Ke-Uh Lil’ Laos
$$$ - JAPANESE, SUSHI $$ - LAOTIAN
Sunny Isles Beach’s award-winning resort Acqualina Resort & Residences has opened this spot in the former space of AQ with indoor and outdoor seating areas that overlook the ocean. Its menu concentrates on tapasstyle shareable plates. Expect imported Japanese Hamachi yellowtail, uni, octopus and sweet shrimp, Scottish salmon, Yellowfin and Bigeye tuna from Central and South America and Bluefin tuna from the Mediterranean. There are non Japanese menu items — sliders, baby back ribs, even pizza! — as well as vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free options.
17875 Collins Ave., Sunny Isles Beach
305-918-8000 www.acqualinaresort.com
Sakhone Sayarath and her husband, Curtis Rhodes, catered Laotian food occasionally while she was an ad exec and he was the chef at Café Roval. When the pandemic hit and both were out of a job, they started selling their menu at pop-ups before finding a permanent home for Miami’s only Laotian food at The Citadel food hall. Their entire menu is a showcase of the unique flavor combinations you’d expect from cuisine influenced by bordering Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia. Bright lime and cilantro, pungent fish sauce, tangy soy and lemongrass all come together, nowhere better than in their homemade sausage and dipping sauce. The menu invites pairing it with their spicy cold papaya salad and pork ribs with a tomato dipping sauce. It’s hard to pick a favorite at this restaurant that is worth the drive.
8300 NE Second Ave., Little Haiti in The Citadel food hall www.lillaos.com