Tokyo

Right from the start they got on my good side with the Alice-in-Wonderland-like, half-sized front door. Then again on the inside, which is just kind of simple and cozy, with a bar in the front and tables along the sides and back. Apparently there's also a cool upstairs room, which we didn't see.

Then they let me play with my food, setting down a little portable grill with slices of raw white tuna and a delicious dipping sauce. And then sheets of nori and a tasty rice mixture for us to create our own handrolls.

But they really REALLY won me over with that lotus root and natto (stinky fermented soybeans) dish. I love lotus root, but before I tried this dish I would have said I can't stand natto. I would have said it smells and tastes like rotting animals. So when I realized what the sauce on that lotus root was made of, after it was already in my mouth, I almost went to spit it out, until I realized it was...good.

And that's no mean feat, I promise you.