ohyama sake
lobster tempura
bluefin toro carpaccio
sa bluefin chu toro
tuna avacado
yellowtail roll
banana crepe
sushi bar hopping in miami beach, part 2 @ the shore club hotel, nobu
After the Delano, it’s just a couple blocks walk north on Collins Avenue to the Shore Club Hotel, where the Nobu outpost in Miami Beach is located.
Nobu has locations worldwide – we have been to the ones in London, New York, Miami, and Las Vegas, and there is no way we’ll ever make it to all of them.
Fortunately, while there are specialties on the menu for each locale, there are some menu items which we love that are at each one. Our favorites are the yellowtail sashimi with cilantro and jalapeno in a special ponzu sauce, and the mushroom tempura.
Nobu was getting pretty crowded, and we could only find room at the bar to eat, so we headed to the Townhouse Hotel and my personal favorite sushi spot in South Beach, Bond St Lounge. The video shows how quickly one can get from one to the other (as well as how windy Miami Beach can get in January).
sushi bar hopping in miami beach, part 1 @ the delano hotel, blue sea
Miami Beach has some of the world’s best sushi restaurants, and they are all within walking distance! So, when we are in town, we set aside a whole evening to leisurely wander from bar to bar, ordering a couple of the signature dishes at each place.
The first stop in our late January visit to SoBe is Blue Sea, the sushi bar part of the Blue Door restaurant at the Delano Hotel. It is a communal table just inside the front door, and people are often waiting nearby to get seats there.
Two of the best dishes on the menu are a soft shell crab roll, and the lobster martini. What makes the soft shell crab roll special, though, is the egg wrap that the roll is wrapped in. Between the big, crispy pieces of fried crab leg and the egg wrap, IMHO it is the best crab roll around! The lobster martini has plenty of avocado slices and spicy mayo-type sauce to make it worth the price. That’s what credit cards are for!
Galae Thai- New restaurant in Alexandria, VA
Galae Thai is a new Thai restaurant in Alexandria, VA. It is located in the Hoffman Center near the AMC Theaters and just across the street from the Eisenhower Metro. It is a beautifully decorated restaurant with many intricate wood carvings and Buddhas everywhere you look. Although it is a Thai restaurant, it has a sushi bar inside. Vi is the sushi chef there, has worked at some of the best sushi restaurants in Washington, DC and is excited to be at Galae Thai. His brother also works with him behind the sushi bar.
We continue to go back here! We’ve had the Thai food there, which is very good. However, we like to sit at the sushi bar and talk to Vi. His brother makes an incredible sake sorbet which is often served with fresh fruit. (Not sure if that is on the menu, but ask for it and tell Vi that Jeff & Paige sent you).
Vi makes the best Dragon Roll I’ve ever had! It was smaller bite sizes; therefore unlike most Dragon Rolls that are so large you break it apart, this was just the right size so you really get to enjoy the wonderful flavor of the eel, roe and avocado. We recommend the spicy yellowtail, and really enjoy the “Executive Roll” which has Tuna, Salmon, Yellowtail and Avocado with SPICY MAYO! Sake was cold, filtered and dry. Try the lychee-tinis … they are dee-lish!
Parking is very easy. If you live nearby, they deliver as well. Some outdoor seating.
“I love Sushi” in Las Vegas
“I Love Sushi” – no it isn’t just how I feel, it is the name of the restaurant. Located just outside of Vegas so you’ll need to drive about 20 minutes outside of town. The name is strange however the food was really good. Located in a strip mall you can easily pass it without realizing that it is there. Parking is very easy though.
They offer a very long page of sushi rolls to choose from. Most are obviously very “Americanized” rolls however the combinations of the veggies and the fish were really good. Sauces there were great too. The restaurant is a chain that started in Seattle back in 1986. Since then they have been offering healthy choices to the sushi rolls. (That is what they say so who am I to argue.) We enjoyed the DC roll so much that we ordered some more of it.
The price for all that we ordered was amazing. Especially for a night in Vegas! Best part was not waiting, it wasn’t crowded and the service was so quick. We had a party of 6 and they did a good job of knowing just when to leave us alone to talk. We left there surprised at how much we liked it. I would return there again.
If you are in Vegas and want to try a place that the locals go to, then break away from the strip and take a drive, see the mountains and stop by “I love sushi”.
TAKE in L.A.
We returned to TAKE in LA located right on Sunset Blvd in West Hollywood. It has become the place we start and end our vacation when in LA. The sushi chefs are so friendly and they want to get to know you and really like making you happy. They offer special rolls and the Crunchy Spicy Tuna is my favoriate. Jeff was brave enough to try the Cobra Sake. (Yeah a dead cobra is in the bottle. He survived so I’m sure you will too.
The last night I ordered a big bowl of the soup they have as well. Lots of noodles and shrimp. The Lobster roll and Toro is still wonderful. All in all we like this place because you can sit, watch the latest baseball game and enjoy the company of the chef.
They have an entrance in the back as well that exits to a small parking lot. Also have a private room in the back as well which I’m sure is where their celebrity following has been before.
Yo Sushi
Visited London recently and went to Yo Sushi. Chain fast food sushi that is served to you on a belt that moves around the restaurant. You pick up the sushi you want and they charge you based on the color of the plate.
With the high exchange rate and our effort to eat healthy still, this was a nice find. Reasonable price and the sushi was nice. Service was quick and you can fill up your water (gas or no gas) with a pump right there at your seat.
NOBU in London
Since we have been to other NOBU’s and it was a special occasion, it was only right to go to NOBU in London. As always the food was amazing and the service was great. We had to reschedule our reservation for a different night and they still had my request for something to be done for my husband’s birthday. They helped me in keeping it a secret and brought over a beautiful plate of cake and ice cream with chocolate words around the plate wishing him “Happy Birthday”.
As always at NOBU they go out of their way to not make you feel rushed and treat everyone like they are a first class customer. I know it can be more expensive than most however I have to go there to order the yellowtail appetizer with jalapeno and celantro.
Leaving the restaurant they offered us a private car vs. a taxi to return to our hotel. Was a very nice way to end our trip in London.
Pao Seafood in Springfield, IL
Pao Restaurant is located at 2824 Plaza Dr, Springfield, IL
(217) 546-4660
The bar is inside to the right, and then a couple rooms to eat and has outdoor seating as well. They offer a nice selection of sushi as well as other Asian Dishes. The rolls offered fresh rice and fish. Large tables for larger parties are available. Management was very friendly – try the trout sushi!!!.
Morimoto – Philadelphia, PA
Went to Philadelphia and had to check out Morimoto’s restaurant. Morimoto, the iron chef himself, started this restaurant and although he wasn’t on site, you could tell that he had a large influence on the menu.
Located at: 723 Chestnut St, Philadelphia, PA
Phone: (215) 413-9070 – right down the street from the Liberty Bell and other famous historical sites. You go past the bright yellow doors and into a cool relaxing enviornment. Reservations are best. We showed up a little early and went up-stairs to start off with drinks. Sake Martini was great and the server came up to get us and carried our drinks to the table.
Once back downstairs, you walk into a large room that has bamboo ceilings, all white tables & chairs, color-changing booths and a large sushi bar in back. So much food to choose from that we decided to go with the Omakase style. Omaskase is a tasting menu and they offer 3 different price ranges starting at $80 per person. For $80 per person we had a 5 courses of everything from sushi, noodle and cooked fish dishes.
The service was the most impressive. There were a lot of servers bringing each dish, telling you about it and you never felt rushed. Every few minutes we watched birthday candles being placed and carried with care to make someones evening a little more special.
They handle groups very well and we can’t wait to bring our friends there.
DJ Sid Bluntley 