While in Miami last week I had the pleasure of dining at AIJÓ Restaurant in the Brickell neighborhood.

My good friend Ben that I was visiting recommended that we go to AIJÓ for dinner on my first night there.  The food, service and drinks were so amazing that I knew I had to come back and write a new LLB “Restaurant Rave” all about the Miami hot spot! AIJÓ’s director René Buroz set everything up for a fabulous dinner the next night!

Ben and I dined in their VIP private dining room, sipped some wine and had a great time!

We started off with a couple of their signature appetizers including the Gyoza Pork Dumplings…

And the Oishi O Niku…

Oishi-O-what?  The dish consists of beef tataki, oranges, shiso leaves and fresh shaved black truffle. Yum!

We then sampled some of their Signature sushi rolls.

I’m not going to lie, I’ve had a lot of good sushi in my day and this was some of the best I’ve ever had!

We also tried the Tempura Rock Shrimp…

… and the slow cooked pork belly with sweet and sour sauce.

It’s under there… I promise 🙂  And it’s scrumptious!

For the main course… yes there was still a main course after all of the above!

Oh and a main course it was!

A 24 oz prime rib eye aged 21 days, marinated in a garlic, ginger, cilantro soy and served with a side of buttery truffle ponzu explosion sauce.

Explosion sauce?  More like explosion-of-flavor sauce!

The sauce was amazing, but the steak alone was so tender and flavorful, it didn’t even need sauce.

This dish is perfect to share with a few friends… even though Ben and I managed to eat it all on our own 😉

…and still somehow ate this trio of desserts as well!

See those little pastries in the middle, they’re called Nutella Arruchadito and they’re crispy phyllo dough baskets filled with nutella, and they’re amazing… but to be honest, I do have a slight Nutella addiction!

After dinner, I was honored to sign their “Wall of Fame”!

If you’re looking for a fun night out in Miami with great service and amazing food, check out AIJÓ… and get the ribeye… trust me on that one! You will not be disappointed!

Tell Antulio that Little Leopard Book sent you, he’s the manager there and will take great care of you!  If you sit at the bar be sure to ask for Nara, his signature drinks are delicious and he’s a really fun guy!  If you’ll be eating in the dining room be sure to request Karen, she was our fantastic server both evenings and she’s super sweet!

AIJÓ is located at 1331 Brickell Bay Dr. Miami, FL. 33131, for reservations call: (786) 452-1637 or visit their website at www.aijorestaurant.com.