Profile

Sushi Hana’s focus is on the traditional, but the hot and spicy rolls and the crusted cooked fish dishes offer the real excitement here. Two flavor-infused rolls in particular are reason to come: the Volcano roll, with its exterior of fiery tuna around fried calamari, jalapeño peppers and scallions; and the Caribbean roll, wrapped with thin slices of mango—the sweetness of the fruit provides a cool counterpoint to the piquant filling of spicy tuna, tempura flakes, red onion, caviar, and mint leaves. Just as remarkable are the wasabi-pea-and-panko-crusted salmon and sesame-and-shiso-leaf-crusted Chilean sea bass, both prepared in light but flavorful sauces. The interior of the restaurant is as stylish as the preparations. Open for business since 1995, Sushi Hana underwent a complete renovation a decade later, reopening in late 2005 with a brand new look. Greenhouse-style floor-to-ceiling windows define the Second Avenue and 78th Street facades, and inside, metallic earth tones and blond wood . A  bar with a translucent tile top glows from within, and in the back, a smiling Buddha sits in a wall alcove, watching over chefs hard at work at the sushi bar. — Andrew Sessa

Chilean Sea Bass, $22; Caribbean roll, $11; volcano roll, $11