Bond Street

BondSt has been in Noho long enough to have earned a reputation. Some know it as the celebrity hangout it was in its early days. Most know it for the exquisite sushi of Shigeru Mikami. But few realize that executive chef Marc Spitzer's catch-driven menu of modern Japanese cuisine is the main event. Whether it's Hama-Hama oysters lightly smoked in hickory or pork belly braised in miso and served with artichoke foam and powderized olive oil, his dishes feel inventive and intuitive--different approaches to a familiar food that make you wonder why it isn't always served that way. Spitzer also collaborates with barman Warren Hode on the other best reason to visit: the cocktails. Ingredients you won't find at any other bar (cherry blossoms, shiso, shisito peppers, candied seaweed, pickled ginger) are mixed with inventive spirits (nori-infused Yamasaki whiskey, toasted sesame rum) in re-inventions of classic cocktails, like an old-fashioned made with agave nectar and yuzu bitters, that, like the food, instantly make perfect sense.