Hi all---just wanted to offer a couple of endorsements of places I've visited recently that I think deserve a little more exposure. Tried both in late May / early June. Take everything with a pinch of salt because I'm hardly an expert.

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Apothéose: recently opened at Tokyo Node in Toranomon Hills. You can read all about the chef's history and the restaurant at https://apotheose.jp/en/about/. I was slightly concerned that it would be all about the 49th floor setting (which is absolutely stunning, especially if you can time dinner to span sunset) but I came away extremely impressed overall. I called it French in the title, and that makes sense as a reference point, but the food has an extremely international sensibility and so I wouldn't want to pin it down.

My meal was close to flawless. Flavors are perfectly balanced, light but complex, clever without being needlessly challenging. Every dish had precision and a point of view. Wine list has smart, cheaper, trendy bottles (e.g. Jura, Loire) to go along with the expected old favorites, and the somm was a pleasure to talk to. Service and design impeccable. One of the most impressive new restaurants. It's medium pricey. Reservations currently extremely easy but in my opinion deserve to be more difficult.

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Tanimoto: less new, less under the radar, but another place with easy reservations that, for me, is superior to a lot of more difficult ones. Relocated to Kagurazaka and the space is nice. I went for lunch; it's the same course as dinner but I very much appreciate a good kaiseki lunch when available.

Overall one of the best Japanese meals I've had in Tokyo in a long while. Nothing too fancy in terms of showy ingredients or huge portions, but very satisfying. The soup course (suppon dumpling) was an eleven out of ten. A few other courses were a ten. Service relatively relaxed for this kind of place. Similarly, the cooks seemed to all be operating smoothly and without any anxiety, which in my experience is quite unusual for a kaiseki place with a decent-sized staff. I wouldn't go expecting a lot of innovation, but it fits what I personally am looking for in this kind of meal, and offers decent value for money compared to some of its peers.

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