The ever-evolving and intriguing culinary adventures found in DELANO’S famed Indoor/Outdoor Lobby, where all distinctions between inside and outside are blurred by sweeping white drapes, are always an event. At its epicenter of chic, the sparkling white communal dining table which seats 18 people comfortably, is the Blue Sea, an Asian Sea Bar, which is celebrating its 10th anniversary.
There, expert Asian chefs are introducing a new menu featuring a variety of fairly priced traditional and exotic tropically-infused sushi created with the artful direction of China Grill Management’s corporate chef Luke Rinaman and Blue Sea head sushi chef, Sukhum Temp and expertly executed under the watchful eye of Delano’s executive chef Maria Manso.
The Blue Sea’s “sushi bar,” covered by a rectangular glass dome, sits at one end of the twenty five-foot long communal Eat-In-Kitchen table, and is where the Blue Sea menu originates. Among the delightful new appetizers ( Zen-Sai) being featured is Spiced Creamy Tuna Tataki, slightly seared tuna, chopped, dressed and serve “up” over wakame seaweed with house-made sesame crisps ($12); Hamachi Usuzukuri, topped with melon & ginger ice and drizzled with aged balsamic ($14); Wild Coho Salmon Tartare, topped with a ripe olive & soy tapenade and crispy pickled ginger ($13); BBQ Eel Sunomono, glazed eel on rice vinegar dressed watermelon and avocado ($9); Lobster Avocado & Fried Tofu, sliced butter poached lobster with ginger wasabi and yuzu dressing ($16), and Diver Scallop Dynamite, baked with masago and black tobiko ($14), to name just a few.
Individual Nigiri & Sashimi include Tuna, Fatty Tuna, King Salmon, Yellowtail, Fluke, Eel/Unagi, Sea Eel/Anago, Japanese Squid, Japanese Octopus, Alaskan King Crab, Madagascar Blue Shrimp, Scallop, Soy Marinated Salmon Roe and Sea Urchin, starting at $5 per piece.
Blue Sea’s new Maki Rolls are impressive creations. The expanded selection includes your basic California Roll but with your choice of kani kama (half $6/whole $10), blue crab ( half $9/whole $16) or king crab ( $22 whole); Yellow Jacket Roll, hamachi & jalapeños wrapped in yellow soy and nori with a side or blue crab salad ( 5 pcs $14); Sesame Crusted Tuna Tataki Roll, with avocado, spicy tuna mousse, cucumber & scallion topped with tataki and eel sauce drizzle (half $8/whole $14); Smokey Roll, a riceless roll with smoked tuna, smoked salmon, BBQ eel, smoked caviar & cream cheese in nori pinwheel (5 pcs $15); Rock Shrimp Dynamite Roll, baked kani kama California roll topped with rock shrimp dynamite (half $9/whole $16); Surf & Turf, poached Maine lobster wrapped in American wagyu beef Carpaccio (half $14/whole $26); Wagyu Tartare Roll, American wagyu, cornichons & wasabi rolled in crunchy rice (half $12/whole $21); Kinoko Roll, a vegan vegetarian option of Japanese mushrooms wrapped in white soy topped with crispy enokis & truffle oil (5 pcs $12), Cuban Roll, pork belly crisps, black soy beans, scallions & cream cheese in brown soy paper (half $7/whole $12); Mexican Roll, scallop, shrimp ceviche with avocado, red onion, tomato & jalapeño ( half $8/whole $14), and many more.
Served 6 days a week, Monday-Thursday from 7:00 p.m. to 12:00 p.m., and 7:00 p.m. until 1 a.m. on Friday and Saturday, Blue Sea’s alternative cuisine is lower in calories, fat, and cholesterol. Blue Sea and famed Blue Door & Plat Bleu restaurants at DELANO, are located at 1685 Collins Avenue Miami Beach, Florida. For reservations and information, please call (305) 672-2000.
