Kaiseki in New York

NEW YORK, USA - Kaiseki meals aren't only a delight for the tastebuds, but also for your other senses. Each dish, each bite should stimulate your sense of smell, sight, touch, and taste (if you can squeeze in sound that's great - the crunch of a bite seems a bit of a stretch). This japanese form of dining is an art form, think of it as a beautiful tasting menu based on seasonal ingredients, prepared in a simple way to enhance the natural flavors of the ingredients. In Japan, the place for kaiseki is Kyoto, where this traditional form of dining is celebrated most spectacularly. If you stay at any of the ryokans (traditional inns) throughout Japan, and especially at the onsen (hot springs), you can also expect to be served a kaiseki meal.

So for my mother's birthday this year, she requested kaiseki. In New York, it's a bit more difficult to find. We've been to the classics, hitting Sugiyama and Kai, both of which are quite good. This time, we opted to try Hakubai, located inside the Kitano hotel on Park Avenue, just a few blocks down from Grand Central for this birthday lunch.

Because we had pre-ordered the kaiseki meal, we were able to secure a private tatami room (the rooms require that you spend a minimum of $50/person in food/beverages but there's no additional fee for the room itself). Much as I love tradition, I welcomed the little leg pit under the table which allows anyone who wasn't raised sitting in the uncomfortable kneeling position that tatami mats require to be pins-and-needles free. The 3 private tatami rooms are set at the other end of the restaurant, away from the main dining room, and it helps ensure a peaceful experience.

Our server, an attentive Japanese woman garbed in the traditional kimono, tended to us throughout the meal in an unobtrusive manner. She introduced each course and made sure we were comfortably situated throughout the 2-hour meal. The meal...the meal was wonderful, and it was a thoroughly authentic affair with light teasers in the beginning followed by sashimi and more substantial fare as the meal progressed, ending with udon in broth with tempura shrimp cut up into bite sized pieces. Autumn being the season for matsutake mushrooms, we had several dishes highlighting them, with my favorite being the matsutake dobin soup - a clear dashi-based broth infused with the matsutake mushroom's distinctive flavor, with a prawn, a bite of chicken, and a ginkgo nut to lend some overtones to the soup. It was a light soup that managed to warm me thoroughly. All in all, Hakubai manages to present a classic kaiseki, and my family and I already have plans to go back for the evening kaiseki, which promises to be even more delightful.

N.B., Kaiseki meals are at the chef's discretion: guests notify the restaurant of allergies prior to arriving, and the staff modifies the menu accordingly. In addition, prices are fixed: for Hakubai's kaiseki lunch, expect $68 per person; for their kaiseki dinner, plan for anywhere between $150-170 per person.

Nadaman Hakubai
66 Park Avenue, at 38th Street
Kitano Hotel
212.885.7111
http://kitano.com/menu_list.php?cid=423