Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
147
purchase your selections from a vending machine and take your tickets to the cafeteria
window. The cafeteria lacks charm, but if you can get a table by the window, you'll have
a good view of Tokyo. On the same floor is also a cafe, open Monday to Friday from
10am to 5pm for drinks and dessert.
TMG, 32nd floor of North Tower (take the office elevator, not the elevator to the observatory), 2-8-1
Nishi-Shinjukuku. & 03/5320-7510. Set meals ¥580-¥660. No credit cards. Mon-Fri 11:15am-2pm and
5-7pm. Station: Tochomae (1 min.), Shinjuku (10 min.), or Nishi-Shinjuku (5 min.).
10 HARAJUKU & AOYAMA
Note: To locate these restaurants, see the map on p. 149.
EXPENSIVE
Casita FUSION One of the reasons I'm a great fan of Casita is that I
feel truly pampered here. Who wouldn't, with a staff that proffers flashlights to the aged
among us who have difficulty reading menus in dim lighting, stands ready to carry out
every whim, and, on chilly nights, tucks us under electric blankets so that we can enjoy
after-dinner drinks on the deck before we head over to the massage chairs? Casita aims
to please, carving its own niche in Tokyo's fiercely competitive market by creating a
tropical, resortlike atmosphere, bolstered by great service and a year-round outdoor deck
that's heated in winter and covered when it rains. Of course, none of that matters if the
food falls short, but Casita turns out dishes that border on awesome, whether it's the
Caesar salad with serious shavings of Parmesan, the caramelized foie gras with balsamic
sauce, the wrapped langoustines with garam masala-flavored Bearnaise sauce, or the
grilled Japanese beef sirloin with seasonal vegetables in a wasabi-flavored red wine sauce.
Who wouldn't be a fan?
La Porte Aoyama, 5th floor, 5-51-8 Jingumae. & 03/5485-7353. www.casita.jp. Reservations required.
Main dishes ¥3,200-¥5,500; set dinners ¥8,400-¥12,600. AE, DC, MC, V. Daily 5-11pm (last order). Station:
Omotesando (3 min.). Head toward Shibuya on Omotesando Dori; it will be on your right, buried in an
unlikely looking building past Kinokuniya and the stoplight.
6
Sabatini ITALIAN This restaurant, with its Italian furniture and tableware and
strolling musicians, seems as if it has been moved intact from the Old World. In fact, the
only thing to remind you that you're in Tokyo is your Japanese waiter. The Italian family
that opened Sabatini (no relation to the Sabatini restaurant in the Ginza) has had a res-
taurant in Rome for more than 50 years, and many of the ingredients—olive oil, ham,
salami, tomato sauce, and Parmesan—are flown in fresh from Italy. The menu includes
seafood, veal, steak, and lamb, from the traditional saltimbocca to grilled scampi. Natu-
rally, there's a wide selection of Italian wines.
Suncrest Building, 2-13-5 Kita-Aoyama. & 03/3402-3812. Reservations recommended for dinner. Main
dishes ¥3,990-¥7,770; set dinners ¥10,500-¥14,700; set lunches ¥2,310-¥6,090 (from ¥2,730 Sat-Sun and
holidays). AE, DC, MC, V. Daily 11:30am-2:30pm and 5:30-10:30pm (last order). Station: Gaienmae (2
min.). On Aoyama Dori, near Gaien-Nishi Dori.
MODERATE
Daini's Table CHINESE This elegant Chinese restaurant, located next to the
Blue Note jazz club off Kotto Dori, serves intriguing dishes that are nicely presented one
dish at a time rather than all at once as in most Chinese restaurants. Its English-language
menu offers both traditional dishes (roast Peking duck, boiled prawns with red chili
 
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