Chef Grant Achatz continues to burst with novel ideas at this temple to culinary ingenuity. The kitchen is mature, substantive, soulful, and operates with an infectious confidence.

Whether you are seated at the kitchen table, gallery or salon, dining here is part theater and pure pleasure. Meals take advantage of every sense, so expect scented vapors, tricks, and tableside preparations. The olfactory experience is vivid—if you keep your eyes closed, intense wafts of citrus or smoke will easily reveal what course was just served.

This chamber is packed, and yet, it feels more like a party than a crowd. Service is remarkably knowledgeable and engaged, thanks to a staff that brings both humor and personality to the meal. Dishes are always whimsical and sometimes experimental. Beef rossini, for instance, highlights roasted A5 Miyazaki tenderloin that's presented sizzling-hot, then sliced, and arranged with foie gras. Morels with goat butter emulsion show the beauty in classic simplicity; while desserts like a fanciful caramel popcorn bonbon, bubblegum-flavored Japanese cheesecake, and a green apple helium-filled balloon beautifully illustrate this chef's sense of "nostalgia."