Earlier this year, the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino – Hollywood unveiled the highly anticipated Kuro, a sophisticated Japanese Craft Kitchen.  Kuro features an open dining room, chef’s table (omakase bar), sushi bar with view into the hot kitchen (sauté, tempura, robata grill) and pastry section, in addition to two private dining rooms and an alfresco dining patio.

The farm-fresh Japanese menu offers new-style, handcrafted creations by Kuro’s Executive Chef Alex Q. Becker, who also serves as the resort’s Creative Culinary Director. Chef Becker’s cuisine applies classic Japanese techniques to contemporary, artisanal creations using both locally sourced and fresh imported ingredients direct from Japan. Guests will discover a truly unique dining experience at Kuro. Servers act as culinary guides to create a personalized experience that teases the palate with flavors and textures, beginning with lighter fare and continuing on to spicier and richer dishes; each course or dish building on that which came before it.

All images appearing in this post photographed by Holli Lapes

Seared Salmon Sashimi with apple chutney, Japanese 12 spice and creamy sesame

Wagyu Tartar

At the helm of the innovative cocktail program is award-winning Mixologist Jared Boller. Handcrafted cocktails showcase fresh Japanese ingredients in modern recipes with hints of classic flavors, pairing harmoniously with Kuro’s cuisine. Drinks are divided by the five flavor profiles – sweet, savory, bitter, salty and umami.

From the umami category is the signature Kuro cocktail with rum, squid ink, black sesame seeds and lime juice

Corn Kakiage (Tempura) with furikake ichimi spice

Wagyu Tacos with spicy cilantro, soy shallots and aji Amarillo aioli

 Anyone remember these? The movement of the paper thin nori induced by the heat coming from the fish was reminiscent of this childhood memory. If you have no idea what I am referring to, just take my recommendation and order these seabass nori skewers as you will not be disappointed.

Shrimp Lardo ( lardo is a type of salumi made by curing strips of fatback) with crispy brussels sprouts, pear salsa, soy vinaigrette.

After presenting with its sultry qualities I found this dish is rather intriguing and delicious.

Koji Lamb with cauliflower purée, kabocha (winter squash) croquette and blueberry demi

The expansive menu encompasses an assortment of selections, allowing for a variety of combinations to satisfy the most astute gourmands.

For Desserts, Pastry Chef Ross Evans has created a beautifully balanced menu complementing Kuro’s savory selections while embracing the technical precision and clean flavors that Japanese cuisine is known for.

Japanese Donuts with assorted dipping sauces of green tea, renditions of chocolate and vanilla

Black Sesame “Pudding” with Cucumber Juice filled balls Ginger, Nori Pomegranate Foam, and kuromitsu droplets (kuromitsu is a Japanese sugar syrup, literally “black honey” it is similar to molasses, but thinner and milder)

Ill be honest with you – any food that is silver/gray in color isn’t exactly one that I would look at and think it is appealing. In fact, this entire dish is rather mysterious looking, surely the lay person would be wary. Here is why you should order it anyway: its fun. It is truly an experience. When we dine out, it is a dining experience we should be striving for, one that excites all the senses.  This is a dish that looks like its from another planet that one can explore with others and enjoy the different textures and unintuitive color-taste connections.

 

Apple Tobanyaki — caramelized apples with mochi, roasted pecans, ice cream and caramel sauce

Not only is this dessert both taste (yum) and texturally sound (crunchy pecans, soft apples, chewy mochi and gooey sauce) it is also very well executed. It is pretty genius to serve a hot-cold dish with the hot and cold components separately. Nobody wants melted ice cream arriving at their table (I don’t, anyway).

Designed by the prestigious David Mexico Design Group, Kuro features a theater-style, open concept design. The 240-seat restaurant encourages social interaction with its high-energy vibe and bustling ambiance. Guests enter Kuro from the resort lobby, gliding by a jaw-dropping wall comprised of 100,000 hand-placed sea shells. In fact, the elements of land and sea are reinforced throughout the space, from rows of driftwood on the walls and ceiling imitating waves and the textures and patterns of Florida beaches within the geometric floor tiling to the river rock and beach glass encapsulating the base of Kuro’s gorgeous central bar. Floor-to-ceiling bay windows line the perimeter of the 9,500-square-foot restaurant, bringing the outside in.

Kuro is located at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino at One Seminole Way in Hollywood, Florida. Dinner is served Tuesday – Thursday and Sunday, 5:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 5:30 p.m. to 11 p.m. Telephone: (954) 585-5333; www.seminolehardrockhollywood.com.

Kuro on Social media:

Instagram: @HardRockHolly

Facebook: @SeminoleHardRockHollywood

Twitter: @HardRockHolly

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All images appearing in this post photographed by Holli Lapes