Celebrate Valentine’s Day in a sensual way by indulging in the pure aphrodisiac of sushi.

Photos by Lindy Mapes

StingRay Sushi
4302 N. Scottsdale Road,
Scottsdale
480-941-4460
stingraysushi.com
(also opening in Scottsdale
Quarter this spring)

Trust. It’s the cornerstone of any relationship, and this high-fashion, nightclub-style hot spot deals it in spades.
Think you’re ready for a wild ride? Executive chef Andrew Nam pushes the sushi boundaries with his Latin-influenced signatures – the Hotty Hamachi sizzles with jalapeños and ponzu atop creamy yellowtail, while the Mango Tango is a sensuous sashay of sliced tuna melded with masago, scallions, mixed greens and sweet fruit moistened in spicy soy. He flirts with rainbow-colored, soy-wrapped bundles, such as the delicious Pink Blossom, which enrobes unagi, shrimp, avocado, cucumber and kaiware sprouts in fuchsia mamenori slicked with unagi sauce.
There’s no choice, really, but to put yourself in his capable hands and nibble with utter abandon on the lavish Lollipop of tuna, salmon, whitefish, crab mix, masago and scallions tucked in a paper-thin skin of cucumber. “Oh, you want it, you really do,” cooed our waitress, and how right she was.

Fresh Wasabi
6645 W. Bell Road, Glendale
623-878-3374
freshwasabisushi.com

The chef, Masa Kim, was born in Korea and raised in Japan, and his respect for pristine Asian fish is obvious from the first bite of engawa (fatty, luscious halibut fin) or hokkigai (a rare delicacy of surf clam). Yet, for sushi rolls, his sensibilities are purely modern-American – and R-rated, at that – for such cheeky treats as the “Climax” (shrimp tempura and cream cheese topped with spicy tuna, thin-sliced garlic and jalapeño, flying fish roe and macadamia nuts under a slather of his signature eel, spicy mayo and wasabi sauce trio).
The “Second Climax” substitutes spicy tuna and cucumber under silky yellowtail plus all the other fixings. Try “First Love,” which features spicy crab, cucumber and avocado draped in tuna, salmon and thin-sliced lemon under the sauce trio; or the naughty “Booty Booty,” with shrimp tempura, spicy tuna, cucumber, cream cheese and avocado drenched in three sauces. Special requests? He does those, too, so let your fantasies run wild.