"On a good night, one of the first things you’ll see when you sit down in the tiny kaiseki room at Yuzu is an impressively huge slab of otoro—the fattiest, most prized part of the tuna belly. It appears multiple times during the 11-course shou menu ($210), which changes monthly but always features sea urchin, grilled A5 wagyu, and foie gras. Plus, some gold leaf as a reminder that Chinatown isn't that far from the strip. But the real strength of Kaiseki Yuzu lies in its balance of fun and finesse: you can chat with the chef and his assistants, who crack jokes while they’re making intricate little sculptures out of fish and vegetables. They assure diners that what they're eating is the best possible version of whatever they're getting, which also means bringing out a signed certificate from the farm in Japan where the cow spent its formative years. Every plate of something luxurious—including the fist-sized, otoro-stuffed futomaki roll, which they’ll tell you to eat in one bite—is followed by something humble or light, like a bubbling little cauldron of cabbage-and-pork soup or a plate of wild mushrooms. You’ll finish your two-plus hours feeling satisfied (and loaded with more food pics than you'll know what to do with), but not so full you can’t hop across the street for a drink at The Golden Tiki after. photo credit: Hannah Rushton photo credit: Hannah Rushton photo credit: Hannah Rushton photo credit: Hannah Rushton photo credit: Hannah Rushton" - Andrew Ryce
