Shoji Sushi: Miami

Anyone who has been reading this site for more than a few months knows I have high expectations when it comes to Sushi. In fact, I’m not really ashamed to say I’m a complete snob when it comes to eating my raw fish. Quite luckily, my world travels have allowed me to experience a lot of ‘takes’ on sushi, from all you can eat versions in middle-of-nowhere USA, the full luxury ‘Lamborghini of sushi experience in Ginza,’ to eating Toro sliced right off the belly of a 500lb tuna in the Tsukiji fish market in Tokyo at 5am right before my eyes, so fresh it was literally swimming in my mouth. Suffice it to say when someone says “this is the best sushi restaurant I’ve ever eaten at” — although I always take them up on an offer to experience it first hand — I’m always a little bit wary of what the ‘best’ means to them. Shoji Sushi in South Beach, despite the hour wait (even though we had a reservation a month in advance) was quite delicious– a top-choice recommendation from a friend. In my traditional ‘reviewing process’ I left it up to the kitchen and wait-staff to order their favorites for us. We had quite the spread. Top picks included spicy rock shrimp tempura, bonito ceviche, and an array of rolls of which I’ll never know the name, but of which I’ll always remember the taste and presentation. Dessert was most memorable though, a tempura cheesecake in a bath of creamy carmel that stopped us all in our tracks– extraordinary and immensely enjoyable. By the time we left we had completely forgotten how long we waited to eat; the cuisine was truly worth every second.