The chef’s discoveries

TOKYO

Tokyo is one of the great restaurant cities of the world, with just about every kind of eating place you can think of (and some you can’t). When Lee Hefter plans a trip to Tokyo, he consults not just Japanese chef friends, but also two websites: www.zagat.com and www.bento.com/tokyofood.html. A couple of these restaurants are favorites Hefter returns to again and again; others are new finds.

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KADOWAKI

2-7-2 Azabu-Juban

Minato-ku

011-81-3-5772-2553

A tiny restaurant in the Azabu-Juban district with the feel of a speakeasy. Seating is at a small counter or one of several tiny private rooms. English is not spoken.

Omakase dinner, about $150 per person.

KONDO

Sakaguchi Building,

9th Floor

5-5-13 Ginza

Cho-ku

011-81-3-5568-0923

Fumio Kondo makes exquisite tempura keyed to the seasons, with a real reverence for ingredients, at this personable tempura bar. No English is spoken.

Omakase dinner, $70 to $130 per person (depending on the number of courses).

SHOTAI-EN

5-9-5 Ginza

Chuo-ku

011-81-3-6274-5003

A casual, friendly, fun place for yakiniku -- Japanese Korean-style barbecue that you cook at your own table. The focus here is on high quality, well-priced Kobe beef. English-language menu is available.

Dinner, about $30 per person.

SUSHIDOKORO SHIMIZU

2-15-13 Shinbashi

Minato-ku

011-81-3-3591-5763

An intimate, eight-seat sushi bar in a residential alley in the Shinbashi district. Chef Kunihiro Shimizu uses the very best seasonal fish. English is not spoken.

Omakase lunch, about $100 per person.

UCHIYAMA

2-12-3 Ginza

Chuo-ku

011-81-3-3541-6720

An elegant, modern kaiseki restaurant, with seating at a long counter or in tatami rooms. An astonishing meal, especially for the price.

Omakase lunch, about $85 per person.

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KYOTO

Kyoto is the birthplace of kaiseki, the haute cuisine of Japan, in which gorgeously presented seasonal dishes come together in a highly formalized tasting menu. The multi-course affair involves fish, tofu and vegetables, and usually no meat.

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TOUSUIRO

517-3 Kamiosakamachi, Sanjo Agaru Kiyamachi St., Nakagyo-ku; 011-75-251-1600; www.tousuiro.com.

A casual, relaxed tofu restaurant overlooking the Kamo River.

Tofu kaiseki lunch, about $21 per person.

KIKUNOI

459 Shimo Kawaramachi, Yasaki Torii Mae, Higashiyama-ku;

011-81-75-561-0015

Kaiseki master Yoshihiro Murata’s graceful restaurant has been in his family for three generations. The 11 beautiful tatami rooms are luxuriously spacious.

Kaiseki dinner, about $200 per person.

TSURUYA

30 Okazaki Higashi-Tennocho; Sakyo-ku; 011-81-75-761-0171

Serene and gorgeous, this formal kaiseki restaurant has tatami rooms looking out onto an amazing garden.

Kaiseki lunch, about $200 per person.