Sushi at The Venetian Gentleman's Club

Honestly I was nervous.. I'm a huge fan of sushi, and I'll admit, strip clubs are not so bad either.  But both of them together?  Umm I did not know what to think..  My Co worker kept raving about how much she loved this place, so a bunch of us decided on a girls night out at the venetian, we went through the front, so we walked right passed the pole and all the half naked girls *flushes* and for a second I forgot we were here for sushi, forgive the pun.  After a very slow walk upstairs to the sushi bar we sat down where Sushi Dave greeted us.

My co worker didn't order anything off the menu, Sushi Dave already knew what she liked and he kept the rolls coming.  This chef really knows what he's doing, the sushi was fresh, his sauces were amazing, and we had a great time. Not to mention the drinks were flowing, and we couldn't help but keep peeking over the balcony to see the girls.  

Obviously this isn't your normal family friendly sushi bar, but I'm guessing anyone who is into sushi and/or strip clubs would have a great time here, and enjoy the food very much.  If you are a little hesitant like I was, just go for it.  You won't regret it, and its an awesome place to suggest to your friends.

5 stars! Nothing less if I could do 10 I would do 10. If you've never been here, I feel sorry for you. Forget that it's in a strip club you'd never even know if you don't look behind you. I'm not even going to say anything anymore. If you don't come you're an idiot point blank period. Just fuxking come already!!!

Try this on for size: sushi in a strip club. Nigiri with nudies. Tuna with TandA. A place where Heartbreaker and One Night Stand are both the names of menu items and potential products of the environment. And yet, the result of our evening with Chef "Sushi" Dave was a good one. By the way, if you're wondering why our pictures are so washed out, blame the direct light we needed in that dark establishment in order to see anything at all!

It must have been a rare time in history because here I was being the one trying to get Duke D. to go (girlfriend persuading her boyfriend to go to a strip club? crazy!). However, we later learned that this wasn't so uncommon when it came to Dave's fish - a lot of his regulars are husband & wife duos who come for a good time with good food. As for how he ended up in this type of place for his type of craft, it just happened to be a defunct upper bar with the perfect measurements for his sushi set-up. Now it's the main attraction at the Venetian. By the way, there's a cover charge but if you reach out to Chef Dave himself (find him on Facebook), he can send over passes.

We snagged two seats at the 10-seat sushi bar and looked around at all the other tables which were empty at our early hour but guaranteed to fill up quickly. He placed the capacity at approximately 70 guests and noted that it's usually all reserved. In fact, it's hard to get in without a reservation. Like any dedicated sushi chef, he absolutely knew all of his regulars and what they liked eating, even making special orders for them sometimes and holding those cuts for their arrival. We started off with the Garlic Edamame ($6 - soybeans sauteed with minced garlic, chili oil, and soy sauce) which were fantastically garlicky and fiesty in spiciness. It's not a dish you use your hands on because of the sauce. A plate of Cajun Seared Albacore Sashimi ($14 - with avocado, baby spinach, and garlic chips finished with a spicy ponzu sauce) was next and definitely something to crave. The albacore was tender enough to nearly split as I picked it up with my chopsticks, and the contrast between crunchy garlic chips and soft fish was pleasant.

It seemed like a hand torch was one of his favorite kitchen utensils as we saw him take it to the tops of rolls frequently. Keep in mind where you are when you dine here and the clientele to appeal to - you will find that rolls make up the majority of the menu but don't judge prematurely. They're fairly good, and Dave's 20+ years of sushi experience is apparent. If there's one thing you can count on, his sushi talents have gotten around.

Our torched roll was the Seared Yellowtail and Jalapeno Roll ($15 - crab, cucumber, and avocado topped with yellowtail and thinly sliced jalapenos lightly seared with a torch and finished with a spicy ponzu sauce). The wuss I am, I removed the slices from the tops of the rolls but their heat had already been burnt into the flesh and gave a spicy kick to each bite. His signature jalapeno sauce also added to the flames. We chased the buzz down with his Baked Green Mussels ($10 - New England mussels topped with crab, spicy aioli, and eel sauce) which were quite sweet and a tad heavy on the mayo from the crab.

A half and half plate of the Salmon Lime Roll ($15 - crab and avocado topped with salmon and thinly sliced lime lightly seared with a torch and finished with ponzu sauce) and the Yella Yella Roll ($15 - cajun seared albacore, crab, and avocado topped with Sushi Dave's garlic sauce and green onions, served with a side of ponzu) graced us next. Both had a little tartness from their own citrus accompaniments, but I preferred the latter of the two for its more tender fish. Seared salmon is not always my thing.

Quite possibly our favorite roll for the night was the Spicy "Domo" Roll ($15 - shrimp tempura, crab, and avocado topped with spicy tuna and crunchies finished with green onion, sweet soy sauce, and spicy mayo). It's a mouthful both in ingredients and in taste but we absolutely enjoyed it for the medley of textures and incorporation of tuna with shrimp tempura. Lastly, we gazed at how skillfully Chef Dave thinly skinned a cucumber enough to make a wrapper out of it. His artful motions ended up producing his Venetian Lollipop (tuna, yellowtail, salmon, crabmeat and avocado wrapped in a cucumber peel), a colorful mash of various fish rolled up in a refreshing, crisp package. The skewers made them easy to pop in our mouths quickly.

It was definitely a unique and surprising night that surpassed our initial expectations. We can't hide the fact that we were skeptical at first but Chef Dave turned us around. If you manage to get a reservation and try to become a regular at this sushi bar, don't be late. That's the quickest way for him to knock you off his list!