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Forbes
15-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
8 Creative Sushi Presentations To Try This Summer
We're pretty used to enjoying sushi in roll form. We've maybe even expanded our horizons with a sushi omakase experience at one point or another. But that doesn't even begin to explore the extent of sushi creativity there is to enjoy, from sushi on a reimagined whiskey barrel to pizza or seacuterie. Sushi is delicious and artistic, we already know that. But this National Sushi Day, you might just want to go a bit further and enjoy whimsy and creativity to an extent you may have previously not imagined was even possible. At The Flatiron Room in New York City, the Barrel Board Sushi is a fun spin on a traditional sushi presentation, built upon the concept of whiskey aging. This board includes lump crab roll, hamachi & avocado roll, and assorted Nigiri, served on a board from a whiskey barrel. 'Sushi is more than just food,' says Chef Jiho Kim. 'It's really an art—it takes patience, precision, and a real feel for balance. Adding sushi to The Flatiron Room's menu gives us a chance to share that craft with our guests in a new way. Just like our cocktails and spirits, it's all about quality and intention. We wanted something that felt special but still approachable—something that fits right in with the vibe here.' At Harriet's Rooftop at 1 Hotel Nashville, the Firebird Roll brings a southern twist to sushi, with buttermilk fried chicken, kimchi slaw, and a hit of house hot sauce. It's crunchy and fiery—like Nashville hot chicken, rolled up and reimagined. 'The Firebird Roll is all about blending bold Southern flavors with the precision and freshness of sushi. It's a playful way to honor Nashville's fiery heritage while offering something unexpected and delicious for our guests," said Chris Crary, Culinary Director at 1 Hotel Nashville. At AQUASAN in Juno Beach, Florida, they feature inventive Pan-Asian cuisine with tropical and Latin American influences. "Growing up in South Florida, I was exposed to a fascinating array of tropical ingredients as a young cook, consequently providing inspiration in the recipes I would create over the years to come. At AQUASAN, we strive to have a sense of place and wow factor represented in each dish on the menu, in which this play on a traditional spider roll captures that essence. Our Lady in Red Roll consists of soft shell crab tempura layered with caramelized plantains and mango pico, topped with hamachi, and wrapped in a red soy crepe," said Stephen Asprinio. At Across The Pond in Phoenix, the Coffee Cured Salmon Nigiri undergoes an intricate curing process, enveloped in rich coffee grounds for 48 hours in-house. Each piece is dressed with a sprinkling of ancho chili flakes, which add a subtle heat that compliments the coffee's robustness. "Our Coffee-Cured Salmon is a labor of love! We start with premium Scottish salmon and cure it in-house for 48 hours with freshly ground coffee. It's one that people are initially skeptical to try, but an instant hit. It's become a favorite among those who know how to order it." said Chef EJ Richan. Nori Asian's Rainforest Sushi Roll at Hyatt Regency Grand Reserve Puerto Rico is a steak tempura roll with a Puerto Rican twist inspired by El Yunque -- the only rainforest in the U.S. National Parks System, which towers over the beachfront resort. "For our signature roll, we wanted to create a very different take on the famed California Roll, which is already an unconventional mix! The Rainforest Sushi Roll keeps the delicious avocado, crab and cream cheese components of the fan-favorite classic, while innovating with some uniquely Puerto Rican elements, like the steak and plantain -- creating an entirely new overall flavor profile that evokes our Puerto Rican pride and flair!" said Chef Luis Quezada. This popular Sushi Pizza was a creation by Chef Michael Glatz at the historic Hotel Fauchère in Milford, Pennsylvania. A tempura-crusted sushi rice "base" is topped with spicy mayo, premium ahi tuna cubes, and orange and green tobiko. 'Each bite has the perfect balance of crunch, spice, delicate sushi, and umami flavor.' said Steve Rosada of Milford Hospitality Group. Seacuterie at Proof of the Pudding in Atlanta. Proof of the Pudding Proof of the Pudding in Atlanta offers something exciting and different, even for the most seasoned of sushi lovers – it's a sushi seacuterie! This is a glistening ice wall with niches for premium sushi and sashimi. Small plates include purple sweet potato roll, rainbow roll, lobster tempura roll, spicy tuna roll, sake nigiri and Hamachi nigiri. An ice channel surround holds king crab, lobster and jumbo shrimp. Sashimi Mexicano from Toca Madera. TJ Perez From Toca Madera, this sushi is presented in the shape of a rose – and made with ahi tuna, cucumber, avocado, pomegranate, chile de árbol, leche de tigre, for a dish that is just as delicious as it is beautiful. 'At Toca Madera, we love to push the boundaries of what a classic sushi dish can look like. The Sashimi Mexicano is like a love letter to the fusion of Japanese and Mexican ingredients, with unexpected flavors and a show-stopping presentation," said Executive Chef Dan Rossi.
Forbes
04-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
The Pizza Martini Creates A Sippable Version OF Everyone's Favorite Snack Sippable
Any cocktail enthusiast will tell you that when you want a great martini, nothing but a martini will do. But how you enjoy your martini can have a surprising level of innovation if you know where to look. At New York City's The Flatiron Room, a classic takeout go-to takes a turn as a savory culinary-forward martini. The Pizza Martini at The Flatiron Room in New York City. The Pizza Martini has been a work in progress for a while. "Back in 2018, I tried Lustau Vermut Blanco for the first time, which is an incredibly dried herb-forward, and I immediately thought of a pizza," said Ben Wald, Spirits Specialist and Head of Beverage Programming at The Flatiron Room. Ever since then, Wald shared that he had this cocktail idea kicking around in my head in some form since then. "It was just a matter of finding the right spirit to be the traditional base of the martini," said Wald. Then, it was about building the layers of flavor. "Olive oil washing was the next step that really added that layer of rich fat that you get on a great slice. The sun-dried tomato liqueur was a way to add that really specific blend of citric, malic, and ascorbic acid found in tomatoes," said Wald. But the crowning glory of this inventive cocktail is the charred goat cheese olives. "The goat cheese olives come out of not wanting to use blue cheese olives as they are ubiquitous and belong to a style of martini I was not trying to create," said Wald. And making this pivot had an additional benefit. "It is also really easy to get goat cheese into an olive using a pastry piping bag," Wald said. While the Pizza Martini was a work in progress for a while, the original Pizza Martini was always based on Lustau Vermut Blanco, which naturally is dried herb forward. "I remember the first time I tried it and the idea popped into my head immediately," said Wald. However, the cocktail has undergone some important pivots. "The original cocktail was going to be done on gin and how to get that fatty, full-bodied flavor by using the grease from pepperoni," said Wald. However, research showed him that there was a specific kind of pepperoni that when baked, the outside curls up and forms a cup and the fat renders in the middle. "After some trial and lots of error, I learned it would take a massive amount of baked cup pepperoni to get enough fat to wash the base spirit to get that fatty flavor," said Wald. The cocktail then evolved into what it is now. "I decided I wanted to highlight the vermouth and not the traditional base spirit. Using olive oil to add some green fatty flavors without overpowering the vermouth was the natural next step. Now, instead of having this bold and brash in your face pizza flavored drink, we have a more subtle take on what a drink inspired by food can be," said Wald. This important layering of flavor made picking a vodka a very important step. "Grey Goose is made from wheat and isn't as sweet as vodka made from corn or rye which helps to play into the base flavors of the crust," said Wald. As for the olive oil, Wald was keeping in mind that good quality olive oil won't transfer a lot of flavor by itself but has an important top note presence. "I wanted to avoid the drink tasting oily so the flavors there are really subtle, but you'll notice something missing if it is gone," said Wald. But for Wald, the base of this drink really is the vermouth. "It almost feels purposefully built to be in a pizza martini," he said. "I didn't have to change anything at all to be able to get those flavors out and mostly worked on making sure I didn't muddy them in any way." The sun-dried tomato liqueur adds that acid component you get from the tomato sauce without making the drink too acidic or too tomato forward. "I don't like black olives on pizza but I do like Castelvetrano olives because they're low in brine and high in fat," said Wald, who found charring them adds a little bit of that burnt crust flavor. "The goat cheese inside of them just improves on the Blue Cheese Olive. Goat cheese is less divisive than blue cheese and is more nutty and fatty than blue cheese which plays better with the cocktail itself," said Wald. So far, the response to the Pizza Martini has been incredible. "If you put a martini on your menu, the rest of your beverage program will be judged based on how good that martini is. We get a lot of guests reordering the Pizza Martini because even though it is a specific flavor, you never really get tired of it," said Wald. (courtesy of The Flatiron Room)
