Where to go, where to stay
Los Angeles Times
Tokyo is one of the great restaurant cities of the world, with just about every kind of eating place you can think of and some you can't.
When Chef Lee Hefter of Cut restaurant in Beverly Hills, Calif., plans a trip to Tokyo, he consults not just Japanese chef friends, but also two Web sites: www.zagat.com and www.bento.com/tokyofood.html. A couple of these restaurants are favorites that Hefter returns to again and again; others are new finds.
KADOWAKI
2-7-2 Azabu-Juban, Minato-ku, 011-81-3-5772-2553.
A tiny restaurant in the Azabu-Juban district with the feel of a speakeasy. Seating is at a small counter or one of several tiny private rooms. English is not spoken. Omakase dinner, about $150 per person.
KONDO
Sakaguchi Building, 9th Floor, 5-5-13 Ginza, Cho-ku, 011-81-3-5568-0923.
Fumio Kondo makes exquisite tempura keyed to the seasons, with a real reverence for ingredients, at this personable tempura bar. No English is spoken. Omakase dinner, $70-$130 per person (depending on the number of courses).
SHOTAI-EN
5-9-5 Ginza, Chuo-ku, 011-81-3-6274-5003.
A casual, friendly, fun place for yakiniku — Japanese-Korean-style barbecue that you cook at your own table. The focus here is on high-quality, well-priced Kobe beef. English-language menu is available. Dinner, about $30 per person.
SUSHIDOKORO SHIMIZU
2-15-13 Shinbashi, Minato-ku, 011-81-3-3591-5763.
An intimate, eight-seat sushi bar in a residential alley in the Shinbashi district. Chef Kunihiro Shimizu uses the very best seasonal fish. English is not spoken. Omakase lunch, about $100 per person.
UCHIYAMA
2-12-3 Ginza, Chuo-ku, 011-81-3-3541-6720.
An elegant, modern kaiseki restaurant, with seating at a long counter or in tatami rooms. An astonishing meal, especially for the price. Omakase lunch, about $85 per person.
IF YOU GO ...
WHERE TO STAY
the b roppongi, 3-9-8 Roppongi, Minato-ku; 011-81-3-5412-0451, ww.ishinhotels.com /theb-roppongi/en. This new boutique hotel in the Roppongi nightclub district is a great value, if you don't mind staying in a tiny room. Doubles range from 161 to 323 square feet. The staff understands very little English. Doubles from $100.
Ritz-Carlton Tokyo, Tokyo Midtown 9-7-1 Akasaka, Minato-ku; 011-81-3-3423-8000 or (800) 241-3333, www.ritzcarlton.com. Tokyo's newest hotel manages to avoid feeling too much like a Ritz-Carlton. The 248-room hotel is tall and splashy (the tower is the tallest in Tokyo); the lobby, with its huge Sam Francis paintings, waterfall and lobby bar, is on the 45th floor. Standard rooms are 560 square feet with magnificent city views. Doubles from $569.
Hiiragiya Ryokan, Anekoji-agaru, Fuyacho, Nakagyo-ku; 011-81-75-221-1136, www.hi iragiya.co.jp/en. This traditional ryokan, founded in 1818, has 21 rooms, plus seven in a new wing opened last year. Tatami bedrooms are lovely and spare. The service was friendly. In-room shiatsu massage, $38 for about an hour, was a bargain; the 11-course Japanese breakfast in the room was a real highlight. Rates from $177 per person (double occupancy) including breakfast; from $250 per person, including breakfast and kaiseki dinner. (Beer and sake are extra.)
Three Sisters Inn, Okazaki, Sakyo-ku; 011-81-75-761-6336. This modest, comfortable ryokan in a quiet, residential neighborhood near Heian shrine has been owned by the Yamada family for 14 generations; today it's run by the Yamada sisters: Kay Kikue, Sandy Sadako and Terry Terumi. The rooms, with tatami mats and futons, have a choice of Japanese or Western-style bathrooms, all with Japanese baths; some rooms share communal bathrooms. Doubles from $108, including breakfast.
WHERE TO EAT KAISEKI IN KYOTO
Kyoto is the birthplace of kaiseki, the haute cuisine of Japan, in which gorgeously presented seasonal dishes come together in a highly formalized tasting menu. The multicourse affair involves fish, tofu and vegetables, and usually no meat.
