Believe the hype! Raku is one of the most amazing restaurants, and experiences, my wife and I have ever had. The Japanese style grill menu is all small(ish) plates with a ton of variation, so there is something to please everyone.
Our first dish of live langostino sashimi was outstanding, and then they took the body and claws and made them into a wonderfully flavorful Miso soup. We then tried on of their classic dishes of enoki mushrooms wrapped in bacon which was a unique experience. Next, we had the black Sea Bass two ways - grilled (by itself) and fried (in a dashi broth) which was one of the best fish dishes we have ever had. Simple preparation, but done perfectly. We then tried the chicken breast wrapped in chicken skin and the pork cheeks - both wonderfully simple skewers that manage to pack a ton of flavor in a bite. The duck skewer with balsamic glaze was perfectly crispy and wonderfully flavorful. Our last dish, a chicken and rice dish with seaweed was packed with flavor in every bite.
I've used a lot of the same adjectives to try to describe the dishes but I'm not sure how to continually describe each dish as wonderful and flavorful and damn near perfect without sounding like I'm repeating myself.
If I could, in would eat here weekly, which is about as high a praise as I can give a restaurant.