START OUT WITH THE STUFFED AVOCADO

Every time I go to Kaiyo Grill & Sushi in Islamorada, I know my appetizer choice long before my drink or entree selection. I absolutely love the stuffed avocado.

There have been a few rare times they have removed the stuffed avocado from the menu for the night. You could see the disappointment on the face of anyone who attempted to order it. That look is immediately followed by panic thinking: “What now?”

Don’t get me wrong, Kaiyo is not lacking in mouthwatering food options. However, there is something about that stuffed avocado you crave the whole drive to that charming conch house.

If you eat there often enough, I’m sure you’ll notice the produce sorcery Kaiyo hides behind closed doors. Somehow, they are able to have perfectly ripe avocados 99.9% of the time. Fans of the Haas avocados know this is no easy feat. Hundreds of stuffed avocados over the years have crossed my table and never once were they unripe or brown.

Back to the stuffed part of Kaiyo’s magical avocado – the filling. They take tuna tartare, cream cheese, spicy mayo drizzle and briefly torch it. As if it wasn’t eye-catching already at that point, they top it off with a vibrant red tobiko and a bit of chopped green onion action. They then place this gorgeous mini food mountain on some white rice and pair it with crispy homemade won-