Skimp on Sushi to Save Room for Sweet Sips and Eats
By Minna A in Food on Jul 15, 2011 8:20PM
Savor summer and enjoy cocktails and sweets in an urban cabana atop Sushi Samba Rio in River North. While better known for their Latin fusion sushi rolls, the restaurant recently rolled out a new cocktail and dessert menu with sweets and sips to fit any summer mood.
With a drink list full of endless sake options, Sushi Samba Rio adds to the mix with a refreshing list of summery cocktails. Cocktails have an interesting blend of not-so-familiar ingredients from shochu (a distilled beverage weaker than whisky but stronger than wine) and yuzu (a sweet Asian citrus), to aji panca (a Peruvian chili pepper) and plenty of summer fruits. Particularly tasty is the Chu-Cumber, a rejuvenating cucumber cocktail made simply with shochu, muddled cucumber and a splash of St. Germain liqueur.
Also clamoring for your attention is the newly improved dessert menu. In addition to their coffees and teas, the newly revamped dessert menu includes interesting new dishes like the sanatarem chocolate fondue for two, ice-cream filled mochi (Japanese rice cakes) and a variety of cream puffs inspired by street food in Kyoto. The Chicagoist pick is the homemade tofu panna cotta. This vegan-friendly dessert made of lime crumble, mango and red shiso sorvete is a refreshing blend of textures and tastes with a tart lime crumble balancing a rich tofu based panna cotta and a tangy sorvete.
Sushi Samba Rio welcomes all to come for the sushi, but stay for the new batch of cocktails and sweets.
Sushi Samba Rio is located at 504 N. Wells.