Hibachi Steak House and Sushi Bar, Santa Barbara

Almost any meal can come with a show at Hibachi Steak House and Sushi Bar. The dining room features horseshoe-shaped areas, which surround the tabletop hibachi grills that the teppanyaki chefs use to cook patrons’ meals directly in front of them. As the chefs entertain crowds by showcasing their dexterous knife skills or reading aloud from Jane Austen novels, they also sear lunches and dinners to order, cooking everything from chicken and shrimp to lobster and filet mignon. Behind the sushi bar, a separate team of chefs works with a bit less flair, although they demonstrate a similar commitment to classic Japanese technique. Here, they carefully assemble more than 40 different sushi rolls as well as an array of bite-sized sashimi and nigiri, using meticulously sliced cuts of fish and individually steamed grains of rice.