Samurai Blue Sushi & Sake Bar   

As Godzilla trampled through the streets of Tokyo, crushing everything in its path, so, too, is Samurai Blue demolishing its competition. The ultra-trendy sushi and sake bar in Ybor City's Centro Ybor complex attracts sophisticated and sassy diners seeking something more than a California roll with a side of been-there-done-that. Looking more like a hipster lounge than a sushi joint, the restaurant boasts 40-foot vaulted ceilings, exposed brick walls, a 30-foot long sushi bar shaped like a tsunami, cozy banquettes and booths upholstered in samurai blue. Chrome and neon accents spice up the dining room like a dash of wasabi. The menu will jolt you, too, with 'Hyper-Asian Fusion' dishes like the Samurai Steak, Tokyo Beef Short Ribs and Panko Seared Crab Cake, and as wide a variety of sushi -- nigiri, sashimi, makimono and hand rolls -- as any place in the Bay. If that doesn't scare off competitors, perhaps a Spontaneous Combustion Roll washed down with an infused saketini will. -- Kerry Speckman