Zenkichi

In its own simple way, Zenkichi is one of the most beautiful restaurants in Brooklyn. The dark, wood-paneled triplex is a labyrinth of hushed, narrow hallways lined with semi-private dining rooms. Each little room is separated by a bamboo curtain, which the server opens and closes. (If you order the multi-course omakase, as my companion and I did, there's a lot of opening and closing!) The place reminded me of Higashi-Yama Tokyo.

The $48 omakase menu changes every five weeks, and can be accompanied by a flight of sake. Our sakes were arranged in order of sweetness, and contained notes of dark chocolate, citrus and cantaloupe. My favorite was the Shichiken Junmai Ginjo (the chocolatey one). (There is also an assortment of dessert sakes, but I'll have to save those for the next visit!)

Our first course was a bowl of soup made hearty with strips of fried tofu. Then it was time for sashimi: slices of seasoned bigeye tuna atop a bed of julienned peppers, carrots and onions, rich monkfish liver seasoned with Japanese lime, and clean-tasting sea bream.

A yuzu-dressed baby arugula salad featured small chunks of free-range chicken and hen-of-the-woods mushrooms from Shizuoka. Disks of sea-urchin-stuffed fluke tempura were so tasty that we later ordered another tempura dish from the a la carte menu: tiger shrimp oozing with melted squares of Camembert. The tempura was accompanied by sprays of green tea salt and bowls of tentsuyu. (I love green tea salt and wish they served it on popcorn in movie theatres.)

Luscious black cod was lovingly prepared, marinated in salt for one night and Kyoto miso for two. The sake-scented fish was sweet and melted like butter. Tiger shrimp shinjo were two small shrimp/fish cake balls in a subtle broth. (For this course, the diner has a choice between shinjo and slow-cooked pork belly.) The final course before dessert was a plate of seared Mishima beef sushi, accented with ginger garlic soy sauce.

We really indulged in dessert, ordering three more items in addition to the dense chocolate cake with yuzu-topped yogurt-honey ice cream! My companion dug into a soft kabocha pumpkin pudding with ginger syrup and toasted pumpkin seeds, I finished off the nutty kinako cheesecake, and we both cleansed our palates with a grapefruit half filled with bright red grapefruit jelly. I suppose we'll be back in five weeks to see what else the chef has in store for us!

Zenkichi Modern Japanese Brasserie: (718) 388-8985, 77 North 6th St., Brooklyn.