Megu

Contributor

Citysearch

The Scene
Every inch of the original Megu (there's a second one in midtown) is meticulously designed in a mix of modern and antique motifs. Porcelain rice-bowl columns teeter high above the auditorium-sized dining area, and a gigantic temple bell suspends over a bottom-lit ice carving. Pampering servers, decked out in haute Japonica, flutter between cavernous leather booths and the long sushi bar. Even the celebs seem impressed.

The Food
The modern, largely organic, high-dollar Japanese menu deserves the drama of its showy setting. The kitchen abandons courses in favor of shared plates: first, yuzu-doused micro-greens and flower petals; next, bonito-rich edamame puree. Raw fish--from buttery uni sushi to glistening toro tartare--is exceedingly fresh. So are cooked plates: Marinated Kobe beef practically melts on its skewers, soy-buttered scallops collapse with sweet brine and Chawanmushi custard, quivering in eel-soy broth with black truffles and foie gras, is over the top.