Yakiniku Shodai is all about wagyu. The Japanese restaurant in Civic Center should be reserved for any blowout occasion when you want beef so tender it seems the cows spent the majority of their lives in an infrared sauna. There’s an a la carte menu (weekdays only), but you’re here for either the $150 or $225 tasting menu. They're both a parade of wagyu cuts, vegetables, and seafood, grilled right in front of you, with preparation that’s more traditional than swankier Japanese steakhouses like Niku. Each piece of wagyu practically dissolves upon contact, like the velvety yakishabu don with an egg yolk sauce or the oyster blade brushed with BBQ sauce. Filler courses, like the seasonal seafood or zucchini and mushrooms, are nice, but not particularly memorable. You’ll feel pampered the entire two-ish-hour experience. The staff-to-diner ratio is about one-to-three, so you’ll be attended to more than a toddler in a nanny-share, down to the constantly full banchan, and grilling that’s dialed in to the nanosecond. Even if you’re not concerned about specialized cattle pedigrees, and you simply like eating exceptional meat, save this place for your next milestone or a pre-show splurge at any of the theaters nearby.