The private dining booths at the rear of Rakuzen are appealing, but the best seats in the house are at the long counter. Here, chefs dish out seasonal specials such as delicately grilled Pacific sardines marinated in sake, rare forest mushrooms, firm-fleshed toro, sea-eel tempura and incredible loops of snowy udon dipped in a soy jus thickened with onions and ginger. The house special is the nutty, fragrant Japanese rice, milled fresh each morning.