Capital Cooking with Lauren DeSantis: Delicious Deal at Mie N Yu

Sunday, July 25, 2010

Delicious Deal at Mie N Yu

I hadn't heard much about the food at Mie N Yu before getting the invite to try new Blind Tiger Menu. I was excited because on the way there, I realized that Chris Kelley's Cherry Blossom cocktail was actually featured in the Capital Cooking Cookbook. I had an extra book in my car so I brought it in to share with him. So, back to the dining experience...

We entered the restaurant and didn't know what to expect. The Blind Tiger is a prohibition era name for a speak-easy, and in this fashion Mie N Yu has taken the same premise and is offering this “underground” menu to those who have discovered the secret online. For $25 you get a three course menu and 50% off on certain bottles of wine.

We were promptly seated and our server, Spencer, gave us quite an impressive background about the history of Mei N Yu and the Silk Road. The table was within the Moroccan Bazaar part of the restaurant. The table was cozy, but the chairs were low and kind of uncomfortable to sit in for the full meal.

"A golden Buddha welcomes guests to Mie N Yu as you make your way to tented tables and lavish banquettes in our Moroccan Bazaar. Journey through a mysterious, faraway land of wonderful scents and dark candle-lit corners of our main dining area. The Moroccan Bazaar may be reserved, along with the Turkish Tent and Hong Kong Bar & Lounge, for reception style events of up to 200 guests. A full restaurant buyout including the second floor Baroque Room, Venetian Bar & Lounge, Birdcage, and Tibetan Lounge accommodate up to 400 guests for reception style events." http://www.dcsocialite.com.

Once we were situated, we unrolled our Blind Tiger Menus and decided on Cono Sur “Vision” Pinot Noir, Chile, $21 for wine. The Chilean Pinot was medium bodied with fruit notes of plum, cherry and raspberry. It went down smooth and had a nice ruby color. We started sipping our wine and realized we needed to make some choices.

THREE – COURSE “social underground” CHEF’S TASTING MENU
Chef Tim Miller has taken many of Mie N Yu’s most popular dishes and incorporated them into this special menu, which you have received by finding us through our social media network and presenting your Blind Tiger ticket. Enjoy a taste of the Silk Road…
$25 per person

No substitutions please. Tax, gratuity, and beverages are not included.
Make one selection from each of the following three courses.
Chef Tim Miller is presenting traditional Silk Road inspired dishesas part of the Blind Tiger Menu in Celebration of:
Asia After Dark / at the Smithsonian Freer-Sackler Asian Art Museum

COURSE ONE

Zataar Hummus with Ful
roasted garlic & zataar hummus, with braised Egyptian fava beans,garlic, tomatoes, lemon, naan bread
Sunomono Blue Crab Salad
salad of edamame, jumbo lump blue crab,cucumber, asian greens, pickled quail egg & soba noodles with a rice vinegar dressing
COURSE TWO

Char Masala Lamb Kabobs
Virginia all natural lamb, charred vegetables,roasted coriander yogurt
Beijing Style Lacquered Duck
local Pekín duck, mandarin pancakes, scallions,hoisin, cucumber, chili’s
COURSE THREE

Pakistani Cinnamon & Ginger Striped Bass
sustainably raised striped bass, greens, and spiced yogurt casserole, tamarind scented basmati rice
Indonesian Scallop “Kare”
seared East Coast sea scallops, yellow coconut curry,“Gado – Gado” salad: green beans, quail eggs, potatoes, shrimp chips, peanut dressing
Lamb, Wild Mushroom & Tofu Fried Rice
stir-fried sushi rice, asparagus, corn, bok choy, ginger, mushroom soy, natural local cumin lamb
Indonesian Chicken “Rica Rica”
Shenandoah Valley free range organic chicken,red chili marinade, pickled vegetables
WINE’S BY THE BOTTLE (50% off of our regularly listed prices)

RED WINES
Kluge New World Red, Virginia, $28
Cono Sur “Vision” Pinot Noir, Chile, $21
Jacob’s Creek Reserve Shiraz, Australia, $20
Crios de Susana Balbo Cabernet, Argentina, $22
WHITE WINES
Biltmore Sauvignon Blanc, North Carolina, $20
Cono Sur “Vision” Organic Chardonnay, Chile, $28
Brancott Sauvingon Blanc, New Zealand, $20
Sawtooth Reisling, Idaho, $21

We put in our order and Spencer brought us some edamame. We started eating it and realized we didn't have any silverware or napkins. It took a good 10 minutes for him to return and we finally got the napkins.

The first course of the Blind Tiger menu features Zataar Hummus with Ful or Sunomono Blue Crab Salad. We ordered one of each.

I loved the fresh flavors of the salad...perfect for summer. The hummus has a smoky flavor and tasted great with the bread. We ended up waiting for quite a bit for our next course.