Dao Restaurant — Restaurant in Florida

It's a bit of a shame that restaurants can't pay their workers more. I can tell the waitresses here are very on edge and rushing to do things as quick as they can. Today the restaurant was understaffed and I came following the lunch rush. The waitress at the door forgot to give me a sushi menu before sitting me down. The next waitress had no time to show hospitality, quickly asked what I wanted to drink, and left. My main course arrived at the table before my appetizer, which the same waitress briefly forgot I'd ordered. I don’t blame her. She's clearly the only server going around, so she's been handling everyone else on top of me.

Now, the food here...it's not bad. I didn't expect the Philadelphia rolls here to actually use smoked salmon. It reminded me of the Nova Lox bagels you get from Einstein's, unlike other Philadelphia rolls I've tried.

The fish is very good quality. Every bite is fresh and juicy, and doesn't make me gag or nauseous. The only issue I had was finding a bone in one of my salmon nigiris, which I'm not sure is a packaging or a chef issue.

The wasabi is exceptionally strong compared to wasabi from other restaurants, I have to be careful not to put too much every time I take a bite, so it doesn't overpower anything else.

Much to my disappointment, the Langostino Crispy Rice appetizer which the menu described was topped with lobster (among other meats) only had very miniscule bits of lobster atop their fried clumps of rice, covered in mounds of what mostly consisted of crawfish and imitation krab. It was also rather oily, a stark contrast to the fresh sushi I had moments ago, and towards the end I was actually had trouble trying to finish the dish, mostly because of the oil and my disdain for spicy mayo making me a little bit nauseous. It practically felt like I was eating fancified fast food.

Close to the end of my time here the lunch rush died down. The waitress became less busy and more amiable--though I wonder if I'd been caught writing this review as I sit in this restaurant, potentially influencing things one way or another--and the last few gulps of water were enough to wash away the oil and the mayo sitting in my stomach. I felt a little bad for the waitress, and wondered if there was a way for restaurant workers to get paid as much as they give. This place could be a lot more lively if restaurant workplaces like this one could...

Dao serves a Sunday buffet brunch! Now some of you may already know this. But I've been under the impression that only restaurant in the Lucy Ho empire to offer a Sunday buffet is Azu. In fact, the Dao website doesn't even mention it. But they do, from 10:30 until 2:00, and I'm bummed I didn't know this sooner. And I think Dao offers the better choice, albeit for a slightly higher price (currently $18.95). Although for that price you get some great items.

The restaurant is beautifully done and the layout for the buffet, which follows the bar and sushi bar, fits perfectly into the room. Nothing feels cramped. And there are lots of places to accommodate larger parties.

There are a few sections to the buffet: the main section consists of traditional Chinese food such as: general Tso, dumplings, honey chicken, noodles, veggies and the like. Pretty much what you would find on a standard Chinese buffet and all cooked well. And there is a desert section with fruits and cakes, but don't forget the sesame balls and donuts on the hot section.

But where Dao shines, and where the extra money is going, is to the seafood and sushi. There are a number of hot seafood dishes, including fresh mussels. But they also have fantastic tempura shrimp (and veggies) and Tom Tom shrimp (fried shrimp topped with krab salad). They also have a good variety of sushi rolls including classics like California rolls, but also more interesting choices like a surf and turf roll. But then it gets interesting: they offer tuna poke as well as a large selection of seared ahi and yellow tuna. And they offer sashimi upon request, including tuna, razor clam, octopus, shrimp, and conch. The seafood was all fresh and tasty.

While there are a few drinks included in the price, tea was extra but well worth the $3 for the bottomless pot of hot oolong. But soup is included.

So Dao, I'm sorry it's taken so long to come for brunch, but I...

Went to DAO for my Mom's Birthday last Night & We all Really Enjoyed it!

The Service was good, the kid working our table was ontop of everything & made sure we got our food in a timely fashion. The restaurant is an open floor space & the bar wasn't crowded. We went at 6:30pm. It was fairly busy, but we made reservations ahead of time so it wasn't difficult to get a seat. The noise wasn't loud like other restaurants, and it was an enjoyable place to eat & converse. I would definitely return & would highly recommend if you like sushi.

I Ordered Sushi, a Rainbow Roll (so did One of my Two Sister's) & I Ordered the Spider Roll, both of which were delicious & I would highly recommend! We Ordered the Tom Tom Shrimp which was Delicious!!!! & a Small Plate of Dumplings as Starters & the Dumplings 🥟 are AMAZINGLY DELICIOUS! I was pleasantly surprised! I've had dumplings in tons of Great Asian Restaurants all over New York City & these were right up there with the Best of them! I mean it! My Younger Sister Ordered the Sesame Chicken & Broccoli, which I also ate & it was very good & the Portion Size was Amazing! It was enough to eat & be full , then still have a full box to bring home for left overs. My Mom ordered the Beef & steamed Broccoli which turned out very good too! The portion size was just like the Sesame Chicken, enough to eat & still have a full box of leftovers to eat later. It was my Mom's Birthday, so my Sister Surprised Her by having the Waiter bring Icecream to the Table with 2 little Sparklers & Happy Birthday written in Strawberry Sauce...