NY’s Rice Restaurant blends Asian comforts
Güncelleme Tarihi:
NEW YORK - A new trend that has emerged in the past few years in New York’s restaurant scene is to "go green," eating light, healthy and innovative dishes while also being conscious of the environment.
Obviously these issues are important, but the taste of the food and the ambiance of the setting are key factors in running a restaurant business and keeping customers coming back for more, too. The balance between light fares, caring about the environment, a hip location and crowd, and reasonable prices is fairly well established at Nolita’s, which stands for north of Little Italy, Rice Restaurant and Cafe.
Rainbow of rice options
Enthused about world cooking, blending Asian, Indian, Mexican and other exotic tastes, Rice’s award-winning menu was created by owner David Selig. At first glance, the selection of rice on the menu, which comes in all colors of the rainbow, is striking, black, white, brown, red, green and sticky. Rice accompanies any combination of classic dishes and the restaurant’s rice and entree pairings produce pleasing contrasts. Prices range from $4 to $6 for small portions and $9 to $12 for large ones. Three small or two large dishes is plenty of food for two hungry people. Although the dishes are perfect for vegetarians, even meat-loving Turks will be taken by the innovative and tasty exotic dishes.
For appetizers, sharing a cup of warm, salty edamame boiled string beans with chunky sea salt is a light and Asian way to start. Miso soup with udon noodles in a light broth is a pleasant way to warm up from the city’s cold, the soup with chewy udon noodles is never too filling.
One of the favorite and most popular dishes at Rice is the Indian curry chicken, served with chicken mushrooms, mild curry sauce with yogurt, raisins, bananas and mango chutney. A mixture of taste sensations, sweet and sour, spicy and cooling blend nicely in one bowl.
An all-time classic platter is the satay. Served with any choice of rice, sticky rice being a personal favorite, the unforgettable warm and sumptuous satay sauce with peanuts is paired with marinated chicken, shrimp or tofu. A dish of baked black beans is inspired from Mexico, served with a choice of rice, chili and sour cream. The Mesclun salad on the side with a tropical garnish of avocado and a heart of palm goes beautifully with the light sweet and sour salad-sauce of Asian carrot and ginger.
For dessert, the sticky rice crispy treats are a personal favorite and extend the rice theme. The treats come to the table inside a brown box that contains four rounds of chewy rice cakes with cranberries or apricot made from Kellogg’s Rice Crispy cereal. The aromatic Indian rice pudding dessert, kheer, is also available and is very milky and "ricey" to complete the intimate, worldly meal. Rice Restaurant and Caf is a hidden gem near Soho and a wonderful, local New York way to leave the crowds of the downtown area and indulge in an affordable, exotic meal.
RICE in NOLITA
292 Elizabeth St. New York, NY www.riceny.com
RICE in DUMBO
81 Washington St. Brooklyn, NY