The problem with reviewing sushi bars these days is that most of them have hit their creative peaks with trendy variations that include everything from cone-shaped hand rolls coated with warm tempura crusts to those with frolicsome names that nestle exotic fish and nontraditional ingredients into the compressed rice. About the only differences that distinguish one sushi joint from the other anymore are freshness of product and atmosphere.

The Zenbu Lounge covers those bases well. Clean, beautiful food crafted by Executive Chef Tim Johnson (formerly of the iconoclastic Sushi on the Rock) along with a stylish motif that absorbs gaggles of pretty folk with extra bucks to spare, proves that investing in the flooded sushi market is still a foolproof venture – at least in downtown La Jolla.

Restaurateur Matthew Rimel, who also owns Zenbu restaurant two doors down, opened the lounge in April and brings in a gamut of glistening seafood through his own distributing company, Ocean Giant. The restaurant menu carries over into his new offshoot, a long narrow space with candlelit wall sconces, gilded-framed mirrors and a little nook in the back reserved for a DJ on the three nights it’s open. Low banquettes with chairs and coffee tables in front of them line one side of the room. But perch your caboose at the attractive sushi bar and you’ll wish the lounge were several feet wider. My dining companion and I took a few too many bumps to the backs of our chairs when the place filled to capacity.

Nonetheless, Chef Johnson’s dishes match up to the spirited atmosphere we found ourselves in. Focusing first on the restaurant menu, we loved the Hot Volcanic Rock, which features a generous plate of raw, thinly sliced prime sirloin from Montana that you cook yourself on a super-heated, spherical lava stone. The rock is about the size of a young cantaloupe and brushed lightly with oil. A gentle sizzle occurs when you drape the beef slices over it. The meat cooks fast and turns even more sumptuous when dipped into the accompanying teriyaki-infused ponzu sauce.

Another “hot starter” gave us the rich, coveted collar section of yellowfish that was grilled to perfection at the restaurant and then carried over to the lounge by our waiter. (Except for the sushi items, all of the appetizers and entrées originate from the main restaurant kitchen.) A dish of pure ponzu sauce and a heap of tasty shoestring yams deep-fried to a dainty crisp flanked the fish.

Another recommendation is the Ginger-Panko Salmon. The subtle-tasting crust was light and evenly toasted, and paired lusciously with the moist, dense salmon. As is typical with Japanese cooking, the preparations are kept remarkably simple to allow the main ingredients to shine through. From the Hot Wok’d category, a basic stir fry of firm Mexican White Shrimp and thin flat noodles was also a winner as the fibrous crunch of bean sprouts, snow peas and julienned carrots added color and sweetness.

We then turned our full attention to Chef Johnson, who stations himself at the sushi bar with a calm, friendly demeanor despite a steady stream of orders rushing in. Though we adhered to the menu’s long list of sushi-bar options, he assured us that customers can rattle off their specifications for any type of sushi creation they desire.

Fresh snow crab with avocado and masago (smelt eggs) comprise the Zenbu Roll, a soft-textured, tempura-wrapped creation that took on a hint of pleasing bitterness from the addition of gobo, a firm Asian root. The roll stood well on its own in flavor, sans the boost from soy sauce or wasabi paste.

A cluster of jewel-like scallops occupy the center of the Big Pete roll, which offered fine textures from cucumber, daikon sprouts and yamagobo, a stark-orange Japanese vegetable used ideally in this scheme. The roll is topped with Cajun-seared tuna for added kick. An order of Philadelphia rolls, though an ordinary choice in today’s progressive sushi scene, contained only small dapples of chilled cream cheese (hurray!), which allowed the smoked salmon within to take center stage.

By the time we washed down our long repast with a few specialty cocktails, like the refreshing Fengshui made with Kettle One vodka and blood orange puree, the DJ had cranked out everything from the Rolling Stones and Elvis to The Doors. Hip-hop and house music permeated the room only after the majority of Baby Boomers and their elders gave way to a younger, flirtier crowd.

After at least 15 years of sushi bars filling the restaurant scene, the trend of hanging out around raw fish appeals to more generations than ever and has become significantly livelier at Zenbu Lounge.