Many techniques of combat teach that one should be like the elements—fluid as water or fierce as fire—but one school holds that, like sushi, one should roll into a ball and deliver raw power. Avenge your hunger with today's Groupon to Yamashiro. For $40, you get $80 worth of luscious Japanese fare, drinks, and more.

Cloaked behind the hidden fourth O in the Hollywood sign, Yamashiro was completed in 1914 as a hilltop mansion for the Bernheimer Brothers' priceless collection of dragon eyebrows and other Asian treasures. The building replicates an unassailable palace built high in the clouds above Kyoto, Japan. This perfect transmission extends through the lavish gardens, polished teak construction, and hand-whittled koi lazing in their clear, cold pond. Yamashiro has hosted some of the glitteriest of the glammed, the cigar smoke from Hollywood's Golden Age still lingering in the rafters while tales of intrigue, desperation, and seduction continue to stalk the silk-papered corridors. The professional staff at Yamashiro is particularly deft at applying emergency romance balm, slyly seating you and your semi-estranged at a window table overlooking the city with a half bottle of champagne or wine ($20+).

Yamashiro's cuisine expands traditional Japanese entrees and sushi with the warm colors and flavors of California's culinary bounty. Ignite the senses with crispy chicken coated in fried rice cracker and served with apple-cabbage coleslaw ($13), or steer toward the uncharted with the Comfort Me, an Amoré makizushi roll with goat cheese, melon, prosciutto, arugula, and basil ($14). Wayward spirits come to substantiate themselves with the toothsome satisfaction of a grilled seafood plate featuring lobster, mahimahi, scallops, and more with quinoa, portobello mushrooms, and lemongrass-tarragon cream sauce ($40), while those seeking enlightenment via a simpler path choose the pan-roasted chicken breast with Chinese long beans and fried brown rice ($19).

Though your Groupon is not valid at Pagoda Bar, you can order drinks at your dinner table. This deal is not valid on Mother's Day.

Reviews

The Los Angeles Times, LA magazine, Los Angeles Restaurants.com, and even the Smithsonian have lauded the food, history, and atmosphere of Yamashiro:

• This is the place to take out-of-towners for a drink and dazzle them with the lights of Hollywood. Sushi, sashimi, and tempura are on tap along with fusion entries like lobster-mango salad, spicy Asian pasta, and pan-roasted chicken. – LA
• Sushi and seafood are the specialties at Yamashiro, but the real star isn't the food, it’s the view. Nestled in the foothills above Hollywood, Yamashiro offers a spectacular view of Hollywood that only becomes more spectacular with each passing glass of sake. – Los Angeles Times
• …Yamashiro is an outstanding restaurant where the talent in the kitchen more than matches the location. Everything we tried – even the lattes – was excellent, and, although you leave with your wallet noticeably lighter than when you came…I reckon it's worth every cent. – Lesley McCave, Los Angeles Restaurants.com

Yamashiro has won 10 Diners' Choice Awards from OpenTable in two regions, and more than 350 OpenTable users give it a rating greater than four stars. Citysearchers voted it Best Los Angeles Romantic Date Spot 2008 and Best Los Angeles View 2006in addition to giving it a near-perfect 4.5 stars.