Well Fed On the Town

After working all morning, I decided to hit the nearby Lincoln Road in South Beach for lunch. There are tons of eateries along the strip, including several sushi places. Since I’ve been craving sushi, that seemed like the perfect choice. I choice a restaurant where there were several other people eating alone.

On Eating Alone: I absolutely despise eating alone, particularly in restaurants. I’d rather not eat then break bread by myself. But I am an adult, on business and in need of eating. Nourishment is important, right? How do I swallow this fear? First, I decide what I want and where I want it from. Then, and most importantly, I stop worrying. Then I march up and request a table. Rather than staring absently, I busy myself with a book or writing. This makes the time pass in a way where I’m not thinking about it. And I eat deliberately - you could shovel the food into your face. But how fulfilling is that? Instead, I savor every bite slowly. And when I am done, I go back to my work and signal for the check. Unless of course I want dessert . . . but that’s a whole other story.

I chose to try Sushi Siam. Like many of the Lincoln Road restaurants, it’s an outdoor eatery with tables in the sun and the shade. I chose a shade spot (it was hot in the sun).

Okay, so yes, I noticed that one patron was impatiently trying to get the servers’ attention when I was being seated. And yes, I did have to practically stare the hostess (who was deep in conversation with the aforementioned servers) down to get a seat, but I decided to give it a chance anyway.

One waiter . . . or maybe it was a busboy . . .  immediately took my Diet Coke order. I looked over the lunch specials . . . none jumped out as me as WOWs. But I ultimately decided to try their Sushi Sashimi and Steak Teriyaki combo ($13.95). It sounded like it could be a good mix. It came with miso soup - my favorite - so I was happy. It took a bit of sharp looks for the unsmiling waitress to get her butt in gear and take my order, but she did finally.

Let’s start with the miso soup. At first it was hard to tell if it was any good or not since it was about 1,000 degrees. I’ve never had miso soup so hot before. But once it cooled a touch I was able to give it more of a chance. The soup was tasty, but not the best I’ve had. The miso was a little on the grainy side and the pieces of seaweed were left way too big. That made the soup messier than it should ever be. That aside, it was okay.

Shortly after I finished the soup, my lunch arrived. Oh. My. God. That was a lot of food. So much, in fact, that I wasn’t hungry for dinner and just had a snack of crackers and a few funky cookies (read about those on Sugar Savvy next week).

Anyway, the cute box presentation definitely drew an awed reaction from me. There were three pieces of sushi, half of a California roll, six pieces of sashimi and a large amount of steak teriyaki. I sampled the California roll first. It was better than most, which is saying a lot since I am not a big California roll fan. I did enjoy this one though. It was around this time that I requested a glass of water.

Then I made my way around the sushi and sashimi. The fish lacked that melt-in-your-mouth quality that makes sushi and sashimi so delightful so I was disappointed with that. Also, the sushi rice wasn’t as tender as it should have been and it wasn’t quite that slightly sweet scrumptiousness you’d expect. So, ultimately the sushi was okay, but not exceptional. Mediocre, maybe. Still waiting on that water, by the way.

Finally, the steak teriyaki. This is an easy dish to prepare. And it’s a very tasty dish if done right. Was it? Well, besides the fact that it was overcooked and not cut into thin enough pieces, the steak was tough. I suspect the teriyaki was of Kikkoman’s thick variety. And if I wanted to have that, I could do it at home for a fraction of the cost. And then I could get my own water.

I finished and was stuffed. But I still wanted the water. I requested the check. But only when she brought me that did she bring that glass of water. With profuse apologies . . . do you get the feeling that someone is finally looking to be attentive and helpful so she gets a good tip?

The verdict? Eh. If everywhere else was full, I would eat there again. Otherwise, I would try somewhere else. Aside from the good California roll, nothing in particular stood out as a WOW! dish. Don’t seek this one out. And if you end up there, skip the steak teriyaki. Blech.

Sushi Siam
647 Lincoln Road
Tel: (305) 672 7112