Wakamono

Description
It's no surprise that Henry Chang's new restaurant, housed in his former Valhalla Wine Shop and across the street from his überstylized eatery Ping Pong, is just as slick, sexy and affected as the rest of his projects. But it's shocking that such a cool-conscious place uses the word japas (Japanese tapas). As it turns out, the joke is on traditionalists: Small plates of dishes such as fresh tofu sprinkled with chile oil and peanuts and prosciutto topped with ponzu sauce, crunchy toasted shallots and charred asparagus make for brilliant, unexpected combinations of flavors. And the sushi (never frozen) is simply impeccable. Yet the biggest surprise is the service: Unlike across the street, the servers here actually smile.