Imoto Clay Conley Imoto
350 S. County Rd. (Australian Ave.)
Palm Beach, FL 33480
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Cuisine: Asian / Sushi / Wine Bar
This small sibling of contemporary American Buccan narrow-focuses on Asian fusion small plates, sushi and saké.
Openings: Dinner nightly

Features


Imoto Restaurant Review:


In Japan, traditional izakayas are saké bars with small plates of comfort food. Modern izakayas, like the many in Miami and other cities trendier than Palm Beach, add sushi to the menu, as well as broader pan-Asian orientation. Located next door to chef Clay Conley’s Buccan, this small sibling has a limited menu --- about two-thirds focusing on raw seafood dishes and one-third on fried or wood-fire grill/oven-cooked selections. Conley’s batter, which coats Buccan’s deep-fried “Crispy” items in delicate crispiness, does the same for Maine crab and uni kakiage (mixed-ingredient tempura fritters) and even common Florida rock shrimp tempura. Nigiri (single sushi pieces) are offered in both classic form and with chef-driven inspirations, encouraging entertaining taste-tests: is hamachi sushi best plain, or do touches of lemon, astringent shiso salt, and yuzu kosho bring out the fish’s natural butteriness better? The regular wine list is small, but the saké line-up is pretty much a “Saké 101” textbook for everyone; additionally there are interesting cocktails with ingredients like yuzu and shiso leaf that complement rather than overwhelm the food.