Thank You 1000 Year Old Modern Sandwiches

May 3, 2010 — wecouldeat

Xie Xie
645A 9th Ave (45th), Midtown West

Xie Xie pronounced “shay-hay” is the word for thank you in Mandarin, which is fitting for this little sandwich shop that tries hard to nab some of the spotlight on a restaurant-packed stretch of 9th Ave. It does a pretty good job of it too. The environment is ultra-modern with stark white tables and stools, white and purple ceiling and wall slats and a hip Asian-style logo and website. The tiny menu contains 5 or 6 sandwiches with modern fusion combos like shredded braised chicken with egg salad, cilantro; Asian Lobster Roll with mayo, tarragon, crispy shallots; fish with onion jam sriracha mayonnaise, dill; and Vietnamese bbq beef, basil, mayo carrots, kimchee. We had the fish, which was tasty, but didn’t quite blow me away, and the bbq beef, which was amazing and I would definitely return for it. The salty beef was balanced nicely by crisp carrots and the tangy kimchee. It’s similar to a bahn mi, with a slightly different flavor profile and a big thick roll. Xie Xie’s dessert is quite interesting too. The 1000 Year Old Ice Cream Sandwich (see full review on our sister site Diner Cakes) is a little bit of a gimmick, since it is obviously much younger, but contains a molten caramel center that is said to resemble a 1000 year old egg. It’s a fun little dessert and a cool accompaniment to the spicy sandwiches. Check out Xie Xie, you’ll thank yourself!

Posted in asian, midtown west, sandwiches, thai, vietnamese. Leave a Comment »

Kuma Inncredible

May 6, 2009 — wecouldeat

Kuma Inn
113 Ludlow Street, NYC

We have been wanting to try Kuma Inn for about a year, but never got the right opportunity until our foodie cousins, Jill and Bill, told us they were flying in from Columbus, Ohio and wanted to go for an interesting, off-the-beaten-path place in Manhattan. Kuma Inn is definitely out of the way in a second story location on the Lower East Side. It is easy to miss as the front is only a narrow vertical sign announcing a long stairway behind a door. But once inside, it presents a cozy, Asian-influenced interior that feels more like an apartment, than a dining room – but in a good way.

The five of us, including our cousin James, had a great time as we sampled a dozen or more tapas style dishes and discussed recipes, restaurants, street carts, celebrity chefs, and all other foodie topics. The cuisine at Kuma is a little hard to describe because it is based on Owner/Chef King Phojanakong, who has a Filipino and Thai heritage, and French training. It is mostly Asian influenced, exemplified by the delicious shrimp shumai and wasabi pork dumplings that we devoured. We also had amazing Spanish chorizo sausage, whole baby octopus, tuna tartar, noodles, edamame and several other eclectic delights. It is a really fun menu to share with a small group and the BYO policy of beer, wine and sake keeps the prices down. Spud and I will definitely return and try all of our favorite dishes again.

I highly recommend Kuma Inn for a true foodie experience. People aren’t coming here for the scene, decor, or service. There are many other places for trendy small plates, but what elevates Kuma is the food. It’s all about the food.

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Posted in asian, fusion, les, tapas. 3 Comments »

Overrated Astoria Asian

December 13, 2007 — wecouldeat

JJ’s Asian Fusion
37-05 31 Ave (37-38 St), Astoria

We love the restaurants in Astoria, meal for meal it can stand up to nearly any neighborhood anywhere. Once in a while, however, a restaurant outside of Manhattan can be a bit overrated by Zagat’s and other guides, most frequently in the suburbs. This was certainly the case with JJ’s Asian Fusion which has been receiving high praise for years. The 2008 Zagat’s calls it “a contender for the best Asian food in Queens award” and gives it a 25 food rating! That is extremely high and to put it in perspective is equal to or higher than every BBQ, Chinese, Indian, Mexican, Southwestern and Spanish restaurant in the entire survey, the only steakhouse that tops a 25 is Peter Luger’s. So while JJ’s was fine and certainly not bad in any way, it could never live up to its hype. We had the edamame potstickers and a bunch of standard sushi rolls, but nothing really impressed us as delicious or even very unique, other than the potstickers, which were pretty overrated as well. The other thing that sticks in our craw about JJ’s is that it is in no way Asian fusion. It was a standard Japanese menu with the additions of fried rice, dim sum and a few other basic Chinese dishes. Fusion should mean that a variety of flavors from different ethnicities are combined in a single dish. JJ’s could learn a lesson from real fusion restaurants like Spice Market and Sushi Samba, which both are fantastic and get a 22 food rating. So go to JJ’s if you are nearby and want a decent meal, just don’t believe the hype and expect a life altering experience.

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Watawa
36-98 Ditmars Blvd, Astoria

We actually like Watawa, another Astoria Japanese eatery, better than JJ’s. It is not even in Zagat’s, but is a real neighborhood no frills Japanese with an unbeatable lunch deal of three rolls with soup and salad for $10. We have been there many times and have found it solid and reliable with a standout shrimp tempura roll. It is not the best sushi on the planet, but is quiet and only known in the local area, and that’s the way we like it. Similar to pizza and Chinese, I feel that everyone has a local favorite place for sushi. This is ours.

Posted in asian, astoria, japanese. 1 Comment »