'Tis the season again when the Food File anoints itself as demiurge, handing out gongs and accolades, winnowing the worthy from the weak, and pronouncing unashamedly subjective opinions about the past 12 months. So here's our annual toast to all those restaurants and stores -- most of them new, but also some old favorites -- that have caught our eye during the course of 2003. And to all Japan Times readers, too, compliments of the season: Here's to plenty of turkey and lots of stuffing.

Any new venture from multi-Michelin-starred French chef Joel Robuchon is going to be a major event. Placing L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon in the heart of Roppongi Hills guaranteed that the hype would be massive. But even though the crowds (and queues outside) have subsided, we are still mightily impressed.

For such an establishment figure, L'Atelier is a radical change of style. First, they don't take reservations; it's first come, first served (hence those lines). Second, instead of tables with elaborate place settings and starched cloths, all the seats are along the great, ornate counter. You perch on comfy bar stools, looking in at the open kitchen, receiving your food and drink directly from the chefs, as if at a sushi bar.