Shalom Japan

Aaron Israel and Sawako Okochi call their South Williamsburg corner "authentically inauthentic," and the menu is exactly that: two family kitchens, one Jewish and one Japanese, cooking in one room.

Start with the sake kasu challah, a chewy loaf enriched with sake lees, and its golden-raisin butter. The okonomiyaki comes topped with wagyu pastrami, sauerkraut and bonito flakes, and the matzoh ball ramen — a clear chicken broth with a matzoh ball and wood-ear mushrooms — is the dish people come back for. Sawa's mama's karaage is the other one. MICHELIN keeps it on its Bib Gourmand list, and there is weekend brunch.