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Having spent three months prior to the restaurant's opening studying the intricacies of each dish, Megu's servers are some of the most graciously knowledgeable folks ever to guide you through a menu. So, you don't have to work, as long as you're willing to relinquish control. Hard as that is, follow their lead and you'll soon discover the ornate menu descriptions aren't idle boasts. Megu offers so much distinctively magnificent food, often presented with such staggering beauty, that, though your initial disorientation never fully subsides, you wind up too exhilarated to care. To complicate matters further, appetizers and entrées don't exist. The menu is divided into several unilluminating categories (Crown Jewels, Gems From Japan), and though most everything is presented for sharing, portion sizes vary wildly. But you quickly discover that size does't matter. Each memorable cube of Kobe beef, whether topped by wasabi-soy, Gempei miso, Rikyu sesame, or garlic chips, is a small wonder. Fast eater? The beef is $64 for four skewers. That should be incentive enough to take your time. — Hal Rubenstein

Caesar salad, $14; Kobe beef with sesame and grated ginger in soy butter, $180; yuzu chocolate, $12

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New York Magazine Reviews

• Hal Rubenstein's Full Review (5/31/04)

Best of New York Awards

• Best Japanese That Isn’t Sushi (2005)