Restaurant Guide 2009

If you want an adventure in high-concept international fusion cuisine, this is the place for you. From the menus, encased in Plexiglas cubes nestled in a bed of grass, to the sexy lounge area with a bench shaped like a head, the atmosphere screams contemporary glam sophistication. Dishes like duck breast with purple five-spice mashed potatoes, or spinach salad with kumquats, blue cheese and fried fennel never fail to surprise and delight. This is a great place for a first date—each plate is a conversation piece, so awkward silences are hors de question. Dishes are served tapas-style, so order a few and let the three-ring circus of dinner commence.
Order this: Diminutive Dungeness crab fritters are full of buttery, crabby deliciousness.
Best deal: The BLT is wee, but it comes with a haystack’s worth of shoestring potatoes.
I’ll pass: Sushi rolls, while large, are mostly rice.