Zuma Contemporary Japanese Cuisine

A spacious and stylish sake lounge, which pours more than 40 kinds of the libation, leads to a lofty, Zen-like dining room composed of glass, stainless steel, granite, stone, and raw Indonesian wood tables. An open kitchen, which blends into the space, prepares small plates of Asian-inspired fare, sushi items, and foods cooked on a robata grill. Presentations are stunning; the cuisine is delicate and flavor-packed. The sushi/sashimi is pristine, and rolls such as freshwater eel with avocado, shiso leaf, and pickled burdock root are terrific. Tempura selections are flawlessly crisp and clean. Desserts are exceptional — none better than a moist, dense banana cake striped at the bottom by a layer of green-tea cake. Dining at Zuma can be a pricey proposition, but it doesn't reach Nobu-esque proportions.