Watching a chef prepare your dinner is a much more satisfying experience than observing a mechanic change your oil or a mailman deliver your first child. Savor the spectacle of a culinary professional with today’s Groupon: for $25, you get $50 worth of Japanese cuisine at Koto Japanese Steakhouse.

The culinary wizards at Koto Japanese Steakhouse start with quality ingredients and transfigure them into authentic dishes, many of which can be prepared teppanyaki-style on an iron plate directly at the dining table. Wrap chopsticks around one of the restaurant's signature sushi rolls, such as the Koto spider roll, deep-fried soft shell crab cuddling with cucumber and cream cheese and topped with avocado and masago ($9). Seafood Udon prepared with shrimp, scallop, fish cake, and vegetables displays its shape-shifting prowess by being served as a soup, a stir fry, or a briny toupee ($13); entrees such as the chicken and shrimp tempura ($15) silence boisterous stomachs before they holler out insults at nearby dignitaries. Diners can also quench wasabi-fueled thirsts by accepting a fire-extinguishing offer from the full service bar, which overflows with cocktails, martinis, and sake drinks.