Tokyo 21
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At TOKYO 21 they’ve pimped out a stylin’ room lined with pachinko machines and supermodel types, and the Osaka-style sushi is similarly flashy: pristinely fresh fish and rice in a square mold sprinkled with flakes of gold. Sushi standards metamorphose: chirashi (sashimi on vinegared rice) is deconstructed to become a mushroomy rice tower in a Zen garden of flower-shaped fish slices dotted with rainbow-colored roe; lobster roll surprises with mango and cilantro. A trio of shrimp (one tempura, one marinated in green tea, and one rather like shrimp de jonghe) was OK if not a KO, but beef kalbi–marinated in Coke and Sprite–were surprisingly flavorful. Our server, a sake savant, guided us through a fascinating flight that peaked with Divine Droplets, a superbly mellow variety that was sweet without being sugary and as complex as a good white wine. End with the dessert kaiseki plate, a tour de force that might include chocolate mousse with pu-erh tea and lavender petals, a fruit terrine of Riesling and candied orchids, or whatever else the pastry chef thinks will blow your mind. –David Hammond
