Ditto to the Notorious PIG. While my favorite meal on a very recent trip to Tokyo was Aronia de Takezawa (a more intimate, personal, and "molecular" experience), RyuGin was terrific. It was also named to a top 50 worldwide restaurants list yesterday, so book RyuGin now if you want a spot.

I ate there on the 13th and they gave no indication that they were closing. In fact they wrote 'hope to see you again' on my receipt. It was a fabulous meal.

I just returned from a trip to Kyoto and Tokyo. While my meal at Kikunoi was consistent with the comments above (excellent in many ways, very expensive, and sort of surreal. But the one of my 4 splurge meals to which I am unlikely to return.) The night after Kikunoi we went to Giro Goro hitoshina. It had been recommended as a bargain for kaiseki, but it was so much more. At 1/5 the cost of Kikunoi it was much more fun. Sitting at the counter with the chefs was much better than a private room. The courses paralleled Kikinoi's and while the cost meant the sashimi was koi rather than a special fish the quality and taste was terrific.(photos of koi sashimi and tempura dish attached).

If you have a Japanese speaker with you, my top Kyoto recommendation would be Kamigamo Akiyama. They initially rebuffed our attempts to reserve (we promised that we would have a Japanese speaker to translate), and were not really convinced we were OK until my son (currently studying in Tokyo) started chatting with one of the younger cooks about his desire to visit NYC and his admiration for Jay-Z. There are 12 seats at the counter (no tables), one seating, and these guys are serious about their cooking. While not described as kaiseki, many of the stops in the progression were similar. Each person gets their own charcoal fired hot pot. The chef expounds at some length (in Japanese) on each course and took us all into the room where we assembled before the meal for a tea ceremony. The 2 photos wiill give a hint of the food, which was terrific. Cash only.

I just returned from a week in Tokyo. While I did not try Narisawa, we had an excellent meal at RyuGin. Certainly strongly recommended. Our taste runs towards modernist cooking, and I'd add 2 options to this list. We had an excellent meal, perhaps a bit more traditional and definitely harder to describe, at Kodama. This chef places a bit less emphasis on the photo ready composition of the plate, but the experience and the taste of the food are extraordinary. The fact that this place was not packed and is rarely mentioned on Chowhound surprised me.

Our best meal in Japan was at Aronia de Takazawa. I'm not recommending it for those who do not like a meal that strives to tease your intellect at the same time it pleases your mouth. But I'd love to hit the lotto and eat here every couple of weeks. It was much more intimate and personal an experience than RyuGin (the overhead video camera there really creeped us out - I'd rather wait a bit longer for my overpriced glass of mineral water to be filled). Great cooking, service, and vibe - you really understand the chef is intimately involved in every detail of every plate, and you get all the benefits.

I've purchased several from Great New York Noodletown with great success. Just come in a week or so before you need it to leave a deposit. Generally it is hard to get one much under 15 pounds.

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Great New York Noodletown
28 Bowery, New York, NY 10013

ditto on Saturne. It was the real standout on our recent trip to Paris. We also had wonderful meals at L'Astrance and Passage 53, but those were the 2 big splurges. For some of your everyday (i.e. 40 euro prix fixe) dinners, apart from the names seen frequently here, I'd recommend La Gazetta and Akrame (new and still working out the kinks of service but a real up and comer).

I've had very good luck getting bones from the deli counters in upscale markets. My dad scores them at Zabars regularly and I've gotten them from several East Side spots. Never more than $10.00 and when it is more than $5.00 there is always enough good ham on the bone to make it a bargain.

Go online to see if it is still open, but the National Gallery has (for a year or so) a pop-up restaurant from Michel Richard in honor of their Chester Dale Collection show in the old building. We had a great meal there (very reasonably priced) a couple of months ago. A bit further away we love Jose Andres' Mexican place, Oyamel.