Sugarcane Raw Bar

There's a reason this Design District/Midtown restaurant has consistently been on the top 'up and coming' and 'best restaurant' lists since it's opening last year. This place is good. Really good. The flavors are clean and everything has a purpose--each dish component makes sense. This is thoughtful dining at it's finest.

Service is mainly tapas-style, with a few large meat platters to share with a large group.


What we had:




Yellowtail Crudo--Thin slices of super fresh yellowtail with avocado, grapefruit and lava salt. This dish was tied for my second favorite. I loved the softness of the fish balanced with the fattiness of the avocado and bright early summer flavor of the grapefruit. This was just the dish I had imagined Sugarcane would excel at--the perfect South Florida summer bite--and I am happy to say I was not disappointed.




Duck & Waffles--Crispy duck leg confit with a sunny side up duck egg, waffle and mustard maple sauce. This was our favorite dish of the night. My only quibble is that I think they missed a trick by not letting a vinegary hit from the mustard peek through to cut some of the maple sweetness. The duck skin was crispy and wonderful, though, and the dish overall was a smash hit.




Kobe beef sliders--Kobe beef patties with tonkatsu and sunny side up quail egg. These were decent and about what you'd expect from a Kobe beef slider. Nothing terribly special, but nothing to scoff at either.




Night crab sushi roll--Fresh snow crab, shrimp tempura and cucumber served with caper mustard. This was my DH's second favorite and tied for my second favorite dish. The sushi was well-rolled with quality ingredients and well-seasoned rice in an interesting ?rice? wrap.




Torrejas with maple caramel apples--We went with this dessert on a suggestion from our waiter, and he was dead right. This dish is awesome. Think the thickest, softest, most custardy French toast ever with a topping of fresh caramel and baked apples and a side of fresh cinnamon ice cream. Yum.


My DH had Monk In The Trunk beer; I had the blood orange bubbles (fresh squeezed blood oranges with sparkling wine) and a dessert wine that wasn't my favorite. So what did my overly intelligent self do? I shotgunned the wine and ended up tipsy sheet shopping after dinner. Hey, at least it all ended in finally making a sheet decision.


Décor:




Overgrown tropical plantation vibe with lots of pretty little vignettes of fresh ingredients.


Service:

Very friendly and spot-on with dish recommendations.


Overall impressions:

Although I left feeling diabetic, Sugarcane overall is a thoughtful restaurant with good clean tastes and something for everyone. Great for a group or a couple, you can find exactly the type and size of meal you want any time of year.


Rating:

4.5 out of 5 salamanders





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