It's not often that a plate of food stops me in my tracks. Yet, a recent dinner at Bei had me simultaneously patting my full tummy and scratching my head. Chef Max's flavor combinations and presentations were 100% on point, yet some of the ingredients were so ingeniously prepared that I was beyond befuddled as to how he managed to pull it off.

Take a mid course of a crunchy poached egg and cold soba noodles. A play on a traditional egg and noodle dish, this inventive bowl was filled with tasty noodles and topped with an amazing egg. The inside had a perfectly running yolk, the white was poached to perfection, but it was also fried to a perfect oblong crisp. I won't give Max's secrets away here, but be sure that there's a lot more to it than simply boiling and frying an egg.

When my main of wagyu tenderloin with watermelon arrived, I was sure there had been a mistake. To my mistaken eyes, there was no watermelon in it's usual form on the plate, only produce resembling a roasted red pepper. Yet, after a few bites, my tastebuds encountered a flavor and texture combination I'd never seen - sweet and slightly fibrous, it was watermelon like I've never seen it. Chef Max told me that he cooks the fresh watermelon using a sous vide technique, and then freezes and thaws the watermelon until it reaches an amazingly smooth and dense texture.

With more cooking shows and online how-to's than you can digest in a lifetime, some of the marvel inherent in a skillfully prepared meal can be lost. When you get that "How did they do it?" feeling like I got at Bei the other night, it's nothing short of a treat to be savored.