SushiSamba Miami Beach

SushiSamba Miami Beach is the less talked about older sister of Sugarcane Raw Bar Grill. It's a warm and stylish space with a dominant sushi bar occupying the center. The room is so imbued in an orange hue that if Mario Batali ever removed his trademark clogs here, he'd never find them. Michael Bloise (Wish, American Noodle Bar), executive chef these days, has perked things up, but the long-underrated cuisine hasn't been tinkered with much. Japan, Brazil, and Peru are still the spheres of gastronomic import (Chef Bloise is French/Vietnamese). The menu offers all sorts of possibilities, starting with "aperitivos" and small plates. Don’t miss crisp tempura green beans with black truffle-garlic aioli; a Xin-Xim of rock shrimp-stuffed chicken breast; or braised oxtail gyoza. Also on tab are ceviches, tiraditos, sushi, sashimi, creative rolls, and other raw bar offerings. Also steaks, proffered in churrasco form or Wagyu. For dessert, go with suspiro limeño, a dulce de leche flan layered with port cake and crowned with roasted meringue ice cream and almond crumble. Tuesday-night cosplay, a long-time Samba tradition, is when people dressed in outrageously wacky costumes act out some inner character while whirling awkwardly about the room. Actually, this occurs nightly here -- it being located in South Beach and all -- but Tuesdays it gets synched to music. SushiSamba is fun, but the cuisine makes it more than just another pretty face.