Togarashi-seared tuna at Arami
 

At Japanese restaurants, we know the drill: ginger, wasabi, a baby pitcher of soy sauce, and a little dish to mix your own concoction of same. But at Arami, there’s a sizable polished stone in that little dish, and it takes up about half the real estate available for your dipping sauce. “It’s the chefs’ way of discouraging you from using a lot of soy,” explains Arami’s charming manager, “because they have prepared all the dishes with the proper amount of everything.” The head chef is Shin Matsuda (Prairie Grass Café, NoMI), and when it comes to his togarashi-seared tuna over seaweed kelp, drizzled with Meyer lemon dressing, we quite agree with his kitchen dictum. 1829 W. Chicago Ave.; 312-243-1535.