Photo courtesy Peter MumfordThere was something about Chiso that calmed me the

Published 7:00 am Friday, May 28, 2010

Photo courtesy Peter MumfordThere was something about Chiso that calmed me the moment I walked into the room–that balanced my chi, settled my bitter humors, unwound some kind of clockspring in the middle of my chest that I hadn’t even known was there. I don’t know if it was the place itself, the cool simplicity of the space or the sure knowledge that I had good food coming to me in a hurry, but something in the air at Chiso just worked like nitrous on me and made me feel like everything was gonna be okay.Photo courtesy Peter MumfordPhotos–even good ones like those done for this week’s slideshow by shooter extraordinaire Peter Mumford–can’t really get across the sense of peace I felt each time I stepped into the little half-subterranean dining room at Chiso. But what they can do is let you know what you’re in for in the food department–capturing the beauty and simplicity of Japanese cuisine presented by cooks and rollers who really know what they’re doing.I had a great time at Chiso last week (and not only because I was almost infinitely amused by watching a really bad first date implode right before my eyes). Peter had a great time shooting it. And if you have the means and the moments, I think you’ll have a great time settling into a table there, too–breathing in the steam of a good bowl of miso soup, perusing the menu of sushi, sashimi, chirashi and ippin, and waiting to see what the guys behind the bar can do for you.