China Grill, Ft. Lauderdale

My advice, go hungry. And bring a group of friends so you can try a bunch of different things. It's easy to see why China Grill is such a crowd pleaser. The menu presents the greatest hits of Asian cooking with bold, creative combinations that are completely satisfying and accessible to the average diner. Meaning, you don't have to be a yuzu snob to know that the miso cod tastes damn good. The menu is almost identical to the South Beach outpost and dishes are served family-style which means big portions and ideal sharing for parties of 4 or more. Menu standouts: the Kobe beef tartar - luscious and topped with a poached quail egg. The fried wonton chips were the perfect accessory to this creamy treat.

In terms of sushi - the big winner was the Havana roll composed of rum-soaked yellowtail, coconut and avocado. The uni was fresh and tasty and even topped with edible gold flakes for extra decadence.

In terms of mains:
The soy marinated skirt steak with wok sautéed lo mein noodles and tempura shitake mushrooms was flavorful and robust and could easily feed two.

There were fork fights over the curry miso black cod with its lovely yuzu-inflected sauce and fiery curry kick.

Skip the pan-seared spicy tuna, it was neither spicy nor generously portioned and we all found it to be underwhelming considering the flavor bonanzas going on with the other dishes. Desserts like the cheese wontons come with ying-yang designed chocolate sauce and pay homage to the restaurant's playful Asian theme.

Adress: 1881 SE 17th St,954-759-9950.