Flavors
of Asia
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It isn't surprising that he chose the Whittier neighborhood, an area shaped by Minneapolis's early leaders Washburn, Crosby, Pillsbury and more and settled by their immigrant workers. Today the area is still filled with buildings erected by those first citizens and houses a new community of immigrants and their businesses. The Minneapolis Institute of Arts, the Children's Theater and Minneapolis College of Art and Design all thrive here. As do more than 30 international food resources along that portion of Nicollet Avenue known as Eat Street. But Tom Pham's newest restaurant, AZIA, is like nothing the street has ever seen. In a location previously occupied by Pho Hoa, Phoenix Seafood Restaurant, Shuang Hur Market and Trieu Chau Restaurant, Pham has created a classic space filled with warm colors, rich woods, Asian art and soft lighting. Then he added comfortable seating areas, created a menu filled with flavors from his childhood and installed a full bar and cocktail lounge. AZIA would be at home on New York City's Upper Eastside. It is surely a gem on Eat Street. "When we gutted the interior we found an ornamental tin ceiling in fair condition," recalled Pham. "We kept the areas we could use, added matching tiles for the balance of the ceiling and refinished it all." The result is one design in the main dining room and another in the private room that will also be used for overflow seating. He added another touch of history with hand carved Chinese wall panels from his original restaurant. "When we took over Kowloon (in St. Louis Park) three years ago and turned it into ThanhDo the panels had been there for decades," said Pham. Unfortunately they were too dark and dingy to use in the bright open design he created for his first restaurant, so he stored them in his garage. Now, refinished in bright, vibrant colors, the carvings give the "back room" at AZIA an up front importance. "We also scraped up about eight layers of linoleum," he added, and found the original floor perfect for the new space. But the décor is only part of the good news here. If there were such a thing as Asian cuisine, AZIA might be
described as an Asian restaurant. A more apt description would
be one part Thai, a dash of Singapore and Japan, a dollop of
China, a hint of Mongolia and a bouquet of Vietnamese and American
cooking all blended into Chef Pham's culinary vision. Pham starts with the foods of his homeland and other Asian nations. Papaya, Asian watercress, coconut, and lemongrass appear in a number of his dishes as well as mango, basil and jackfruit. Steamed Chicken with Jackfruit Sauce is a tribute to his Grandma Bo and offers diners a food seldom used here. Larger than watermelon, jackfruit is too heavy to grow on tree branches so it grows on the trunks of trees in Southeast Asia. Only 30% of it is edible and getting to the yellow seedpods at the core is quite a chore. Pham cooks diced jackfruit with sugar for a fruit flavored sauce that has a slightly musty taste. He serves it over steamed chicken breast, a combination not unlike pork roast with applesauce. He also offers a Sweet Potato Stew with jackfruit. From the simple Sautéed Spinach with Pine Nuts to the more complex Pacific Blue, AZIA's menu offers more than 50 interesting choices. Carmellia Pecan Shrimp and Coconut is an unlikely trio of tastes and textures that go well together. Orange Beef Tenderloin Satay with Citrus Nuoc Cham offers a new look at traditional skewers. Tuna Tartar spikes Sushi-grade ahi with wasabi, and Fish and Chips get the AZIA touch with Sushi salmon salad and hand-cut chips. There's also a wide variety of traditional dishes including Pho, Pad Thai, Teriyaki, and Sea Bass with ginger. For the diner who wants more Americanized flavors there are Sweet and Sour dishes, Sesame Chicken with Crispy Noodles and Fried Rice or a selection of stir-fried dishes from Chinatown Classics. Prices range from $5 for a small bowl of soup to $48 for a seafood dinner for two with most entrées in the $10 to $20 range. Appetizers run from $7 to $12 and salads are $9 to $13. AZIA, at 26th and Nicollet Avenue South, is open everyday from 11 a.m. to 1 a.m. with full menu service until 10:30 p.m. After 10:30 soups, salads and appetizers are available along with the full bar. For parking or other information call 612-813-1200. (Reprinted from Asian Pages 2/15/04) |
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