A Tale of Two Sushis: Sushi by Scratch and Katana
When my sushi-loving son came in for the holidays from Los Angeles, I knew sushi would be on the menu. At least once.
Of course, he had already booked us for the omakase at Sushi by Scratch in Coconut Grove, which was described as a dinner “not just supremely finished but also infused with original touches”.
The cozy eatery of just 10 seats is from Chefs/Owners Philip Frankland Lee and Margarita Kallas-Lee at 3540 Main Ave in Coconut Grove is accessed by a side door, marked with a vintage red lamp.
Once inside, you are offered a warm whiskey, sake and ginger cocktail while the rest of the group arrives. At $185 pp, the journey of 16 courses takes you through many delicious options including a buttery scallop, Toro, Mackerel, King Salmon, Escolar, Wagyu and Bone Marrow.
No soy sauce. One bite. Palate cleansing pickles and mushrooms on the side.
Each piece is expertly sliced by the sushi chefs and finished with special flavor enhancing toppings or torched.
The wonderous best bite came second to last and was Unagi, or grilled eel, which was topped with the “liquid gold” of melted bone marrow fat, torched and dripped on each piece before our eyes.
The finishing touch was a creamy Uni to complete the 16 courses. A dessert bite of green tea ice cream and pistachio ended the perfect evening.
We paired with a refreshing bottle of Heavensake and left feeling like we had been to a secret spot in Tokyo. Additional “chef choice” sushi bites or cocktails can be added for an extra charge.
Reservations are for 3 seatings at 5 pm, 7:15 pm or 9:30 pm only on TOCK.
A few days later, my son and I ventured to North Beach to Katana, “Pay for What You Eat”, sushi boat conveyor experience across from the Normandy Fountain.
While Sushi by Scratch offered a personal, and elegant dining experience, Katana offered a fun, kitschy vibe, as sushi plates “floated” by on wooden boats, and you selected what you wanted and were charged at checkout by the number of plates you stacked up.
Open since 1993, Katana prices each dish on a particular color plate, so pieces like toro were priced differently than seaweed salad. But while the array of fish choices and presentation was less impressive than Sushi by Scratch, we were still able to select scallop, eel roll, rainbow roll, yellowtail and a spicy tuna roll. A menu of not sushi dishes, like chicken karage can be ordered along with additional “special” hand rolls, and uni or toro.
Limited to 25 seats and no reservations, be prepared to wait. For the 6 pm opening, we arrived at 5;45, and were still number 30 for the seating and had to wait 45 minutes for the first 2 seats to open up. There is a waitlist, but it grows rapidly as you can imagine.
Dinner for two with a Sapporo and sake ran $138. Basically, half the price of Sushi by Scratch, but both experiences are exactly that…an experience and offer different but equally satisfying fresh and well-prepared meals.
Your choice. We enjoyed both.
3840 Main Ave.
Coconut Grove, FL 33133
920 71st St
Miami Beach, FL 33141