbs until toothy and painted with a fiery wasabi glaze ($6). This was a table favorite.

Koto often has decadent, fatty tuna sashimi—definitely worth the price. A small handful of the high-quality belly meat is served in a half-carved orange and topped with whatever dribble of sauce Chang feels like using. This time it was citrusy, but another time it was an earthy pesto. Regardless, the fish has rich flavor and a magical, velvety texture ($15).

You won’t get full on fatty tuna, but you might on The Bomb, Koto’s signature specialty roll, which features grilled tuna rolled in rice, then tempura-fried (the whole roll, that is). It’s topped with scallions, toasted sesame seeds and roe, then placed in a duo of pastel-colored spicy cream sauces ($7). I couldn’t quite figure this roll out. Its crunchy, fatty mouthfeel makes you unable to push away, like eating jalapeno cheese fries. But unlike every other tuna on the menu, it’s cooked well-done, masking the fish’s flavor and texture.

On another occasion, we started with the delicate tempura-fried soft-shell crab appetizer ($6.50). The woodsy, lemony ponzu sauce was a great foil to the crab’s sweetness and perfect exterior. We also tried the disappointing marinated baby octopus salad. The little creatures were partially frozen ($5).

It’s easy to only order Koto’s sushi rolls. The Green Dragon showcases buttery avocado and remarkably clean-tasting eel (it can be so dingy), while the Four Seasons incorporates four different roes atop a salmon, yellowtail and tuna roll.

But the real stars on the menu are the sashimi and simply prepared sushi, which demonstrate Chang’s fussiness about texture and freshness. I sampled the tuna, salmon, escolar, yellowtail, lemon fish and red snapper during my visits, and each was mellow, void of sinews, and easily yielding to the bite.

Among desserts, the creamy, grassy green tea ice cream is the right antidote for the palate’s veneer of wasabi and raw fish. But it’s hard to pass on the fried mango, an off-menu item. Here, fingers of mango are lightly fried then arranged with mango ice cream, aerosol whipped cream and a maraschino cherry like a big, gaudy flower. Part carnival-like, part elegant, it was refreshing and lots of fun.

Along with its steady quality, Koto is fairly priced. Sushi’s not cheap, but I never felt gouged. A table of four big eaters, cocktails and sake included, came away with a bill of $110 at dinner. At lunch, the hearty Bento Boxes include a main course and six sides for $8 to $11, which just might be the best deal in town.