Soma Sushi Restaurant & Bar, Houston

At trendy Soma on Houston’s Washington Avenue by Durham Drive, sushi meets haute cuisine with a flourish. An extensive sake list starts the show, while cocktails are prepared sous-vide inside a vacuum-sealed bag to intensify their flavors. The food, of course, receives much of the same treatment. This is Japanese-French fusion, mixing traditional and signature sushi rolls, ramen noodles and assorted entrées, but each with perked-up ingredients and a showy presentation. There’s grass-fed beef slices, shiitake and fish cake inside that bowl of ramen, while shareable plates conquer Korean bo saam, bourbon smoked pork, with kimchi and red spicy paste. The interior is just as modern, with sleek taupe grey walls, hanging lanterns and touches of flashy red throughout.