UKIAH JAPANESE SMOKEHOUSE – Restaurant

Smoke is the through-line at Ukiah, a Japanese smokehouse just off the Fort Lauderdale Riverwalk where the grill does as much talking as the sushi counter. The kitchen works in small plates: chicken karaage, crispy rice with spicy tuna, soft shell crab bao, red snapper skewers, pork belly and crispy baby back ribs, with a rich pork belly tonkotsu ramen behind them and a miso chocolate cake to close. Diners consistently praise how fresh and inventive the plates are, and how attentive the floor feels; a few note the room runs loud and the bill runs high. Bold cooking, worth the volume.

Cuisine: Restaurant