Benu: The City's Newest Entrant into Haute Cuisine

"The salad ($12) that began my first meal at Benu looked like it had drifted across the plate, blown by some wispy forest sprite. Curls of orange mimolette cheese looped around transparent shavings of celery. Leaf-thin panes of bacon leaned against apple wedges infused with beer, and wisps of mustard-tinged foam threatened to engulf walnut pebbles. My tablemate and I lifted each piece with delicate forks and crunched into it with the softest of bites; once the awe over its appearance subsided, we began swirling and mixing the drift, a tornado of our own making, all the delicate flavors resolved themselves into something sturdier and more potent." Read more in Jonathan Kauffman's review, Benu: Three Stars—About to be Four.

All photographs by Lara Hata.