SHI SHINES FOR SKYLINE AND BRIGHT PAN-ASIAN CUISINE

Condos line Center Street in the Hunters Point section of Long Island City, one of the Queens neighborhoods that became an alternative to living in Manhattan.  Some years back a ferry was created to go to and from East 34^th Street in Manhattan. Along with living spaces that are still in construction come the eateries from food trucks to fine dining, such as SHI, an Asian Fusion enterprise owned by brother Shih and Skinny Lee, Taiwanese-American siblings.

Enter through a Chinese treasure of wooden doors into a welcoming lounge with cushiony chairs and sofas.  Few seating at the bar encourages people to relax, listen to the music, or even get up and dance.  I would imagine that locals meet up here to socialize.  Yes, they do have a “happy hour.”

SHI is quite large with several areas of dining accommodations.  On a busy night the noise level can be a bit up there.  You can opt for outdoor seating with a view of the Manhattan skyline.  Sunset and after makes it easy to point out the Empire State Building, Chrysler Building and the United Nations as the restaurant is located a few blocks from the ferry landing.  Check out the swing chair in the patio. 

There is a sushi bar on one end. You are welcome to stand and watch the chefs create.  Chef Lai comes from Hong Kong and Seow Chan the General Manager 

of SHI is from Malaysia.  She was most helpful in the selections of food especially in describing the menu items and country influence.  I went with my friend Deveka who loves spicy food.  I have some tolerance. 

Sushi?  That means sake!  That’s an influence I learned from “Rocky” Aoki.  A small bottle of Junmai Dai Ginjo was quite refreshing and smooth, sharing and drinking slowly, toasting with “Kampai.”

We start with some sushi appetizers. There was a special called Thunderdome. Slices of avocado create the dome.  Underneath it is stuffed with spicy tuna. It sits in seaweed salad that wasn't spicy allowing for the tuna to stand out. Topped with red fish roe.

Next is tuna, yellow tail and amberjack sashimi with a Medusa Roll that has salmon, mozzarella cheese and jalapeno topped with caramelized onions. They are certainly not stingy with the size of the sashimi. I loved the textures from the cheese and onions.

An appetizer that intrigued me was the Lychee Calamari. Pieces of lychee nut blended into the batter as well as some batter dipped lychee. Calamari not rubbery and lychee gave a different sweet taste. Dipping sauce is a sweet chili.

Onto the entrees, we first indulged in the Chicken lettuce wrap of chicken (obviously), fried noodles, raisins, and peanuts. They use Boston lettuce. Hoisin sauce on the side (I think it was the right side).  

Fried flounder fillet with sweet chili sauce. Fresh sautéed broccoli accompanied this.  Hey, you have to have veggies. Chili sauce is mild and "spicy tolerable" for me.

Next was a Vietnamese dish of rice noodles with chicken, crushed peanuts, scallions, red onions, carrots and bean sprouts. Sweet chili sauce served with this one, too. 

Beef Beancake. Tofu beancake had some "chew". Beef (Did that surprise you)? Jalapeno peppers. Needed to pick them out. Deveka didn't have to. 

It was at this point that we ordered a drink called “Freshy” which is made with lychee juice, cucumber juice, a bit of lime juice shaken, topped with soda & served on the rocks in a tall glass.  A must to try.  

We did have to save a little room for dessert (There is always a doggy bag).  Banana wrapped in egg roll wrapper, fried and served with ice cream.

Shi also has a “to go” section which is located on the outside with a separate entrance.   Seow tells me that most people ordering tend to get appetizers such as vegetable spring roll, bacon wrapped shrimp, dumpling, or lychee calamari. As for entrees they get the more common sesame chicken, general tso chicken, lo mein or fried rice.  As for sushi the popular ones are California roll, spicy tuna roll, salmon roll, or sashimi.

There is a dj on Saturday evenings playing “house music.”  SHI is not a nightclub setting.  I do recommend reservations (Phone number (347-242-2450) as it is such an “in” place.  Address is 47-20 Center Street.  www.shilic.com  

SAY “OOH LA LA” AND “KAMPAI” AT FRENASIA

Dining “al fresco” brings the imagination to small tables in an open spaced front of a bistro.  In Howard Beach the tables may be on top of or alongside a restaurant facing a canal of private boats.  Frenasia, located at 163-35 Cross Bay Blvd., had built an abutting patio for your dining pleasure, just one aspect of this Asian fusion eatery.  

 

Enter into the lounge where the indoor bar sits across the way from the Hibachi tables.  Continue through to the back dining area as you pass the sushi bar headed by K.C., who should have been a “Flower Child”.

My friend Nancy and I chose that back area, particularly for the booths with cushiony seats and back support.  Can you say, “Aging”?  Sam is the owner who told us that the restaurant has been around for 12 years.  Sonny is the kitchen chef who has been working with Sam for 18 years.  A check of the menu reveals much of the sushi ilk.  Aside from Japanese, I view items of the Thai, and Korean. 

Drink menu looks good, but I’ll pass on any of the cocktails and go right to the cold sake.

Ozeki Dry Sake from California.  Must be “in” as Gekeikan is also using the same Sierra Mountain waters.  Loved the sake itself, odd having it being served in a glass containing shredded cucumber.  

Frenasia Dumpling Soup was the first of many indulgences.  Dumplings are a mixture of pork and shrimp seasoned with ginger.  A mildly tasting broth contained fresh cilantro, scallions and bean sprouts.  Cutting the dumplings into the broth gave a greater flavor.  This is the first time that I notice a small red carnation on the serving plate.  We will realized that the chef likes to use artistry in “painting the plates.”

Kumamoto oysters are great on its own. Top it with a mango salsa and the slurp will have you chewing in order to obtain the whole savory-ness.  Each oyster arrives on a soup spoon with slices of cucumber and lemon on the side and….an edible flower.  

A Spicy Salmon Tartar rested atop slices of fresh avocado sitting in a tartar dressing.  It was decorated with both red and black fish roe, and microgreens.  The spicy mayo dotted the plate along with a few tiny…flowers.

Soft shell crabs are a favorite of mine as I don’t have to pick out the meat.  Served atop slices of mango, this non-oily crunchy (but not thickly floured) delight had added sliced avocado and the chef’s spicy sauce.   The combination sparks “umami”.  Not sure what kind of flower was on top…looked sort of like a yellow carnation and not edible.

Here is another favorite. Seaweed Salad.  The marinated seaweed with sesame seeds are frozen when any restaurant purchases it.  What the restaurant adds can make a difference.  In this case, it rested on a thick slab of mango.  Do you get that mangos and avocados are popular?  Some little purple edible flowers decorated the top.  

Order the Frenasia Specialty Slider and you’ll not just get some heavenly tasting short ribs in a steamed bun.  The decorations (complete with flowers…of course) are worth a photo.  Does it take away from the flavor?  Not at all.  Very tender, slightly on the sweet side but enhanced with a spicy sauce.  

Time for a few maki rolls.  Duck roll with ginger, a spicy mayo atop. Peking duck.  Tasted both a bit peppery and sweet.  I don’t have to tell you what the plate was decorated with.  

Dancing Shrimp Roll sounded good. Shrimp tempura and lobster wrapped with mango, avocado served with a sauce to dance to: reduced balsamic vinegar and orange curry.   Gave it that little bit of cumin flavor.  Slices of cucumber and….decorated that dish.

Chilean Seabass Roll…different.  It was a combo of both the seabass and eel.  Eel sauce inside and a few sauces on the plate.  Okay, were starting to get full.  The thing is, there really wasn’t much that we ate that was so terribly filling.  No, we just wanted to pig out on good food. 

One more dish….before dessert.  Grand Marnier Coconut Shrimp.  OMG.  Just enough spice and served with broccoli, asparagus, green beans and a sweet potato puree.  

As for the dessert…I will try to describe it.  Mango tart topping a chocolate cake.  Vanilla ice cream, whipped cream, berries, mint and pieces of chocolate.

Last temptation was a dessert plum wine called Aragoshi Kumi’s Umeshu.  Great after dinner drink.  I usually get drunk on Scotch Tape.  Sake doesn’t bother me as much.  Sake to me!  Kampai!!!

CAN'T DEN-Y THE TASTE OF LAIR

My buddy Teri and I went to this cool place in an area of NYC known as Soho/Nolita. It's a combo of a restaurant-lounge-bar and called Lair, located at 201 Lafayette Street between Broome & Kenmare Streets.

We were introduced to owners Michael Levin and Illarion Parmit (better known as Larry). It was described to me as a "chicly rustic interior of exposed brick, distressed wood, hand-painted ethic art work are accented by the earth tone color palette and lavish throw pillows" and that's what I saw.

The front of Lair is where the main decor and dining is located. Pass that area to view a long bar and a few more tables for lounging. Into the back to the "hang out" space (or event space as needed).

Time to check out the menu and order a drink. Michael (who has had years of experience in bar tending) has what I found to be the tastiest sangrias. Teri preferred the red while I preferred the white.

Michael and Larry hired Chris Cheung as the Executive Chef who decided on a fare of Asian fusion tapas better known as Dim Sum. Here is what we ate.

CHICKEN ‘PILLOWS’, CRISPY CHICKEN SKIN, JOHNNY BLUE SAUCE
ROASTED BONE MARROW, X/O MARMALADE, SCALLION PANCAKES
OYSTERS ON THE HALF SHELL, SEARED SCALLOP, TRUFFLE ESSENCE
MANGO ‘NOODLES’ SALAD, ROCK SHRIMP, CHILI LIME
LOBSTER, BACON, AVOCADO SALAD IN CRISPY WONTON ROLLS
DRY AGED BLACK ANGUS BEEF DUMPLINGS
CHICKEN AND FOIE GRAS SAN JIN DUMPLINGS
EGGPLANT AND MUSHROOM SUI MAI

And for dessert:
SHANGHAI WALNUT CRUSTED MARSHMALLOWS
CARAMEL APPLES,’CRISPY PLUM’