I’m into this one. SUSHISAMBA landing at The Lakefront at Scottsdale feels like exactly the kind of move that gives a redevelopment some real buzz, not just a name on a sign. It’s the sort of announcement that makes a project feel less theoretical and more like a place people will actually want to go.

According to the developer’s media advisory, SUSHISAMBA is set for 7501 E. McCormick Parkway, and The Lakefront itself is a redevelopment covering about 100,000 square feet on a waterfront property first developed in 1978. That’s a strong backdrop for a restaurant that already has a big personality. This isn’t a sleepy little add-on. It reads like a statement.

What makes it interesting to me is the menu direction. SUSHISAMBA leans into Japanese, Brazilian, and Peruvian cooking, and that mix gives it a lot more range than your standard sushi stop. You’ve got sushi and raw seafood on one side, then charcoal-grilled dishes and larger plates that push harder into Brazilian and Peruvian flavors on the other. That kind of spread usually works best when a place wants to be a destination, not just dinner.

And that matters here. The Lakefront is still in motion, with a September 24 groundbreaking coming up, and Diversified Partners has already named SUSHISAMBA as one of three food and beverage tenants. That’s the kind of tenant mix that can help a project get traction early. People don’t just show up for dirt moving around. They show up when there’s something they can picture themselves eating, drinking, and lingering over.

There’s also a little extra weight to the Scottsdale location because SUSHISAMBA already has U.S. restaurants in Las Vegas and Los Angeles, and this would be its third location in the country. That tells me the brand isn’t treating this like a random experiment. It’s choosing its spots.

One more thing I like: the tasting menus, including vegetarian and gluten-free versions. That gives the place a broader reach without watering down the concept. In a market like this, that kind of flexibility is smart.

No opening date has been announced yet, so we’re still in the waiting game. But from where I sit, this is a good sign for The Lakefront and a pretty tasty one for Scottsdale.

— Fat Jimmy