Matsu

Matsu does a 10-course, three-hour-long Japanese tasting menu in a space so intimate that the food gets the spotlight it deserves—literally. There are only 14 lights in the dining room, which are above the 14 wooden tables, making each course feel like it’s getting up on stage to audition for the role of “Your Favorite Part Of The Meal.” The menu changes with the season, but some recent standouts were the grilled, all-cabbage gyoza with caviar, braised sunflower and cuttlefish, and house tempura-battered ebi. This is the type of place where each tiny course comes with a fresh plate and maybe a custom-made knife, and the service attentively explains dishes without being annoying. They also do an a la carte menu at the bar, where you can chat with the bartender while sipping wines from Valle de Guadalupe.