Zen master

When a Japanese-born chef trains under vetted masters of French cooking, good things can happen. In Takashi Yagihashi’s case, opening Restaurant Takashi isn’t just a good thing; it’s the culmination of a 20-year career that includes the award-winning restaurant Tribute in suburban Detroit and tutelage under legends like Ambria’s Gabino Sotelino and three-star Michelin man Pierre Gagnierre. Within the two-story Bucktown A-frame that most recently housed Scylla, Yagihashi applies those modern French lessons to his Asian background, and uses Midwest ingredients to pull season and place into the picture. So what does that look like on the plate? New York strip with a punch of wasabi, sweet pea gratin and potatoes fried in goose fat; gnocchi lightened by shemiji mushrooms, Gulf shrimp, oba leaves and preserved lemon. Local designer Francois Geneve takes a cue from Yagihashi, striving for a delicate, dreamy look via details like a hand-painted panoramic of birch trees on silver linen. 1952 N Damen Ave between Homer St and Armitage Ave (773-772-6170).