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| - Sesame Inn's stylized, fiery red signage and pagoda-shaped awning averted our gazes as we drove up Washington Road in search of unYelped eats. Entering its doors, we walked up a flight of stairs towards a commodious, white banquet hall of a dining room with sculptures and Oriental musical instruments furbishing the interiors.
Sesame Inn is a local chain of somewhat upscale Asian restaurants with an emphasis on Chinese favorites, all of which I've seemingly had before in varying permutations. Deciding to eschew the familiar during a recent visit to this posh, penthouse-like location in luxurious Mt. Lebanon, I treated Kay and myself to some sushi and a sampling of Thailand.
Kamikaze Rolls opened the proceedings with a tempura-battered flair and bombast. An artistically stacked and embellished sextet of bronze medallions filled with smoked salmon, cream cheese, tamago, avocado, and asparagus dazzled our taste sensors with a blend of richness, creaminess, tartness and a crunchy yet elegant mouthfeel. Earth-toned ribbons of various smooth, mayonnaise-based (?) sauces or condiments further enhanced the deep-fried fantasy like suds unleashed during a rave. This is why sushi still captivates in spite of its now mainstream status.
Desiring an entree I'd yet to try, I opted for a bazaar of a dish in Mussaman. My chosen protein of shrimp may have been what the course was centered around, but it was the exquisitely sour tamarind that truly made it shimmer albeit subtly. Onions, pineapple, string beans, and potatoes would make the Mussman nourishing while tamarind brought the sass, peanuts provided texture, and coconut milk tamed whatever magical fires the curry mischievously ignited.
With above par service, ornate environs, exemplary food, and moderate pricing, one is reminded that PF Chang's is blasphemy and that Asian cuisine is better on lavish plates in restaurants than it is in cardboard cartons at home.
P.S. Sesame Inn does a nifty Sunday brunch that costs between $11 and $13 a head and includes soup, salad (or egg roll), a beverage (champagne costs just $1 extra), and an entree.
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