Naoe

• Cuisine(s): Japanese
  Hours: Sun, Tue-Sat 6pm-12am
  Price: $$ $$
• Payment Types: All Major Credit Cards
  Attire: Casual
  Features: Private Party, Vegetarian Friendly, Wheelchair Accessible
• Serving: Dinner
  Reservations: Accepted, Required, Online Reservations Available
  Parking: Lot Available

Description

Naoe is an omakase oasis helmed by Kevin Cory, whose business card reads, "executive chef, general manager & dishwasher." Wendy Maharlika, the other half of this two-person operation, hosts, waits tables, and does everything else in a friendly and incredibly efficient manner. So far, so distinctive. Sakes from the chef's family in Japan are also unique to Naoe, as is the idea of a frozen sake. Try it - you'll like it. But the reason everyone in town is talking up this charmer can be found within the four-compartment bento box, which with a bowl of soup constitutes dinner. It's chef's choice, and his choices are pretty damn good, usually coupling a local catch with one or more flown overnight from Japan. This is cuisine you'd expect to find only in Tokyo, such as silver-skinned aji, or horse mackerel glazed with shoyu and plated with pickled wasabi leaves and flowers - freshly grated wasabi root mixed with horseradish on the side. Salmon wrapped in salted white seaweed; roasted freshwater eel; deep-fried shrimp tamago; rice with shiitake mushrooms and hints of eel - all are meticulously prepared and absolutely delicious. The price for a bento box and soup is only $26, perhaps the best American restaurant value since David Chang first debuted Momofuku in New York. If you're still hungry for more, Cory will prepare nigiri sushi; ask for the Scottish salmon belly. Reservations are necessary and accepted only through opentable.com. (Naoe recently moved from North Miami Beach to Miami's Brickell Key neighborhood.)