Week in Reviews: Thousand Cranes

This is one of those times we're happy to be in the same city as Jonathan Gold. Not only does he discover the Thousand Cranes' tempura bar at the Kyoto Grand Hotel (formerly the Otani Hotel) in Little Tokyo for us, but now we want all things fried and glistening: "There are prawns, huge as bananas, that come out of the oil as straight as rulers, crackle-crusted and spurting sweet juice when you violate them with your teeth. You may taste big sea scallops tamed to a luxurious softness by the oil, Japanese pumpkin and gleaming shishito peppers. Lotus root turns into the densest, sweetest substance on Earth in the hands of Shiono, and okra pods lose the gooeyness of their centers. You are glad that the restaurant exits into the still of the Japanese garden, because the shock of the downtown streets might be too much after this meal." [LAW]