1. Nearly everything in Megu is an exercise in excess, save the portion sizes. There’s the nine-page menu, the two-tiered dining room presided over by a giant ice Buddha sitting beneath a temple bell, and the wasabi root that is grated tableside (a practice that threatens to evoke the wandering peppermill guy as spice sommelier). The sheer number of decisions to be made before actually eating can be more overwhelming than relaxing. But do order the ribbons of Texas-raised Kobe beef that you cook yourself on hot stones, and the nearly infinite varieties of toro (paired with avocado or caviar are standouts), along with the freshest of sea urchin flown in from Japan. Don’t be afraid to try the many varieties of sake by the glass; ask your waiter for suggestions on pairings.

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