58 1st Street (between 1st and 2nd Avenues) 917-639-3197 www.bararestaurant nyc.com

Japanese, French. When you arrive, you know you’ve come to the right place. Look up and their name is featured prominently in Hollywood style lights. (Not just outside, but in). It’s a unique touch which sets the tone for the night to follow. Bara bills themselves as Japanese and French. Doing it all doesn’t guarantee it all gets done well, but they are clearly fluent. Once seated, I was presented with cauliflower, turnips and cucumber. Deliciously drizzled in soy, it was an unexpected opening that had me awaiting the inventive meal ahead. Their chawanmushi custard with crab salad and celery heart is a true mix of textures, each flavorful, while the big eye tuna handroll (spicy grapefruit ponzu, avocado mayo) is tasty and generous. Spicy lobster noodles play host to pistachio, garlic cream and fennel here, a genuinely innovative and memorable ensemble. I cannot say enough about the whole red snapper, not just because of the brilliance of the ginger soy glaze, but the togarashi cucumbers (with which I was unfamiliar but am now an absolute fan). They prove the magic is in the preparation, seconded later by the crème caramel. I have had it many times, but never a black sesame creation such as this. I won’t soon forget the experience or their name up in lights. Believe me, they deserve it.