Top Points of Interest - Asian

Saigon Grill - finally another Vietnamese restaurant?

nospam@example.com (Ray) — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 05:17:17 -0500

I've driven past the Saigon Grill on North Roxboro a number of times. It is housed in a rather non-descript building on the west die of the road with a gravel parking lot which did not serve as an inviting setting... but given some of the feedback from others, it was worth a try.

Since it is mid-August, the noodle dishes didn't seem incredibly appealing, so I only ordered the fresh spring rolls and a staple pork chop / shreddded pork / egg cake over rice dish as a take out.

The spring rolls were filled with some of the freshest ingredients I have had in this area; with pork and shrimp, and were absolutely delightful! Almost worth the drive just based on these appetizers. The rice dish was pretty par for the course; fresh, but nothing spectacular. We are ready to head back soon, and try the full menu. The restaurant decor is spartan, but clean. Noticeably absent on their menu were subs and some of the fresh "salad" like dishes seen at other Vietnamese restaurants. However, they did have some other specialties on the menu that I'm eager to try... and maybe we'll save the pho for the fall or winter.

Saigon Grill
2929 N Roxboro St
Durham, NC 27704
919-220-5979

Korean BBQ Buffet! - more carnivorous delights!

nospam@example.com (Ray) — Fri, 15 May 2009 05:37:01 -0500

Great Korean BBQ is already hard to find in the area - the Korean Steakhouse on Capital Blvd survived only a few months. However, it has been rescued and converted into a BBQ buffet - at reasonable prices, too!

While the overall selection is somewhat limited, it is sufficient for a great lunch, and provides greater variety than a "normal" meal. Beef, fatty pork, and chicken were all availabile for grill at your own table.

Greensboro, NC BBQ Chicken - the best wings around?

nospam@example.com (Ray) — Sun, 08 Mar 2009 19:42:47 -0500

Have you ever dreamed about a wing's place that made you feel like they fried each wing individually - with such a care that it was not the quantity of wings, but the quality, for once?

It's hard to believe that there would actually be such a place, but we've found one in Greensboro, NC. Greensboro isn't famous for a whole lot - High Point is just near by, plus a couple of universitities... but we've found some very special gems, that make it worth a trip from the Triangle.

In a small ethnic mall, next to a large shopping center is a little storefront with bright green, red and yellow colors. The name, "BBQ Chicken", doesn't quite do the fried chicken justice. Each little wing actually feels like it was fried in its own little vat of fresh oil - none of the old oil taste at the places that churn out chicken. The flavors are a bit shifted for Asian tastes, primarily Korean... but they are delightful. The hottest wings are a more subtle burn then the tongue searing flavors... but burn, it does.

We didn't have a chance to try the rest of the Korean offerings - but with the care the restaurant owners put into their wings - we have to think everything else will be just as good. Yum!! - Roadtrip!!

Hammer's BBQ Chicken
4929 W. Market St #2107
Greensboro, NC 27407
(336) 235-2607

Don't even bother going... Ginza

nospam@example.com (Ray) — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 20:25:00 -0500

One of my favorite Japanese restaurants in the US is in Boston, called the Ginza. I dearly miss the perfect soft shell crab there, the baked eggplant... and that's just from the appetizer menu!

I was excited to drive by a new local restaurant in Cary, with the same name. Taking a nice location near Henry's Gelato on Darrington Drive, I hoped for the best...

But unfortunately, got the worst. The restaurant is elegantly decorated, but that was about the extent of positives I could come up with. As sushi lovers should know, the rice is the most important part of sushi - in a word, the Ginza sushi rice was horrible. Pieces were even completely dried, rendering the sushi barely edible. For the price, you might as well enjoy Harris Teeter leftovers.

The noodle dish we tried was mall-like - maybe acceptable for a mall shop... but not for a stand-alone Japanese restaurant.

Don't even bother going - but just so you know where to avoid:

Ginza
1077 Darrington Drive
Cary NC

Best Chinese Food in the Triangle - part 2 - oops, I spoke too soon?

nospam@example.com (Ray) — Sun, 13 Jan 2008 09:29:00 -0600

Recently, I posted about some of the best Chinese food in the Triangle - unfortunately I spoke too soon.

We had started hearing about a placed called Red Palace - unfortunately, it is located in NE Raleigh, just north of the Wake Med campus on New Bern Avenue. That's a bit of a hike for most of those who live/work around the RTP area. Fortunately, we were in that area, and decided to track down this restaurant.

The restaurant is located in a fairly non-descript strip mall along the west side of New Bern Avenue. When you step into the restaurant, you get taken back about 20 years to the Chinese restaurants that I grew up with - ornately decorated with dark wood and red colors. While this has little to do with the food (the majority of those places were not that good) it was a sign of the "old style" Chinese Restaurant.

We were handed the menu - the thick booklet consisted of the standard Americanized fare accessible to most who frequent the normal Chinese restaurants. The back half of the menu, however, included specialties, many pre-order, that would be expected from the top Chinese restaurants in any major city in the US. Some of these would be even hard to get in the top restaurants in the US. Unfortunately, dishes like a real Peking Duck require advance order, so we were out of luck. Spicy hot pot was also on the dish, but we had our hearts set on more standard dishes that day.

We tried a spicy seafood dish, a standard fatty pork dish and a regular plate of their fresh vegetables. Wow! The spicy seafood dish spoke clearly of the chef's Szechuan ancestry. The fatty pork dish was presented in a classic style, basically well matched to go with rice. The vegetables were clearly fresh, not overburdened with other spices.

This restaurant is clearly capable of the classic Chinese dishes that citizens of smaller cities like Raleigh seldom get to try. Thankfully, with this one restaurant, even with the extensive drive, will allow us to save our airline ticket costs to enjoy great dinners. We are looking forward to see how the "fancier" dishes will stand up to some of our national favorites.

Red Palace
3945 New Bern Ave
Raleigh, NC 27610
Tel: (919) 231-3788

YACB (Yet another Chinese Buffet..... or not?)

nospam@example.com (Ray) — Sat, 15 Dec 2007 10:36:06 -0600

There is no question that Chinese buffet's dominate the Chinese food scene locally; it must be an easier way to survive in the restaurant business. Generally, there is no reason to even talk about them... because they seldom surprise or represent interesting destinations for the average food interested person. Until now, that is... Chinatown (horrible name, I know) has opened up in Cary. The Chinatown name is actually appropriate... imagine going to Chinatown in a big city with a "food court" type area (see East Coast Chinese Food review)... you would expect to get a wide variety of foods, including a noodle shop, maybe a dessert place, etc. Chinatown, in the store that previosuly housed a Golden Corral located in Cary, does exactly that. They have converted a Golden Corral into a Chinese buffet that serves a wide variety of Chinese food selections - not the random dozen interpretations of a fried chicken pieces dish - but truly a variety that reflects just a small part of the spectrum of Chinese food.

For example, directly across from the entrance is a little window that serves noodle soups - you choose the noodles and the meat or add-in, and the cook spends about a minute cooking the noodles.

The sushi bar isn't all that great - but there is sashimi, and the cost is still cheaper than any other sushi bar in town.

Many dim sum favorites are also available, which is likely the cause of the slow down fall of our previous favorite Dim Sum location, Neo China, which is just down the street.

The Chinese dishes available also accesses many classic favorites - but you'll have to see if your favorite dish is available.

Overall, Chinatown is a relatively inexpensive place to access many of the types and flavors of flood from throughout China, with a bit of Sushi added. While not the place to "impress a date", it is a great place to fill your stomach with a wide variety of Asian favorites.

The best Chinese food in the Triangle... inside Kroger's?

nospam@example.com (Ray) — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 10:21:00 -0600

One will quickly notice that though there are many Asian restaurants on this blog - there are not many Chinese restaurants. Even though the Triangle has quite a few of both chain and non-chain restaurants, it is really hard to find one truly worth writing about. Sure PF Chang's and some of the other big chains will suffice if you have a craving for General Tso's chicken or something similar - but if you really want something in the style of real Chinatown's (NY, Boston, LA, San Fran), you'd be hard pressed to find it.... unless you look inside the local Kroger's on Fayettville Rd in Durham. Across I-40 from the Streets at Southpoint, this little mom and pop shop easily outdoes any of the other local Chinese restaurants that we've tried. The name is East Coast Express.... which does not do justice to their food.

Located just to the right of the rightmost entrance, this store is run by a couple; they apparently used to only many restaurants, and have since decided to focus on providing good food out of their little stall within Kroger's. The English menu is pretty standard and self explanatory - the Chinese menu is plastered all over the wall and display case. Unfortunately for non-Chinese reading folk, including myself, you'll have to make some friends with some people who do. One suggestion that the lady at the counter made was to take a cell-phone camera picture of the pieces of the menu - and show it to someone who can read the language; crazy, I know.

We've tried an assorted set of dishes there - both eating at the tables right there next to their stall, and taking the food home. Our top recommendations - Hong Kong style wonton soup - the wontons are made with a small piece of shrimp and pork - they are not like anything else I've had in the area. They have seafood fried/crispy noodles - crispy noodles served with a generous helping of fresh vegetables and seafood; I'm not sure if it is on the English menu. Everything we've tried there tastes like it comes out of a top Szechuan chinese restaurant - what they don't have in decor, they make up for in value and quantity.

East Coast Express / Chinese Food

East Coast Chinese Food
202 NC Highway 54
919-806-8899

Twisted noodles - take 2

nospam@example.com (Ray) — Mon, 05 Nov 2007 06:03:44 -0600

There is a small area of shops behind the area of the old Southpoint Mall (now Sams and Target) in Durham, off of University Dr. This area has Saladelia, Neo-china and a few other small places. About a year ago, we noticed a new restaurant called "Twisted Noodles." There are no real Asian noodle shops in the area, so we popped our head in to take a look at the menu. The restaurant was clearly a Thai restaurant, with prices more appropriate for a 5-star shop. Not quite what an Asian noodle restaurant should be...

We were in the area again last weekend, and on a whim, decided to take another look at the menu. This time, the prices were much more appropriate for an Asian noodle shop... so we decided to try it out.

The decor remained simple with accents of bamboo and a large salt water aquarium. The kitchen, or at least a portion of the kitchen fills the back wall of the restaurant.

We ordered the Tom Yum with shrimp (spicy lemograss soup), the Twisted Crying Tiger (probably equivalent to a spicy beef salad at other restaurants) and the Tom Kha noodle dish. The Tom Yum was brought out promptly, and nice and hot (see recent Thai Cafe review)... and it was SPICY! Probably the spiciest we've had locally, but well within what we could tolerate. The shrimp were nice and large, and they didn't remove the lemograss or ginger (you probably want to remove these before eating). Overall, we were pretty happy with the soup. The presentation of the beef salad was simple; the grilled beef was placed on a bed of lettuce, with a dipping sauce. While we've had a better beef salad's, the dish was accepatble, and served as a good second appetizer. The Tom Kha noodle dish was spicy, and well balanced. While I personally don't love rice noodles, for those who do, it'd probably be a great choice.

Overall, we were quite happy with the change in the prices - down to a much more acceptable level. If you are in the mood for a home cooked feel to Thai food at a reasonable price - the Twisted Noodles is a great Durham residents!

Twisted Noodles
4201 University Dr
Durham, NC 27707
(919) 489-9888

Vita Goal Tofu - Tofu what?

nospam@example.com (Ray) — Thu, 25 Oct 2007 20:40:00 -0500

At first glance, the name of this restaurant sounds like a health food store - it isn't necesarrily clear which culture or ethnicity, though. Soup / noodle type shops are fairly common in Asia - often they represent "comfort food". One of my absolute favorite movies about food - Tampopo explores the relationship between food and life - in the widowers opening of a noodle shop in Japan.

A lot of Korean food is what I would refer to as comfort food - it is warming to the body and soul, has a variety of tastes that really address the fundamental flavors (sweet, salt, bitter, sour, umami) and spiciness. Vita Goal Tofu addresses this in the form of a small little restaurant - once you step inside, you are transported to a mom and pop shop that could be anywhere in Korea. Decorated with ethnic memorabilia from Korea, the restaurant probably doesn't seat over 50. The menu is simple, and focused on what they do best - hot pot type foods; brothy spicy concotions that warm the body the way a good chili or chicken soup may. While they do serve other Korean favorites (barbecue, pancake, etc.), the soups are the must try.

We ordered the korean shrimp pancake, and kimchee tofu soup, and a kimchee pork soup. Other flavor options were available, including seafood. The pancake dish came out quickly - it is sort of like a savory pancake based on rice flour; relatively filling, especially for an appetizer. Like all Korean restaurant meals, the side dishes were rapidly brought to the table - tiny portions of different "appetizers" - kimchee, pickeled cucumbers, radish, bean sprouts, etc.

The tofu soups were wonderful - full of spicy goodness, they were a great meal on a cool night. If you don't like spiciness, it is possible to get them toned down a bit. Barley tea is served with most meals - it is not meant to be sweetened, however. Yum!

Unfortuantely, the restaurant does not have a website - so you'll have to head over to the 54/55 area (just south of 54, east side of the road, close to the hot dog store). Next door is a Korean grocery market also!

Vita Goal Tofu
2107 Allendown Dr.
Durham, NC 27713
919-361-9100

A true challenge to Sushi Throne?!

nospam@example.com (Ray) — Fri, 05 Oct 2007 19:53:00 -0500

Waraji for authenticity, Little Tokyo for flavor, Sushi Thai for quantity, Sushi Blues for people watching. A new kid is in town... a bit far away, but it may be worth the drive.

We were in the Triangle Town Center area, and decided to stop by a newly opened sushi bar by the name of "Mizu" - or water, in Japanese. I have to admit, by the time we found the place, I began to seriously doubt that this was going to be a Japanese restaurant worth the drive. Thankfully, I was quite wrong.

The decor is simple, and dominated by the sushi bar in the center of the restaurant. The sushi bar has a train around it, with the train carrying plates of sushi that you can choose at your leisure; this is in addition to the full sushi menu. This is known as a "sushi go-round" or kuru kuru sushi - the only other local restaurant with this concept is in Chapel Hill - Kurama Sushi & Noodle Express. Its really the fast food version of sushi - while fun for kids of all ages... it doesn't mean you'll be presented with good sushi.

We stuck with our normal sashimi for two plus a roll or two approach to a new sushi restaurant. This is a fast way to sample the quality of the sashimi, and hopefully, the creativity of the sushi chef. We weren't disappointed. The sashimi was delightfully fresh - it has been a while since we've had sushi that tasted so fresh locally. Furthermore, the quality of the fatty tuna was incredible - truly like butter on your tongue. Wow! The rolls were delightful, and full of flavor - definitely worth having again.

The knifework of the person who prepared our sushi (the non-Japanese) chef was a bit disappointing; though this did not impact the taste of the food, we had hoped that the Japanese chef had done the actual preparation.

Overall, the restaurant was definitely worth returning to.... can't wait to have some more of their fatty tuna!

Mizu
10750 Wakefield Commons Dr.
Suite 101
Raleigh, NC 27614

The best Thai in the Triangle?

nospam@example.com (Ray) — Thu, 27 Sep 2007 21:49:12 -0500

Every once in a while, I am asked about good Thai food. I once made the mistake of taking an out of town visitor from Washington DC to the Thai Palace in Chapel Hill... overpriced and under-flavored, especially compared to the options available in DC. I had gotten wind of a good Thai place on Capital Boulevard... but had yet to notice it while driving through that area. About 5 years ago, there was a good mom and pop Thai restaurant there, but it had long since closed.

We finally had a chance to seek out Sawasdee Thai a few weeks ago. The word "Sawasdee" is apparently a loose translation of "welcome" and is a standard greeting in the Thai language. More specifically, you are supposed t say "Sawasdee Krap" to a male and "Sawasdee Ka" to a female; there is also a standard hand position to this greeting... but I digress. The small little restaurant located on a corner of a strip mall with an asian grocery store across the parking lot. The door opens to an inviting warm small restaurant; clearly self decorated, and yet pleasantly homely. The style is an unusual mix of colors; not Disney'esque, and not unpleasant, but unusual to say the least. Seating options are also just as eclectic - with a small short soft seats, bench seating and actual color tables. Once again, hard to describe, but not unpleasant unless you dislike colors. Elements of Thai culture are interspersed in the decorations.

Our waitress was very pleasant, and quick to offer recommendations when asked. In particular, when asked about the Fall specials, she had a slightly far away look on commenting on how the soft shell crab dish tasted just like the dish in Thailand. Needless to say, that was first on our order list. The three flavored grouper was unfortunately eliminated. Chicken satay and the beef salad were our appetizers. The dishes were quickly brought to our table; our first pleasant surprise was that the rice was formed in little shapes; a teddy bear including rounded belly, and a fish. The chicken satay was made with white meat; two sauces were brought out with it. Large pieces with great flavored sauces - yum! The grilled beef salad was also great, with mostly cucumbers and onions. The dressing/sauce was flavorful without being overly spicy - everything well balanced. Finally - the soft shell crab. The sauce was spicy, thickened with an egg sauce, and just spoke of home cooked Thai food. I've never been to Thailand... but I've never been closer than that moment I took the first bite. We polished off all of the food easily... and though our waistlines regretted it, our tastebuds surely did not.

The only disappointment was the thai tea; it had a slight bitterness to it, and was not quite as smooth as I've tasted it at other places. Thia may be simply be due to the amount of sugar they use, however, as sugar cures anything.

We will be back... maybe see you there?

Sawasdee Thai
3601 Capital Blvd Ste 107
Raleigh, NC 27604
Phone: (919) 878-0049

Little Tokyo - still on top!

nospam@example.com (Ray) — Fri, 14 Sep 2007 20:56:25 -0500

It has been a while since we've been to Little Tokyo.... to celebrate the return of rain to central NC (and because our power went out), we decided to return again.

Not much has changed about the restaurant itself over the last year; we waited about 10 or 15 minutes before they were able to seat us on a Saturday night. We ordered the sashimi sampler and a couple of rolls; always a fair way to get a good variety of fish.... and at most restaurants, its usually a good deal that allows you to really sample the restaurants specialty rolls. Soft shell crab in the form of a spider roll is always one of my favorites, and is also usually a good test of the kitchen also.

Two "free' appetizers were delivered promptly to our table, the tuna tataki (two thin tuna pieces with seaweed salad and Little Tokyo's signature spicy flavoring, and the seafood appetizer. The seafood appetizer is minced fake crab with some tuna, roe, salmon in a creamy spicy sauce, served in a scallop shell, on a little flaming bed. The best variation of this that I've personally seen is in Boston, at the Ginza, where they serve this as an appetizer with scallops. At least you can't beat the price at Little Tokyo.

The sashimi was fresh, with reasonably sized pieces. Our rolls, consistenting of a spider roll and the dynamite roll were good and solid. The rice was a touch less than perfect, but very few non-Japanese chefs make perfect rice. Service was fast and friendly, and overall, our experience was wonderful. The "free dessert" was a bit questionable - the ice cream was great, but stacked in the middle of white bread made it a bit strange. I recommend skipping the white bread part.

Overall, Little Tokyo remains our favorite sushi restaurant in the area - while it is not "perfect"; its consistent flavors, fresh fish with reasonable portions make it our comfort Japanese food.

Little Tokyo
1401-J SE Maynard Rd
Cary, NC 27511
Phone: (919) 467-5011

P.S. The little Japanese grocery store is just around the corner, as is one of the better seafood markets in the area!

Grand Asia Buffet - for sushi and frog legs?

nospam@example.com (Ray) — Sun, 09 Sep 2007 17:56:55 -0500

Most Chinese buffets have a pretty standard stock of foods - the chicken wings, barbecue ribs, general someone's chicken, random sets of combined vegetables that most American's won't recognize. Sushi has also become pretty standard, a few pieces where the rice outweighs the fish 10 to 1, and you get full on the rice before you taste the fish. As anyone truly in the know, knows, Todai's , is the standard by which all Sushi buffet's are compared. Just so you know, Fairfax Virginia, has the closest. In the Triangle, however, Grand Asia Buffet has just come across our radar screen as having a great selection of Sushi, and pretty reasonably priced; $10.99 a person weekends, less during the week.

We went with pretty low expectations - their building was obvious from the road, across from another favorite, Jibarra's. However, when we saw the relatively clean restaurant with the range of sushi they offered, we were impressed. No less than 10 types of sushi (three different roe types, at least), and about the same number of rolls. In addition, the more expensive items, unagi (eel), tako (squid), and even clam were also available. Yum! The fish was relatively fresh; they kept the sushi well stocked, replenishing items very quickly.

The rest of the food was pretty standard for Chinese buffets, except for a few dishes. Fried frog legs, tree fungus soup, green bean soup - I realize that they lose their appeal in the translation, but at least the last two are Chinese family type favorites as desserts. Try them, you just may like them!

As we were heading out the door, stuffed, the cashier informed us that they were opening up a new store in Cary - called China Town... hope they have the same great sushi! Another money saving tip - coupons are easily found for saving a few more $$!

Grand Asia Buffet
7371 Six Forks Rd, Raleigh, NC
(919) 866-0488

Sushi Blues - back from the dumps?

nospam@example.com (Ray) — Sun, 08 Jul 2007 09:04:22 -0500

Sushi Blues Cafe used to be the go to place for the most flavorful rolls and fun atmosphere. Their kitchen staff transitioned about four years ago, and the owner opened up a new restaurant, ShabaShabu, leading to a decline in the quality of the food and experience. Since then, we have been hesitant to return. The crowds, however, seemed to have returned. The last few attempts to have dinner there have been met with hour long waits.

We finally made it out there again - and are delighted to find out that there kitchen, or at least the sushi bar, has returned.

The most importantly aspect of any sushi roll is to taste the individual ingredients in a harmony of flavor. If it gets buried away (see Shiki Sushi), then what is the point? Furthermore, if you can't taste the difference between rolls... ouch! Sushi Blues has recovered their ability to deliver artfully crafted rolls, with flavors that surprise and delight. We had one roll "Bob Marley" that was pineapple, seared tuna and fresh jalapenos - strange combination, but surprisingly good. The creative names for the rolls due to justice to their music (not all blues) oriented namesakes. The kitchen itself has returned, also - the grilled squid was smoky hot, fresh off the grill.

The crowd is also unusually young and hip for the local area, but more common for the Glenwood Ave scene. Open late a couple of nights with late night sushi deals, and live music on the weekends- we will be back to Sushi Blues... often! And hopefully, they can stay good...

Parking is tough in the Glenwood area; behind Sushi Blues is a large gated parking lot, that you can receive a token for. It costs a few dollars if you don't get the token.

Sushi Blues Cafe
301 Glenwood Ave
Raleigh, NC 27603
Tel: (919) 664-8061

Sushi Thai- lots of fresh fish in Cary

nospam@example.com (Ray) — Sun, 10 Jun 2007 08:30:00 -0500

We are still pretty limited in good sushi options in the Triangle - most non Japanese owner's just can not deliver the properly prepared sushi rice. There are usually two options to compensate for this, however - first is the flavor of the rolls - if some of the unique house rolls taste great - well, we usually let the rice side of things slide. Second, is the quality and quantity of the fish. Sushi Thai in Cary falls into the later category.

Located in Big Lots shopping area (behind Taco Bell) on Kildaire Farm Road, you walk into a large (20 foot) boat shaped sushi bar - rather cute, ala some previous decade. Thankfully, the owners have kept the store clean, so the wooded paneling throughout (more reminiscent of Thai restaurants) so it doesn't feel overly aged, at least.

We had the sushi boat - filled with lots of fresh sashimi. The fish was plentiful; we barely finished the boat. The rolls were not extraordinary, but were of reasonable quality.

Business would probably be better at this restaurant if it were in a more visible location from the road. However, we should probably be thankful that the restaurant doesn't have the popularity to cause its quality to go down.

We'll be back to try the thai menu next time!

Sushi Thai Cary
106 Kilmayne Dr
Cary, NC 27511
(919) 467-5747