Marc

"Eater: Unagi (freshwater eel) is best in city. Kabayaki: fillets of eel steamed, charcoal grilled, & basted w/sweet-savory glaze. Expect hr-long lines w/further wait as they slowly cook eel to order"

"Eater: 9seat counter; Every bite of seafood, veggies, or mushroom is served direct from wok to plate-the matsutake pine mushrooms in autumn r esp memorable. Location is obscure but worth taxi fare"

"Eater: Takaaki Sugita is one of the city’s top sushi chefs. This has become one of the hardest places to book, so out-of-towners should get their concierges working on it well ahead of time."

"Eater: one of Tokyo’s oldest and best loved purveyors of beef cuisine. Shabushabu, sukiyaki, teppanyaki or steak: all are prepared and served with old-school refinement and expertise."

"Eater: Founded 130 yrs ago &housed in wooden premises, it’s a living legend. There’s a small menu of side dishes to go w/sake, but here it’s all about noodles, which are rolled &cut by hand in-house"

"Eater: serves premium udon (wheat) noodles, kneaded & cut by hand Osaka-style, in a converted red-brick storehouse overlooking a garden. Settle in and find good selection of sake & side dishes"