Umi Sushi + Tapas, West Hartford

Waiters are usually the bridge between diners and their food, but that's not always true at Umi Sushi + Tapas. Sure, they serve some of Chef Kohei Kishida's meticulous dishes, but so do moving conveyor belts. Color-coded according to price, the belt's plates sport both sushi and non-sushi bites, from shrimp tempura rolls to spicy tuna and salmon dumplings.

The rest of Umi's Japanese feasts emerge from the kitchen. Here, Chef Kohei draws inspiration from Japanese gastropubs to craft small plates like fried octopus fritters and edamame croquettes. He also assembles build-your-own sushi rolls, which diners can create from an extensive selection of fixings that includes crawfish salad and sweet mustard miso. Likewise, patrons can assemble their own bubble tea from flavors like lychee and honeydew, or enjoy myriad other libations, such as sake-spiked cocktails.