Kaiseki Furukawa — Restaurant in Minneapolis

Let me begin with saying if there was a higher rating than 5 stars, I would give it more than that.

We came here for our first year anniversary and were not disappointed. The flavors and the presentation of the dishes were reminiscent of summer. For example, one of the bowls had a top that when you turned it over.... there was a painting of fireworks on the surface of the bowl. One of my favorites was the salt grilled fish, it reminded me of something we eat within our culture.

Everything seemed personalized. The menu had a "happy anniversary" message on there and at the end of our meal, we had a Polaroid picture taken of us. On top of that, with leftover rice from one of our meals... They made onigiri!

It was also heartwarming to see the owner's eyes beam with passion as he described more about the dishes to my girlfriend in Japanese. It feels like to me that there is a lot of heart that went into the dishes and a lot of attention to the small details shows that. After the meal, the owner presented us his business card and told us about how the business card was made (which was very interesting).

I've been to some nice places around here but this was truly a different experience that I don't think I could get anywhere around here. Chef Furukawa, thank you for the meal and I look forward to taking my Grandma...

Thank god this is here. We need more restaurants like this in the Twin Cities.

1st Edit: Just came back for our anniversary! Best restaurant in Minnesota, hands down. Nothing compares.

2nd Edit: Came back for my wife’s birthday. Excellent once again.

3rd Edit: Back for early Valentine’s Day. So good. Been too long. Every dish was great.

4th Edit: Wife’s birthday again! They gave us cool red placemats (red is the color of celebration) and specially printed menus. We have been doing Kado downstairs, but came upstairs for this. Very, very good.

5th Edit: Another Valentine’s Day! (We are in the teens in terms of visits.). Love Chef; love the staff.

6th Edit: Wife’s birthday again! (Don’t ask her age.)

7th Edit: My birthday! Duck, rice with snowcrab, and strawberries in two shades were the highlights. Probably my favorite menu yet!

8th Edit: Another anniversary! Chef was nominated for a James Beard this year so I feel like we were ahead...

After falling in love with kaiseki cuisine on my trips to Japan, I was overjoyed when I learned of a restaurant opening up in Minneapolis. The food is elegantly presented and the seasonal ingredients are delicious. I am fondly remembering the Hassun course for the traditional Osechi New Years foods eaten in Japan for good luck in the upcoming year. Many people might be confused by this food and the way it is presented but the way the Japanese prepare and present food is very different from Americans. Yes, it is pricey compared to most other restaurants but that is entirely due to the fact that 80% of this menu had to be imported from Japan. Authentic Japanese food is so hard to find in the Midwest and this rare gem is so appreciated. I encourage everyone to give it a try if they can and to keep an open mind. You may not love everything but I promise you will find something that will surprise and delight...