Way before fusion cooking started popping up like iPods, Chef Yoshi Katsumura was blending his Japanese heritage with classic French gourmet technique and Italian influences. When Yoshi's first opened 24 years ago, it was one of Chicago's finest dining establishments, but over the years, it has retooled, added more casual fare and repositioned itself in the genre of upscale neighborhood joint with intensely devoted regulars.

The decor, like the food, is a conglomeration that includes blonde woods, Italian advertising posters, Asian artifacts and a caricature of Chef Katsumura in an oversized toque.

The breadth and length of the menu apes a Greek family diner more than a focused temple of haute cuisine a la Charlie Trotters. Chef Katsumura is no short order cook though. Instead of gyros, two egg specials and iceberg side salads, you'll dine on roasted Australian rack of lamb with eggplant, garlic and goat cheese flan; tuna maki with bright orange pearls of tobiko (flying fish eggs); and grilled radicchio with Canadian goat cheese. If your party includes a picky eater (and whose doesn't?), you can score a hamburger or a grilled panini to sate his appetite. Prices for entrees range from $15-$30+.

Average cost: $21-$30

Centerstage Reviewer: Michael Nagrant