Brace yourselves, sushi lovers. Stingray Sushi has a new location at Phoenix’s Biltmore Fashion Park to partner with it’s incredibly popular Old Town Scottsdale location. (Zinburger just opened at the park last week.) After finishing your shopping trip, we recommend sampling some of Stingray Sushi’s interesting sushi dishes–it is the perfect way to end a busy day.
With bold orange walls, the restaurant has a fresh new look to match the new location. Cozy banquette booths stretch around two different tables bringing you closer to the people you’re eating with. The indoor/outdoor bar allows guests to enjoy the enormous fish tank in the middle of the bar while also relaxing in the warm Phoenix sun. (We think this’ll be a popular spot during the spring months.) Stingray Sushi also had several large TV’s making this a great spot to watch a big game while sipping on some of their signature cocktails. Aside from the bar there is a large dining room that looks a little more family friendly. You can sit at the sushi bar and watch the masters prepare their specialties, or sit at one of the tables. (Another great part of the restaurant: the really cool restrooms!)
All of the appetizers were unique and delicious. For those who aren’t too sure of the whole sushi idea, a great way to ease into it is with the chicken skewers. With two different sauces to choose from you can choose how you want them to taste. The teriyaki sauce was sweet and full of flavor.
The Spicy Special was a little bit more obscure. It was a California roll with a red jelly on top. The sauce they had on the roll was great and gave an awesome new flavor to the traditional California roll. The spring rolls were fantastic, and the spicy sauce they dipped it in gave a really great kick to a very common piece of sushi.
We then tried a piece of Stingray Sushi’s crispy spicy tuna, which had a spicy tuna mixture on top of a block of rice. The outside of the rice was somehow hardened giving it a crispy texture. As weird as it may sound, it was really good. While I’m usually not a big tuna fan, the spice they added to it gave it a whole new taste. The crunch of the rice bottom was a perfect match for the super soft tuna. To try for yourself: 2502 E. Camelback Rd., Phoenix, 602.955.2008, www.stingraysushi.com. –Veronica Jones
Stingray Sushi at Biltmore Fashion Park
I was there a few days ago, so good.
My favorite part about the new Stingray is the awesome dark hardwoods in the bar.