The Den at Azabu
Located in the Marriott Stanton hotel in Miami Beach, Azabu has a restaurant nestled away in the back called The Den which is an amazing omikase experience. Headed by Chef Atsushi Okawara, this restaurant has fish flown in from Japan at least twice a week and provides Tokyo style Omikase and has another location in New York City with its own michelin star as well.
Eleven courses consisting of 19 dishes await and the jovial personality of the chefs along with the great fresh flavors make a trip to this restaurant worth it. On the night I went, I was the only "local" in the restaurant, everyone else was a tourist from as far away as California, China, Canada and England.
Interior
Elegant, Intimate, Comfortable. A dining room with enough seating for 8 people.
Otsukuri
Sawara - Spanish mackeral, Momiji-oroshi ponzu sauce, roughly grated turnips and chopped chives.
Hon Maguro - Bluefin tuna from Japan, UNI soy sauce, mountain yam and black truffles.
Sushi Opening
Kinmedai - Golden Eye Snapper served with Yuzu Kosho
Nodoguro - Sea Perch - Seared
Kohada - Gizzard shad - Lime zest
Umi-Masu - Ocean Trout - Straw smoked
Owan
Meaning a traditionally clear soup, the Owan dish was Kani Shinjo which is a crab ball. In this case the crab is the Florida stone crab and placed in a dumpling with dashi broth and myoga ginger.
I loved watching the chefs work as a team to make this dish right before my very eyes.
Nitsuke
Nitsuke, a simmered fish. In this case a managatsuo, japanese butterfish. Simmered with reduction sweet soy sauce and served with spinach
Tuna Tasting
One of the best courses of the evening, the tuna with an explanation where each part of the tuna that these pieces come from.
Akami Zuke - Soy sauce marinaded lean tuna
Chu-toro - medium fatty tuna
O-toro - fatty tuna
My favorite part of the meal was when the chef brought out the tuna and pointed from where on the fish the cuts came.
Agemono
Kanpachi age-dashi, fried amberjack in dashi broth
Sunomono
Botan EBI and hokkado hotate with tosazu jelly, spot prawn, hokkaido scallop, tosazy vinaigrette jelly, paissimon, garape and peach
Sushi Finale
Ikura, Japanese salmon caviar
UNI, Sea urchin from Hokkaido, Japan
Anago, sea eel with Nitsume reduction sauce
Toro-Taku roll - chopped fatty tuna, pickled daikon relish
Akadashi, red miso soup
Mizugashi - dessert
Shizuoka Crown melon - japanese musk melon
Conclusion
The whole meal was very good. I particularly loved the tuna dishes in all forms, with the medium to fatty tunas being my favorite. The Owan soup with the stone crab dumpling was also very much appreciated. I would love to go back
Menu
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