Dinner at Brandon Hayato Go’s seven-seat counter inside the Row DTLA is the most coveted reservation in Los Angeles. Slots open at the start of the month and disappear before the page can load. But if your name is plucked from the waitlist and you have the funds, the experience is unparalleled. Go prepares dishes in full view of diners while carrying on a conversation about the provenance and seasonality of each ingredient throughout the evening. His selection of sake is vast and his knowledge even broader, with some bottles not often seen outside of his dining room. Obsessive is too tame a word for Go’s inspection of each cluster of onion petals that darken for 90 minutes over hot embers, or the precise preparation of the kinmedai golden eye snapper, designed to soften the flesh in a way that won't compromise the texture of the skin. A slab of grilled shiro amadai just breaks the surface of a light dashi with bits of junsai plant floating in the broth, the green twigs suspended in a forcefield of their own natural gelatin. Each element sings, as if it was harvested, raised or caught to end up on the dish in front of you. Halfway through dinner, guests merge into one party, sharing pours of sake and exchanging reservation waitlist stories. Dinner at Go’s hands is pure pleasure, likely the most transcendent dining experience in the city. And you’ll make a few new friends too. — J.H.

1320 E. 7TH ST., SUITE 126, LOS ANGELES l HAYATORESTAURANT.COM