Thanks to a dear friend, I got to know the prodigious Chef Masa Yoshi Takayama when he was cooking, or should I say slicing, in Los Angeles. Since he’s been at the Time-Warner Center, I have been longing to eat there, but I couldn’t go without the person who first introduced me to him. It finally worked out, and this is truly the most extraordinary restaurant in the world. Of course, you have to love raw fish in all its incarnations, but just sitting at the bar watching the absolute perfectionism, creative genius, and remarkable quality of the raw ingredients is breathtaking as well as a once in a lifetime event. It doesn’t come cheap as dinner can run from $600 to $2000 a person (depending on what you order), but it’s worth every cent. Nearly all the fish is air-freighted in from Japan, and is supplemented by some of Santa Barbara’s great sea urchins as well as some local fish. Eating here is a religious experience to be savored over a three or four hour period. I can’t wait to return!