Sushi Roku

Vegas on Two Wheels: Sushi Roku


Biker Greg Bennett rides his macho Harley out….to a sushi joint?

Okay, okay…so it’s been awhile since I’ve  gotten an article out for VegasBright. Being a local in the City of Sin, I’m here when it gets hot….like REALLY hot! How hot? So hot, that you can cook an entire roast on the seat of your Harley.

So, you can just assume that I’ve just been laying low, waiting until we get cooler weather here in the Valley. Yeah, that works….

However, the Big Man upstairs thought he would throw me an unusual bone — by having me do a piece on a Vegas restaurant. Not a bar and grill, though. I’m talking a full-on waiter/dim lighting/highbrow “Would you like a hot towel after your appetizer, sir?” kinda restaurant. Suffice to say; my boss is taking a gamble with me on this one. But, I’m going to give it a whirl!

This week we are visiting Sushi Roku inside the Forum Shops at Caesars Palace!

Now, I am NOT a fine-dining kind of guy (although Sammasseur and I did a steakhouse once before as a team). I love “bar food”. Burgers, fries, wings, and a raw atmosphere. But there are also times when I like to go for something a little more complex. And Sushi Roku was a perfect union of the two. If you dig sushi and fusion bar food, folks…you are in for one hell of a palatable ride!

First things first! Why the hell would I order SUSHI IN THE DESERT!? I get it, hahaha…how fresh can it really be, right? You might as well go fishing in a toxic lake and take your chances with a three-eyed bass than attempt sushi in the desert, right?

Sushi Roku

Well, let me break down the facts for you, my readers! Las Vegas receives fresh seafood daily…sometimes 2 to 4 times a day, depending on the restaurant. Most come from the west coast (meaning Alaska to California) from local and corporate fishermen. A truck packs it at the docks, drives it over here, and it hits the restaurants in less than 5 hours!

Shellfish and other seafood coming from Alaska or the coast of Japan are iced, packed fast and put onto planes to be delivered to McCarran Airport. From there it is loaded into trucks and sent to the restaurants. This may take a bit longer, but in most cases, it’s delivered in less than 24 hours from the fishing dock!

Sushi Roku receives one truckload six days each week. Varieties like bluefin tuna or toro are bought at markets in Japan, where the world’s best tuna is sold. Sushi Roku only goes for the finest. Some of these fish can go upwards of $20.00 a pound. And when you are buying 30-pound to 60-pound filets….you do the math.

Sushi Roku also seeks out the best beef in the world. Wagyu is a type of Japanese cattle that’s world-renowned as the best beef. These cows, depending on the farmer’s techniques of feeding, are massaged daily and fed beer or sake to produce the best marbling in the flesh. Sushi Roku presents wagyu beef in a couple of forms…as a slider or grilled as an entrée.

Enough about the quality of the food. It’s astounding! Let’s talk about location and atmosphere. This is where I was very nervous before getting to the restaurant. Caesars Forum Shops is massive! You can get completely lost in its three levels. BUT, I am happy to report that if you enter the shops from Las Vegas Blvd., all you will have to do is head up the escalators to the third floor. Then, look forward and slightly to the right and you cannot miss it! So, location is an A+ in my book.

The second thing I was nervous about is that it is a high-class place. Sushi Roku has many attributes of a fine dining establishment. Japanese Dynasty faux walls make up the hallway that brings you into the dining room. To the right is the most pristine sushi bar, adorned with modern plates but complimented by traditional Japanese chop sticks and soy sauce kettles. On each corner of the bar is an art piece created to remind the diner that their choice of food is rich in a deep tradition.

Sushi Roku

To the left is a contemporary bar, lit to compliment the nearly endless selection of premium liquors. Beyond that is a room for private parties. It is separated from the main dining area by a modern Asian art deco wall.

Sushi Roku

The dining room is truly a sight to see. Immediately my eyes went straight to the ceiling, where massive bamboo chandeliers line up with one another for the entire width of the room. Dark-stained bamboo boards wrap around massive cylinders, creating a yellow/golden hue.

Sushi Roku

The next thing to catch my eyes were the massive floor-to-ceiling windows looking over the Blvd! A perfect view to go with your meal and I can only imagine what it would look like under the twinkling and flashing lights of the city during dinner hours. However, I feel the rooms were not over done to inflict a kind of uncomfortableness for the average tourist or family looking a place to have lunch or dinner.

Though the waiters and waitresses were attentive, they do not stay fused to your tableside like in other fine dining restaurants; constantly pouring fresh water into your glass every time you take a sip or taking away a piece of silverware and replacing it with a new one every time you use it. The waiting staff is kind and down to earth with a slightly more professional feel than a standard restaurant in the city which made me feel comfortable in a place I would normally feel stressed or out of place. The saying, “Don’t judge a book by its’ cover” comes to mind.

Now, the food….oh lord the food! WOW! Incredible! Absolutely delectable! I would love to share the full details on each plate I sampled, but this would be a novel by the time I finished so I will only be hitting my absolute favorites.

SO, what was on the menu for me, you ask? Well for starters how about some chips!? Yes, you heard me…chips! Fun, simple but with a bit of an elegant twist. I did not sample just run-of-the-mill potato chips oh no, no, no. These were Brussel sprout chips seasoned with a bit of salt and pepper and lightly coated in…drum roll, please!….Truffle oil!!! That being said…..I hate Brussel sprouts with a passion that rocks the heavens! THESE WERE SO DAMN GOOD! I could not get enough of them! So simple and much healthier than potato chips yet so sophisticated and well-rounded on the pallet. Two thumbs way, way up and trust me when I say the kids will LOVE them!

The Food Gallery

My fancy-pantsy favorite was the Toro Sashimi topped with oscietra caviar and yuzu salt. Remember me mentioning about tuna or Toro being bought at the fish markets in Japan. Yeah, that’s this dish! It is the finest tune you can buy! It was sliced into five perfect samplings. The fish so tender so well balanced with oil and fat content that it literally melted in my mouth. Any hint of a fish taste was nowhere to be found on my tongue. Then the caviar splashes in and fuses with the Toro. Slightly salty with a minor buttery finish. It was euphoric! A taste and experience that is very difficult for me to describe. The one word that comes to mind is glorious. An experience I will never, ever forget, and if you can splurge on something at this restaurant, I would say you NEED TO GO FOR IT! This price varies though depending on how much its cost was at the market.

My final and tastiest bite was something I did not expect from this kind of establishment. It is a menu item that is brand new…..in fact, the entire menu has been revamped to be more appealing to all kinds of customers, but this particular item sold me on the whole restaurant. It was a WAGYU SLIDER!!! Yes! You heard me, bar food slider BUT much more upscale. Using Wagyu beef cooked medium rare, this little burger is topped with arugula, sautéed unions, siracha ketchup nestled ever so perfectly between Hawaiian buns for sweetness. Oh dear god was it tasty! The flavors were like cannon fire in my mouth. One after the other a burst of flavor that begins a barrage of tastes that fuse together that sent my taste buds into ecstasy! AND IT’S BAR FOOD!!!!!! FUN, SIMPLE, RELAXED! I LOVED IT!

Each plate that came to us had meaning. It was thought out and planned; passion and tradition went into each plate. It was beautiful; each sampling that came out was more beautiful than the last. From the Bluefin Tuna garnished with a wasabi relish (by the by, if you are not a spicy fan like myself, not to worry! These dishes have a kick, but they will not have you grabbing for water. Again, each plate was well thought out and therefore, well balanced for an experience you taste buds would appreciate.), to the SeaBream Sashimi in an herb vinaigrette.

I watched at the sushi bar as our trained sushi chef prepared each plate. He did it with passion, with precision, with focus, seriousness, and love. He smiled as he passed his knife through the meat of each fish while, at the same time, wowing us with his charming personality; educating us on his passion and the product he uses to make each masterful dish. He controlled the room with such finesse, he had the room laughing and talking to each other…complete strangers…mingling and making moments; memories. One I will never forget!

Now I bet you are all wondering what the price range is at this place. Will it fill you up and leave your wallet empty. The answer is yes and no ha ha hahaha. The prices, depending or the market for fish, range from a little $6 to a whopping $58. Average price for a sushi role will run you $18 to $20. Which for a regular restaurant in Vegas is pretty standard.

Sushi Roku has created a whole new way to dine. They have successfully fused fine dining with casual dining to make an environment suitable for just about any person; lunch, dinner, or midnight snack, Sushi Roku is a place that must be checked out and experienced when visiting Las Vegas even for a local.

See this pictures from this article and additional pictures of Sushi Roku in the gallery below. Click one to begin.

Sushi Roku’s hours:  Friday to Saturday: 12pm – 11pm | Sunday to Thursday: 12pm – 10pm

 

[Photos: Greg Bennett]

3 thoughts on “Vegas on Two Wheels: Sushi Roku

  1. Great article, if Beer and Sake creates marbling, I can only imagine how great my marbling looks!

  2. You have found our (wife and I) go to restaurant in Las Vegas and we are there 6-8 times a year! We stumbled upon it many years ago and are so thankful we did. Although we go back there often we tend to get the same things because they are so damn good! Sirloin wrapped asparagus served on a hot rock. Popcorn shrimp. Baked crab handroll. And those are just a few. But the absolute must for us is the tuna tartare. There are several ingredients but the combination of tuna and truffle is what seals the deal. It replaced a previous menu item of blue fin tuna, truffle, avocado, black pepper and parmesan cheese (who knew?). Besides the food, the service and ambience are excellent. To your point, evening dining is a treat with the soft interior lighting and the bright lights of the strip beckoning us through the floor to ceiling windows. I can’t wait to go back in November, if not sooner…

  3. You missed the best crab dynamite app in the world. Sushi Roku is a chain and we have one here in SoCal but I’ d rather drive the 2.5 hours to eat there. Love that place

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