Food and Drinq

Since the once-red-hot Marabella's folded in 1996, the restaurants that have occupied the second level of the Academy House (1420 Locust St.) have been a boring lot. A Chinese place that lasted 10 minutes, a comfort-fooder that lasted five, various Italian concepts, a barbecue joint that literally stank out the building. Dogs all.

The latest entry, opening Thursday (12/20), seems to have the most potential. It's called Kaizan: Modern Japanese Cuisine -- a modification of its working name (Kai). Concept is based on the formal Japanese dining style called kaiseki, but the look -- based on a late-construction walk-through led by general manager Joseph DePalma -- is sexy.

Banquettes line the multicolored wall to the left as you walk in. There's a small, glass-doored wine storage room; they'll serve 18 by the glass ($9 to $12), and an additional 50 bottles (most under $60). There also will be a sake list and a small grouping of specialty cocktails.

Through a beaded curtain are tables in that black wood that everyone's doing today. The dining room is smaller than you may remember. Owner Jonathan Chun, who has Fuji Mountain on Chestnut Street, shrank it to install a small outdoor patio that overlooks the building's entrance on Locust. Toward the back is a drinking bar; behind that is a spacious sushi bar. Servers will wear black, specially fitted chef's jackets.

Plates will be $10 to $20, and they'll be pushing ever-changing tasting menus: $55 for five courses, $70 for seven and $95 for nine. Each course is based on a cooking technique, such as broiled, steamed, fried and reduction.

A few samples: Kobe Tataki (seared, thinly sliced Kobe beef topped with Korean pear puree, edamame, and sliced seaweed); lobster tobinyaki (half cut lobster grilled in a ceramic bowl with white miso sauce); kamo dobinmushi (duck breast, enoki mushrooms, steamed in a tea pot with dashi broth); and otoro Ishiyaki (otoro you cook on a stone grill set up on the table).

At left is the tea pot that the kamo dobinmushi cooks in with the broth. To serve, you pour the broth into the dish at left and use your chopsticks to pick duck meat out of the pot.

Kaizan, open nightly, is taking reservations through OpenTable.

Below: a portion of the banquettes.