Bushido Izakaya, Mountain View

A Japanese izayaka is much like a casual American bar—friends assemble after work to knock back drinks and share small plates that often feature salty finger food. That's what it's like at Bushido Izakaya, where a roster of sake and contemporary small plates recalls Japanese pub food. The executive chef, Isamu Kanai, has forged a menu that declares his mastery of sustainable seafood. Indeed, his expertise is such that his work earned acclaim from the California Academy of Sciences and the Monterey Bay Aquarium's Cooking for Solutions event.

Within Bushido, albacore tuna stars in seared sashimi plates punched up with ponzu sauce and garlic chili oil. A medley of seafood, beef, and bacon sits atop okonomiyaki, a savory pancake akin to pizza. Grilled chicken skewers, braised pork belly with daikon radish, and crispy wings coated in sweet sesame sauce represent for the nonseafood section. All of this changes seasonally along with the decor, which mimics the Japanese landscape by modifying its color scheme and occasionally featuring Mechagodzilla.