SushiSamba was on the digestive radar last year but we ran out of time and stomach space. I was determined that we would try it on this visit, in part because it receives pretty good reviews and also because the idea of Japanese-Latin American fusion is just too weird and funky to pass up. But in the interests of full disclosure I must confess to you that SushiSamba was our second lunch choice on this day - we actually planned to stop at Carnevino and take advantage of their lunch special which included two tall, strong, alki-holic drinks with a big meaty burger of some kind. Much to our chagrin, after walking all the way down the strip to gorge on meat, meat, meatily-meat, we discovered that Mario Battali and crew had done away with their great mid-day deal.
Woe! Woe! Woe!
Woe to the lovers of meat; to the thirsty; the famished, and weary of feet!
And so we told Carnevino to cram it with walnuts and went in search of culinary delights at SushiSamba where the most dizzying selection of food and boozes was just waiting to be discovered. The menu is a blend of Brazilian, Peruvian, and Japanese influences; initially it seemed like a disaster waiting to happen but the restaurant has a talented, clever culinary staff and their food and beverage selections were bold and playful with terrific taste profiles. We had a fantastic lunch experience that was one of the highlights of our week in Vegas.
Follow the signs ...you know you want to!
The restaurant wasn't busy at all when Jay and I arrived and we were seated immediately. The decor was designed to evoke Carnaval but to be honest I thought it was just kind of confusing; it was certainly colorful and spacious and interesting, but the visual mix of Rio and Japan just didn't work for me. There were also large projections being shown on some of the walls but Jay and I couldn't make much sense of them and wished that a good Godzilla rampage would have been shown instead.
Restaurant interior
Ambiance ... that's what this is!
As always on a warm day in Vegas, one must begin the lunching hour with refreshment of an alcoholic nature. I ordered a Caipirinha (Leblon Cachaca, lime, and sugar with muddled fresh fruit) and Jason ordered a Chu-Cumber (Shochu, St. Germain, and cucumber). My drink was good - tart and refreshing - but it was so full of fruit that I really felt like I'd ended up with a glass of limes. The Caipirinha, by the way, is actually the national cocktail of Brazil while Cachaca is the country's most common distilled alcoholic beverage. I have to say, however, that Jay won round one in the drink wars - his drink had the better name and was chock full of boozie goodness. Wondering what the heck Shochu is? It's a smooth, white spirit from Japan that is often compared to vodka although its production is similar to that of sake.
This concludes today's booze lesson; go forth and find your own interesting and unpronounceable beverages to share with the world at large!
Chu-Cumber & Caipirinha
SushiSamba had a wide variety of appetizers and small plates to choose from that included items like edamame, sawagani (flash fried Japanese river crabs), seaweed salad, green bean tempura, salt and pepper squid, and much much more. Jason and I decided on the crispy taquitos and had one of each: Maine Lobster Taquito with lemongrass, frisee, and hearts of palm; and Yellowtail Ceviche Taquito with shiso, avocado, and roasted corn miso. These were both tasty but very sloppy to eat - I always assumed taquitos were rolled up in a neat cylinder yet this presentation was much more reminiscent of a taco. If we are fortunate enough to dine here again I think I'd like to order something along the lines of tuna tataki or berkshire pork goya, both of which sounded just as delicious as our taquitos.
East meets West via the taquito
For fish gorging Jay and I ordered two rolls - the Carnival Roll and the Bobo Brazil Roll - as well as a chef's sushi surprise called the Samba Sushi. The Carnival included shrimp, avocado, yellowtail tartare, and rice paper while the Bobo Brazil incorporated seared Kobe beef, avocado, kaiware, shiso, red onion, and chimichurri. The Samba Sushi included a mouth-watering selection of nigiri sushi and an amazing roll called the Green Envy which combined tuna, salmon, asparagus, wasabi-pea crust, and aji amarillo-key lime mayo.
Holy Mother of Fish Mongering! This was some of the best sushi we've had in a long time and we loved the creativity of the various roll selections. Some of them were a bit on the spicy side for me but they all had wonderful flavor and were so fresh! The Carnival was my favorite but the Bobo was right behind ... how can you go wrong with a Kobe beef sushi roll???
Samba Sushi Platter: Green Envy Roll & Nigiri
Bobo Brazil and Carnival Rolls
Jay and I were having such a good time at our leisurely lunch that we decided to order a second round of drinks - SushiSamba's cocktail menu is really fun and they also have a very extensive sake menu. I won the second round in drink wars with my selection: The Beijo which was Cruzan Rum, St. Germain, Canton Ginger Liqueur, muddled raspberries, and a Cava float. It was a beautiful, girly drink with a floating flower but don't let that fool you - this drink was seriously potent and not at all too sweet. Jason chose The Palmia for his second beverage which included Silver Tequila, Cointreau, lime juice and muddled mint. It was good but for all intents and purposes nothing more than a margarita with some mint leaves.
The Beijo
The Palmia
We didn't need dessert; I'm pretty sure we didn't even want dessert, but I'm a sucker for the dessert menu and that's how we ended up ordering Rosca, homemade doughnuts with chocolate-hazelnut dipping sauce. The presentation was charming and the doughnuts were phenomenal - similar in consistency to a cake donut but they were made with a cornmeal mixture and then covered with glaze. I actually preferred the doughnuts without the chocolate dipping sauce, which I thought made them overly sweet, but either way they were yummy in our tummies!
Rosca, is there anything they can't do?
We thoroughly enjoyed our extended lunch at SushiSamba and look forward to the day when we can once more sweep the seas clean in their dining room. The restaurant's menu is so extensive and tempting that it begs another visit for Full Belly Achieved!
1 comment:
Sounds like you coulda made some Li'l Lisa's Patented Animal Slurry with that lunch! :)
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