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This shoebox-sized restaurant-cum-sake bar, colorfully and quirkily decorated with paintings, Polaroids, and bright paper pinwheels, is far more about scene and sake than first-class food. Not that that's a bad thing, but diners can safely bypass overly ambitious- or odd-sounding menu items, like the unwieldy bundles of carrots, mesclun, and seafood wrapped in soy paper. The simple stuff is far better, like pleasantly spongy shrimp shumai, or garlicky sautéed shrimp with rice and a little salad dotted with blobs of gingery dressing. And then there’s the impressive list of sakes, which run from junmai to dai ginjo. Sample enough of these and you'll forgive the compilation of sushi clichés that makes up the rest of the menu: spicy mayo, avocado, smoked salmon—they're all here. The three even conspire in a sushi roll that approximates something pleasant, but only after several sake cocktails. — JJ Goode

Shrimp shumai, $8

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