Megu (CLOSED)

Since the day this awe-inspiring temple of Japanese cuisine opened in 2004, diners have been criticizing its overblown prices and unwieldy, complicated menu. But critics forget to mention that this is one of the most thrilling meals you’ll find in New York. Spring for one of the tasting menus, which begins with a brainteaser of a dish: a spoon holding a raw “egg,” which actually combines pineapple juice, coconut milk and a chemically induced yolk-like membrane. What follows is a parade of ingenious little bites and surprising presentations. Scrumptiously fatty toro comes with a plastic syringe of creamy tuna marrow. Immaculate slices of chilled raw kobe beef look like marble slabs on the plate but melt in the mouth. Megu is equally serious about sushi. Three simple, glistening pieces delivered at the end of the meal are as breathtaking and as pleasurable as any you’ve had.