Best Korean restaurant
Hmm, what to order? The sleek black-on-burgundy décor says cosmos and carpaccio. But the photo montage of Roosevelt-era Boston says Killian's and colcannon. And then there's that sushi bar ... hey, just what is this place? You'd be hard-put to guess if it weren't for the sign out front - Koreana says it all. Of course, the lengthy menu says it all better, speaking both to new acquaintances of Korean cuisine with bibimbap, chapchae, and bulgoki, and to its seasoned friends with more fiery, funky fare (think innards and four-alarm hot sauce). Plus, the strongly savory smatterings of kimchi and other traditional accompaniments are themselves worth the price of an entrée. Looks may be deceiving, but flavor never is. Similarly, while the simple, pretty décor at Kaya skews Japanese (blond wood, bamboo, rice paper, and so on), the menu more fully inhabits the Land of the Morning Calm - even if "calm" is hardly the most accurate description of said land's cuisine, especially by American standards. Indeed, like Koreana, Kaya boasts its share of tripe and tongue and capsicum, but its easier-to-stomach options, such as sautéed gingko nuts and potatoes with cod-roe purée, are no less intriguing. Where even the unadventurous can strike out in new directions, you know you've got a winner.

Koreana, 73-75 Prospect Street, Cambridge, (617) 576-8661; Kaya, 581 Boylston Street, Boston, (617) 236-5858, 1924 Mass Ave, Cambridge, (617) 497-5656