[dekay]

Chikurin in the outskirts of Kyoto proper, in Ugi, home of Ugi-cha. A great find off the beaten path.
Fresh and clean design with great views of the Ugi river white-watering by. Hideki Shimuguchi is a talented young chef who commands great respect at all the markets around town.
I heard from more than one that he will be the best chef in Kyoto in a few years.
Not afraid of modern techniques and equipment (electro-magnetic/microwave refrigerators, moisture controlled cooling boxes!) in the kitchen, his cuisine appears traditional to the eye. Visitors who go to Byodoin, the great Phoenix temple a stone's throw away, then taste and buy the famous local green tea at the various tea houses would do well to visit here. Catch him before he is a superstar.

Miyamasou, the great find of the trip. An hour's drive outside of Kyoto winding up the "old mackeral" road into the mountains. At a certain level you park and a bus takes you the rest of the way up. An auberge with nice rooms, the food, while not executed at its most precise, has a whole lot of soul. Almost all the food is foraged on the property; vegetables, mushrooms, herbs, and roots. The fish is fresh water found on the property like ayu and large wild carp caught and purged for a month in the ponds behind the restaurant. Lots of grilling over coals. Hisato Nakahigashi is a fantastic host with ten year's experience in France, including 6 years in the front of the house at Michel Guerard. Third generation auberge. www.miyamasou.jp
075.746.0231

Gion U (*), a small scattered chain for very good eel, well priced, in the Kyoto style (grilled without steaming or blanching and a different skewer technique.) 075.551.9966 http://www.yagenbori.co.jp/tenpo/u/

Keninji Gion Maruyama (**) Classic kaiseki with an emphasis on seasonal vegetable cuisine. Expensive but with an excellent value priced lunch.
075.561.9990

Sakurada (**), Tables and chairs! Contemporary kaiseki with an 18,000Y menu in the evening. 075.371.2552

All recommended.