Change and entropy, as the philosophers might say, are the only constants. Nowhere is that more evident than in this mighty metropolis and its ever-evolving restaurant scene. New places open, others fade away, but the very best understand how to keep moving with the times.

The New York Grill has been one of our constants since it opened in 1995. From the very start, it's been a symbol of high-end Tokyo dining -- quite literally, given its rarefied location atop the Shinjuku Park Tower. But even cutting-edge sophistication can start to look frayed around the edges. Worse still, complacency can creep into the most illustrious of kitchens. Now the entire floor (including the adjoining New York Bar) has been given a face-lift. Better still, there's a new chef at the helm. That was all the excuse we needed to pay another visit . . .

What's different? At first glance, very little. There is that same breathtaking view of the horizon as you step out of the elevator, that soaring ceiling and those massive murals evoking the age of jazz. Best of all, there is that same sense of having arrived somewhere very special and romantic.