Gonpachi

The Scene
More like a dramatic Kurosawa movie set than a restaurant, the first American outpost of this successful Japanese chain spent millions importing 300-year-old wooden houses to transform the Ed Debevic's space into a luxe izakaya (Japanese small plates) arena. The result is stunning. Three levels of elegantly rustic dining spaces include garden views, an inner courtyard with sumiyaki bar, balcony perches, plus a sake-tasting room. The huge menu is all about upscale traditional tavern fare. A delicate, crunchy salad of lotus root and burdock is perfect springboard to sputnik-like shrimp fritters, or tender octopus nestled with green olives and taro. The sumiyaki (grilling) bar offers a variety of skewers including wagyu beef, huge sweet prawns, silky and smoky Japanese eggplant, and tender bacon-wrapped asparagus. Sushi is pricey, but the buckwheat soba noodles--kneaded, rolled and cut by a glass-encased chef--are dreamily seductive hot or cold and worth the trip alone.