Kanetanaka-an

A highly ritualized, multicourse meal of “small bites,” kaiseki has evolved through the centuries as an offshoot of the Buddhist tea ceremony. Chef Yoshiaki Takahashi practices this culinary art at Kanetanaka-an, one of four Kanetanaka restaurants. This informal branch is hidden on the second floor of an office building. Request a seat at the varnished pine counter to watch him assemble an exquisite progression of seasonal dishes: chewy tofu skin with pale pink sea urchin; delicate shrimp cake adrift in matsutake mushroom broth. Takahashi also serves sakes in pottery cups he glazes himself.