sushisamba rio.

let's be honest. chicago is chock full of awesome restaurants. and there are quite a few in river north. trendy, hip, cool, fun ... you know what i mean.

sushisamba rio is one of them ... and let's just say, it tries really really hard to be. my friend, blair, put it best : "communal sinks in the bathrooms with a direct view to the rest of the restaurant, what's up with that? don't they know a girl needs to sneak away from a date to touch up her makeup?" see what i mean?   

sushisamba features a "unique blend of japanese, brazilian and peruvian cuisine, music and design." and i've been there twice ...

this most recent visit was for a 25th birthday celebration. 

 happy birthday, joelle! 

and while the atmosphere is fun and they did give us a free birthday dessert (see above), it's just not the most amazing places i've ever been to eat. it's just so damn dark in there! (i remember thinking this the last time as well.)

anyway, sushisamba is very vegan friendly. here's what i had ... 

edamame :

organic soybeans, sea salt & lime.

can you mess up edamame? no. a perfect little appetizer. 

shishito :

grilled spicy peppers, sea salt & lemon.

it's no secret that shishito peppers are my favorite. these were fantastic. i could have eaten two plates myself ... but i did share nicely.  

green city samba roll :

sweet corn, green beans, green tosaka & asparagus.

 i added jalapeño for a bit of added spice. delish.

they also put a bit of seaweed salad on top. quite tasty. 

yasai quinoa temaki :

avocado, snow pea shoot, sweet soy. 

(no sweet potato tempura, egg in the batter.)

 i had never had something like this before so i was excited to try it. 

it was wrapped in soy paper and was quite tasty. i added jalapeño to this as well. my only issue was that i just wanted more of it. i think it should come two to an order. doesn't it look so sad sitting there alone on the plate?

so overall, sushisamba is a fun place to try ... vegan options a'plenty.