Melt in Your Mouth Miami

Now that's fresh fish!

Written by Lacy P. Bailey

We try to travel (and these days with a one year old it aint happenin too often). Like many of you I'm sure, when we do it is all about what fun stuff we can put in our mouths!! The best part of sightseeing is the eating and the drinking for me. I love good food and great drinks so we set out with not a clue about what a tourist does but where the hell you go to eat. We just have to share our latest lust as we bounced around Miami getting wasted. Started in SoBe aroun 10 and made our way to Lincoln Road to check out this shopping thing. Armed with absolutly no money but lots of plastic we barely went in any stores but stopped at 7 places along the way for mojitos, margaritas, beer, and martinis. When the baby is away the mommy & daddy will play! Then we found Sushi Samba. I am a conneseur of the raw fish and fell in love with this nice piece of meat ... now that is fresh fish. 2 orders of a sashimi tiradito - yellowtail with jalapeño and lemongrass (was killer with just enough heat to compliment the buttery fish) and kanpachi with yuzu, black truffle oil, & sea salt (which was I think my favorite) as well as 2 orders of sashimi seviche - yellowtail with ginger, garlic, soy (delish but my least favorite concoction) and tuna with coconut (milk), tomato, serrano, grapefruit, & cilantro (I think this was our fourth but I was pretty drunk by now but it was yummy tangy). I topped it off with a Lemon Samurai cocktail made with Svedka Citron, apple liqueur, peach, & guava. It was a good martini but a little too sweet for my taste ... so of course just order a sidecar extra shot and its less sweet. We took a photo for MRG to share with all that if you are busy shopping in Miami Beach and need to stop somewhere for a quick sushi fix or even just a drink and an app after sunkissing your face on the sand - Sushi Samba is the place. Now we just have to hit up their other locations!!

Lacy is a avid traveler, lover of wine and is a devoted wife and mother. Visit her food profile "Mama Sutra" at http://www.myrestaurantguru.com/member.html?action=profile&id=158

Nyotaimori a.k.a. Naked Sushi

What the heck is Nyotaimori? Well, a simple description is: naked ladies are displayed as platters to have sushi picked off them. And yes the private bits are covered.

Last night I took a few friends to Nyotaimori in Raleigh, NC. I have been wanting to experience this since a visit to Chicago about 4 yrs ago where I got a glimpse into a private event. When I peered into this room I saw this gorgeous girl completely splayed out in this outrageously artful way. She was stoic and serene and the men eating off her looked as if they were consuming not just sushi, but her beauty and youth. . . . as if they were worshiping at the alter of sushi. Since then, I've been looking for an opportunity to experience this myself.

I was not disappointed with the Nyotaimori experience. It was indeed beautiful and surprisingly whimsical. The colors and textures and contrast of cool and warmth/ soft and hard are just a feast for the eyes.

Sushi is a beautiful food in itself, but used as the icing on attractive flesh and viola.... ART!