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| - Listed by Get Out Mag as a hip noodle house (formally called sN Asian Kitchen), Asia is said to have a cool black/white/red decor motif with a sushi bar. The restaurant - described as cozy - features noodle dishes from Japan, China, Vietnam, Malaysia and Singapore. Also, there's live jazz music Friday and Saturday nights.
So, ask yourself: Would that tempt you? It certainly did me, and at 7 p.m. on a Saturday, my sushi-lovin' friend and I met here.
We were immediately shown to a corner booth and given menus. Our server was friendly, albeit a tad eccentric, which we didn't mind. Her quick, matter-of-fact manner was something we couldn't decide if we liked. But, that's okay.
Our first challenge was to pick out our drinks. The wine list is HUGE. There's also specials they write on a big chalk board. Narrowing it down to a few selections took a few minutes... and my friend was disappointed to be told twice that they were out of the drink of her choice (including one of the sakes on the menu). Bummer. I went with the J Lohr Wildflower red blend. And I didn't like it. I told our server that I should have taken her suggestion and gotten the Writer's Block Zin and I was hoping I could send back the Wildflower.
"You don't like it?"
"No, sorry. I don't."
"That's okay. I hate it. It's so popular, though. I don't understand why."
Uhm, good to know. For being honest about other wines, she certainly held her tongue when I placed my order.
My friend and I split the Salmon Salad app, with fresh spinach and pine nuts. It was very tasty. The Salmon was tempura, but I didn't find it too fried to enjoy.
We then shared the Best of Asia - 3 pieces each of yellow tail, tuna and salmon, lightly seared and flavored with garlic, paprika, ponzu and a jalapeno on top. HOT! I had two pieces and left the rest for my friend.
The Big Buddha Roll, which we shared, was very, very tasty. It was a little spicy, but in that good way I enjoy. This roll was double wrapped with soy paper on the outside and had crab meat, avocado, cream cheese and salmon inside. YUM!
About 3/4 of our way through dinner, the server brought out my new glass of wine. Uhm, ok.
"Sorry, I totally forget."
"But at least you remember," my friend remarked.
As for the atmosphere, it can only be summed up this way: Airport.
I got the feeling that if I walked out the front doors, I'd be inside an airport terminal, headed to whatever gate I needed to be at to make my flight. The interior of the place, like my friend pointed out, seemed to be the type of place that "you cram things inside a space that don't really fit or belong." Bingo!
The sushi bar/kitchen takes up the bulk of the space, with a short sushi bar area to its immediate side. There's a few tables scattered about, as well as a few booths. The decor is red, black and white - Get Out was right about that. I just would never call this place cozy. They did turn down the lighting around 7:30 which helped immensely.
As for the music, it was nice jazz. The trio set up in a corner and played a few songs. Sax, drums, guitar - what else do you need? On our way out, while the band was on break, we learned they weren't even a band... and that they just kind of set up and played in an impromptu style. Regardless, they were enjoyable. They didn't really fit the motif of the restaurant, tho. It was more of the "airport restaurant trying to be a cool lounge with live music."
When the bill came, I was pleased to see our server did not charge me for the glass of wine I sent back. I appreciated that.
Yet, the bill was a bit too high for the type of service/experience my friend and I had here at Asia. $46 for 2 people? Ouch. Both the Buddha Roll and Best of Asia were $12 a piece (the former totally worth it; the latter not). The appetizer salad was $8. My friend's sake was $2 (bargain) and my glass of really great Zin (a new fave) was $9. All in all, it added up. But I definitely would not go back to throw down that kind of money at a place that reminded me of an airport restaurant.
Also, while we were waiting for the server to run my card, I flicked with my forefinger what I thought was a piece of paper, though in my mind it looked like a tiny, tiny fly. Turns out the "piece of paper" sprouted legs and started to crawl across the table. IT WAS A BUG! Ew. Gross.
This place has potential, but it'll need a real overhaul to entice me to come back.
Redeeming traits:
*HUGE wine list (almost too big; it's hard to decide)
*Full bar with beer selections, including a couple Asian favorites
*Sake choices for cheap
*Big Buddha Roll that's one of the best rolls I've had - anywhere
*Live music - sure beats pop music blasting overhead
*Clean bathroom with a vibrant green scheme - with several men's magazines to flip through (Weird, eh?) and a pic of Audrey Hepburn on the wall
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