Roe

Like the pearl in the oyster shell (or for that matter the coral in the female lobster), Roe has formed by complex organic processes to yield a prize within a prize: once the back-room lounge of chef-owner Trent Pierce’s ramen parlor, it’s now the luxe prix-fixe rendezvous behind his casually hip B&T Oyster Bar. If that sounds confusing, rest assured it will all become crystal-clear once you arrive for your beverage-paired, seven-course chef’s tasting (because all the way is the only way to go here, from the supplemental caviar service onward). Updated nearly daily, the menu brilliantly melds the Asian influences that also suffuse the softly glowing dining room with twists from the West. We’re talking confit swordfish with fried mushrooms in truffled ponzu and parmesan dashi, or king crab over gnocchi in a sauce that simultaneously evokes bouillabaisse and kimchi. And then there’s the signature butterfish sashimi sprinkled with frozen, shaved foie gras. The ingenuity continues as Pierce and his crew squeeze noodles from cuttlefish, make chorizo from squid, work the namesake eggs into the most surprising places—and complement it all with wine from no less surprising places, be it Applegate Valley or the Valle d’Aosta.