Kyoya

It's easy to miss this elegant Japanese oasis. After you walk past a graffiti-covered fence near the corner of East 7th St. and 1st Avenue, don't forget to look down; there will be a staircase leading you to an unforgettable experience! You can enjoy Kyoya's delicately prepared cuisine in the semi-private tatami room, in front of Chef Sono at the bar, or at one of the five or so tables in the front. Reservations are definitely recommended.

After being mightily impressed by my meal a week ago, I decided to bring my companion last night. To my amazement, our server remembered that I had ordered the Nagasaki mackerel sashimi the previous week. Almost all the fish is from Japan, except for the tuna (Panama) and the sea urchin (Canada). None is farmed.

The menu is divided into chef's specials, hot and cold appetizers, main courses, and a $150 kaiseki. (Note: this is one of those fancy places, so rice, miso soup, pickles and tea are extra! The Chiran green tea from Ito-En is bracing and wonderfully strong.) There's miso-marinated beef tongue, fried mountain vegetables, sea urchin with tofu skin in a crystal clear broth, eel agedashi-dofu, and Hokkaido male and female smelts. In short, there are a lot of items I've never encountered before, which just makes me want to order them all!

I thought my companion might enjoy the Tousui hotpot appetizer - a ceramic pot filled with a hot soymilk stew with tofu skin and soft chunks of tofu. This mild, sweet dish was livened up with garnishes of scallions, ponzu sauce, daikon radish and citrus salt. Although I'd also ordered the icefish yukari (a mound of tiny, lightly fried fish) on my previous visit, this time I went with ebi shinjo: fried shrimp mousse balls interspersed with crunchy rice crackers, tender shiitakes, baby corn and asparagus in a light broth.

We both ended up having black cod for our main course. My companion ordered the seasonal simmered fish, which was a large piece of cod poached in a sweet soy sauce; I chose the miso-marinated black cod. The three slabs of fish were rich as peanut butter, and they arrived with a small dish of cold edamame.

Although I fondly remembered the matcha-dusted dark chocolate mousse cake with unsweetened whipped cream from my last visit, we were due to meet some friends at Caffe Emilia for dessert. So I'll have to repeat that pleasure another time.

Kyoya: 94 East 7th St., (212) 982-4140).