Roswell’s PanAsia Bistro cooking up a new concept

Husband and wife team, Bill and Shi Yi Schroeder, who friends have affectionately nicknamed “cornbread and stir fry,” opened the restaurant in January adding a new twist to Asian dishes.
“My wife and I wanted to combine our ideas and offer something both familiar and unique,” says Schroeder.

Fond of reinventing Southern favorites, Chef Schroeder has infused his culinary roots with influences from his wife’s Chinese background.

Entrees include sweet and sour southern-style dishes, with the addition of Cajun spices, combined with sour orange honey sauce accompanied by light batter shrimp, chicken or tofu ($8.95 - $9.95). Starters, also incorporating a Southern kick, include fresh salmon sweet potato cake that combines salmon and Japanese sweet potato griddlecake with a delightful orange coconut cream sauce ($4.95). Salads have both an Asian and southern inspiration as well, such as the Shrimp salad with green papaya and mango, served with a mild and sweet chile dressing ($8.95). Various rice and noodle dishes are offered and can be individualized with shrimp, chicken, pork or beef. Entrée-size salads are a plenty and sandwich wraps are served with Napa slaw or fries. Familiar Asian favorites can be found as well from fried egg rolls, pork dumplings to tasty soups.

PanAsia offers a limited selection of Asian beers along with California wines and fun bubble teas.

“We are a neighborhood bistro, which offers a variety of affordable entrees and southern hospitality,” says Chef Schroeder. The bright yellow and deep green bistro is cheerful and cozy and conveniently located in Roswell with plenty of parking.

PanAsia Asian Bistro is located at 1580 Holcomb Bridge Road in the Market Center shopping center, 770.642.8157. Hours are Monday - Friday 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. for lunch and 5 p.m. to 9:30 for dinner. Saturday hours are 12 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.

Azio: At it again...

After nearly ten years of operation, Azio Downtown established itself as a cornerstone of Cartel Restaurants, Inc. offering a contemporary interpretation of traditional Italian cuisine in a refined, yet casual setting. The Downtown big brother restaurant began spinning off into a handful of Little Azio’s about three years ago in Midtown and East Atlanta. Owners Nick Ellis and George Rohrig (who you may remember from Peachtree Café, Nickiemoto’s and East Village Grille) are forging ahead with two more openings in 2005 and four more units in 2006.

On schedule to open in Vinings on August 1, will be unit number three, followed by a Decatur location in Fall 2005. “The concept has really caught on because we offer affordable prices and a combination of choices not readily found in the fast-casual environment,” says Dan Schoolfield, director of development.

Little Azio offers generous portions and diners can choose from green salads, made-from scratch sauces, crispy crust brick oven pizza, grilled sandwiches, desserts and more.

The Italian retreat is perfect for those in a hurry and who crave a good affordable meal from pasta, panini to pizza. Regulars at Little Azio’s appreciate the contemporary interior, which features marble counter tops, wood tables and white walls with a quick counter service setup, a perfect backdrop to the quick-service menu. Entrée items include salmon pinion ($7.95), a popular item that offers roasted salmon with bacon, lettuce, tomato, and jalapeno mayonnaise, served with a pasta salad side dish; Pesto ($6.95) with a choice of pasta and thin crust pizza ($6.95 - $8.95). All entrees are under $15. Little Azio’s is located at 1675 Cumberland Parkway, Ivy Walk Unit 415, 678.426.0333. Hours are Monday - Sunday 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Little Azio Midtown is located at 903-B Peachtree Street, 404.876.7711 and Little AZio East Atlanta is located at 749 Moreland Avenue, 404.624.0440. For information on all locations visit www.littleazio.com.

Taste on Piedmont

At the former Meritage, and the original Bacchanalia location on Piedmont Road, stands a new bistro, Taste.

Located in the charming 80-year-old house the restaurant was transformed from a dark space to an mélange of citrus colors, adding a refreshing look to the two-level house.
Owners Khuam Lam Eu and Mike Eu, along with manager, Jade Ho opened Taste in March. The trio previously operated Fuse Pointe from 1999 to 2003, which closed when Po’Boys Creole Café purchase the space. “Our former customers are very happy that we are back and we are attracting a lot of new customers as well,” says Jade Ho. Chef Khuam Lam Eu has 20 years of cross-cultural experience from Asia to Germany and brings a global offering of Asian dishes to the table.

The menu is focused on a fusion of South Asian cuisines including Thai, Malaysian, and Chinese. Entrees are offered in an artful presentation and include lava stone seafood pot, a medley of shrimp, scallops, mussels, calamari, lobster tail and bok choy in a Tamarind and basil fish stock ($21) and firecracker pork, which is deep fried pork tenderloin, sautéed with bell pepper, red onion and sundried chili pepper in a tamarind sauce ($14). The starters are very good, offer generous portions and recommendations include “money bag” which are bow tied shrimp and pork steamed and wrapped and served on a cornhusk, accompanied by a sesame and ginger soy sauce ($6). There is also a very nice calamari appetizer of battered rice served with a tamarind lime chili sauce ($7). Soups and salads are also available.

The two separate dining areas are romantic and intimate. The main level seats about 20 and the upstairs dining area seats 38. There is also a private room for 8 to 10 guests on the upper level. Within the center of the restaurant is a small wine bar offering up to 23 wines by the glass. The Asian inspiration throughout the restaurant, from the beautiful artwork to the colorful color scheme, offers a tasteful ambience. “We are very happy with our new location. There are a lot of steak houses on Piedmont, but very few upscale Asian restaurants,” says Ho.

Taste Bistro is located at 3125 Piedmont Road N. E., 404.781.0800. Hours are Monday - Thursday 5 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. and Friday & Saturday 5 p.m. to 11 p.m.

Woodfire expands

The Café at Woodfire was introduced on June 10 as part of Michael Touhy’s three-year-old Woodfire Grill. Inspired by and a collaboration of Chefs Jonathan St. Hilaire and Tuohy, the Café is located in what is now referred to as the “Front Room” of Woodfire Grill.

The Cafe was outfitted with handsomely crafted wood tables, carafes and a chef-appointed vintage Italian meat slicer and a Panini press reminiscent of neighborhood haunts typically found in Italy, Spain, France, and in the American cities of San Francisco and New York.

Service is more casual than that experienced in the dining room of Woodfire Grill, with The Cafe collectively offering an array of house-prepared menu items for take out. In addition, guests may purchase house-baked signature breads, cheeses and ingredients like artisan-produced olive oils and vinegars.

The Café will serve the full menu Sunday - Thursday from 5:30 p.m. until 10:00 p.m. and Friday & Saturday until 11:00 p.m. Seating will be on a first-come, first-serve basis and complimentary valet parking will be provided. The Café at Woodfire will be smoke-free.

The menu will change daily based on the availability of ingredients and what inspires the chefs: cured meats, artisan cheeses, Paninis, house-made breads and pastries, soups, salads, and house-made sausages. The Café menu will be comprised of light fare encouraging guests to experience several different tastes, as well as some of Woodfire Grill’s signature dishes such as wood fired pizzas or wood grilled burgers served with pommes frites. A snacking menu will include antipasti, house-cured and artisan produced salami and meats, house-marinated olives, as well as farmstead and artisan cheeses from the critically acclaimed Woodfire Grill cheese cave.
A meal at the Café would not be complete without some of Pastry Chef Jonathan St. Hilaire’s wonderfully inspired desserts. As a complement to the desserts, a full selection of ports and sherries will be available, as will espresso by Illy.

Woodfire Grill will be celebrating its third anniversary August 18 with celebrity chefs Mike Miller (Coyote Cafe), Scott Peacock (Watershed) and Chris Hastings (Hot and Hot Fish Club) helping Tuohy mark the occasion.

The Café at Woodfire is located in the Front Room of the Woodfire Grill at 1782 Cheshire Bridge Road, Atlanta, 404.347.9055. www.woodfiregrill.com for more information.

10 Degrees redesigned...

Originally having opened in 1998 in a 70-capacity Buckhead bungalow, the restaurant 10 Degrees South, has evolved over the last six years and recently renovated its digs into a contemporary Buckhead building seating 160.

Taking inspiration from modern and sophisticated restaurants and hotels of Cape Town, Africa, the newly remodeled interior is modern and sleek with natural hues and handmade artwork that adorns the 28-foot walls. A slate fireplace, the focal point of the restaurant, sits comfortably in the center making it a place for casual gatherings and conversation.

10 Degrees is the only restaurant of its kind in the US specializing in South African cuisine of robust flavors including featured menu items of: Boerewors, Peri-Peri Chicken, Biltong and Mabaleng Mushrooms. South African cuisine is a fusion of French, Portuguese, Dutch, German and Malaysian cuisines with strong Mediterranean influences.

A sampling of the menu highlights such dishes as calamari grilled & tossed in lemon butter or peri-peri sauce; giant prawns marinated Portuguese peri-peri-style; bobolie spring rolls of sweet ground beef curry served with chutney; rack of lamb served with potatoes and vegetables; and an 8 oz. filet ‘au poivre’ grilled to your liking and topped with Madagascan creamy peppercorn sauce.

Global importers, 57 Main Street Imports, have recently been awarded the exclusive rights to import Vergelegen wines to the United States. Vergelegen has never been available in this country and will now be available at 10 Degrees South.

10 Degrees’ signature dessert drink of South Africa is the Don Pedro, made with IMOYA VSOP brandy and vanilla ice cream and garnished with chocolate.

10 Degrees South is located at 4183 Roswell Road, 404.705.8870. Hours are 5:30 p.m. - 10:30 p.m. Monday - Saturday. For more information visit www.10degreessouth.com.