Kabuto Japanese Steak Seafood & Sushi, Goodlettsville

The tableside grill sizzles, searing flavorful slices of steak and moist squares of salmon. A chef keeps careful watch on his proteins, summoning pillars of flame to add extra heat, dicing meat with lightning dexterity, and corralling jumbo shrimp with a bullwhip to complete the culinary show. This is the scene at Kabuto Japanese Steak Seafood & Sushi, where food is as much spectacle as it is art.

Besides cooked-to-order hibachi specialties, the restaurant keeps a sushi bar stocked with fresh seafood. Here, experts hand-roll favorite maki, such as spicy tuna or california rolls, or draw on more inventive ingredients—wine sauce, mango, strawberry—for their house specialty rolls. But whether guests seek food that is flame-kissed or flame-free, each dish stands out against the decor's elegantly understated tableau.