Hayato

Hayato is a tiny Japanese restaurant that serves elaborate traditional kaiseki dinners a couple of nights a week. For dinner, you need to reserve in advance, pay a $100 deposit, and be fine with having no idea what you’re going to eat. The food is delicious and pristine: You’ll sit at a bar with five or six other people, and watch as the chef prepares around 10 mostly seafood courses. Dishes range from eel tempura and Kyoto-style sushi to dashi broth. It’s all very subtle and understated, but a meal here ends up being a bit stiff. There’s no music, which gives you the sense that you should probably whisper. All of that combined with the high price, makes this a place for Japanese food die-hards only.