The traditional method for preparing sushi requires slices of raw fish to be held over unlit fires in order to secure that signature uncooked flavor. Explore such innovative foodsmithing with today’s Groupon: for $12, you get $25 worth of Japanese cuisine and drinks at Yokozuna Sushi in Ashland.

Yokozuna Sushi’s chefs sling plates loaded with options from a menu of traditional raw and grilled Japanese fare along a gleaming countertop. Patrons commence meals with pan-fried salmon-skin salad ($8.95) and move on to conquer six pieces of nigiri paired with a california roll ($16.50). Inventive sushi rolls caper across plates in configurations such as the Red Blossom, a bundle of deep-fried shrimp, crab, spicy tuna, and green onion ($13.95) that unleashes impressive flavors like a chef's piggy bank. Chicken, beef, or salmon doused in teriyaki sauce tumble across salad and rice ($11.95–$12.95), and chirashi bowls ($19.95) provide ideal hiding places for veggies as well as sashimi tired of crashing on Poseidon's futon. Cheerful chatter wafts from tables amid blossoming potted plants across a hardwood sushi bar lit by hanging paper lanterns.