After reading Erik Desjarlais' recent rave
about Kon Asian Bistro, we felt compelled to check it out for ourselves.
Actually, my husband was compelled to check it out and dragged me there pretty much against my will. On a Saturday night no less.
We were coming back from a spectacular summer day - a great Beach2Beacon run, bagels at Scratch, burritos at El Rayo and the afternoon with the family at Kennebunk Beach. Lobster rolls would have been the logical way to end the day, but instead we kept driving on the Turnpike until we hit Exit 48 and made our way into the parking lot of Kon. I couldn't believe I was there.
The place doesn't look like much on the outside; inside the restaurant has many typical Asian design elements. My little guy (yes, Kon is kid friendly) didn't know what to make of the massive Buddha - though watching it kept him quite content throughout the meal. So did the red and black decor (his favorite colors).
We stayed away from the sushi options, selecting instead the Rock Fish Tempura - amazing(!); the Vietnamese Summer Rolls - filled with fresh, crunchy vegetables; and the Shrimp Shumai - made with the thin, delicate wrappers that I prefer.
We sipped Mai Tais while we waited for our entrees - Grilled Garlic Miso Shrimp for me and Orange Ginger Duck for my husband. The shrimp had a wonderful flavor from the miso glaze, but the accompanying salad was what really stood out - blueberries and blackberries were tossed with delicate greens and complemented by a sweet tangy dressing.
The Orange Ginger Duck was the best Asian duck dish we've had in the area. Served with baby bok choy, it was moist and had a subtle orange flavor. Our waitress explained that the duck was freshly carved on premise each morning -- as opposed to the frozen duck meat used at many Asian restaurants.
While my husband devoured his fried banana (slices of banana deep fried in a light tempura batter), I enjoyed Mochi green tea ice cream - which tasted like ice cream that had a gelatin wrapper (it is actually pulverized sticky rice that surrounds the ice cream). It was a refreshing and delicious end to the meal.
Dinner for the two of us - 3 appetizers, 2 entrees, 2 desserts and 3 adult beverages - was $88. And despite my apprehension at the start of the meal, I thoroughly enjoyed myself and the food at Kon.
Bottom line: With excellent choices for Japanese and Thai in Portland, I wouldn't go out of my way to eat at Kon for either. But if I'm in the mood for Chinese this is my new go to spot.
Monday, August 3, 2009
Kon Asian Bistro - Portland, Maine
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5 comments:
We went there on a whim a month ago or so and were very surprised by the quality of ingredients and delicious and unique touches to each dish.
Their sushi is fantastic, by the way. And their homemade Gyoza are the best I've had in any Portland Asian restaurant.
We went last night for my daughters 14th birthday; she is a fan of hibachi. Service was a bit rushed, and the pork dumplings were cold. I had the spicy crispy beef which was very good, but not all that spicy. My son liked the thai shrimp curry. The hibachi was so-so, somewhat tasteless steak with ok chicken, the fried rice with egg was the best part. They have an extensive drink menu and some decent wines but were out of Sapporo. We may go back to try the sushi.
We took our office staff for christmas this year and ate at the hibachi table. Our chef was very entertaining and the meal was GREAT!!! It was a really fuun evening!
The food was average.
The atmospher was nice.
The service was good.
The local beer prices were good.
The cocktails were pricie.
I would not hurry back there.
There are other local location that are as good or better.
All around pretty good. Core Iceberg lettuce in the salad gets a thumbs down. No restraunt should EVER be serving Iceberg lettuce, let alone core leaves. Hostess seemed a bit put out by our presence. Hibachi was great sushi was great.
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