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Ko Sushi comes across as a breezy, eager-to-please neighborhood destination. You can picture many of the customers on dinner dates at Haru several years ago; now they're pushing their strollers into Ko and humming along with the Lite FM-ish background music. The sushi chefs busily flourish their bamboo rolling mats and squeeze bottles of spicy mayo. Some of the options are decidedly untraditional, with ingredients like mango, jalapeño, pineapple, and cream cheese. The list of chef's rolls reads like a cocktail menu: the Sex on the Beach roll, shrimp tempura with tuna, avocado, and caviar; the Sweet Heart, a heart-shaped spicy tuna roll; and the Black Dragon, a tuna, salmon, and avocado roll coated in black caviar. But among these are standbys, like the crispy unagi or the almost buttery toro. Among appetizers, the inky, soft shreds of hijiki seaweed stand out for its nutty flavor. Tempura fish or vegetables, steamed dumplings, and teriyaki seafood stay in heavy rotation. And a small dish of syrupy sweet lychees arrives with your check. — Jennifer Paull

Hijiki, $4.95; spicy maki combo, $15.95