Since bursting onto the Great Neck restaurant scene with fanfare in April, Elaine’s Asian Bistro & Grill has become a popular and trendy spot for lunch and dinner. Elaine Ho, the owner, calls the fare “innovative Asian cuisine,” and the menu is extensive.
Once hidden away on Bond Street, the restaurant is now easier to find thanks to an elegant new awning and inviting red carpet. After walking down some steps and through the restaurant’s tall doors, you will descend into a sleek, contemporary space sporting, a stylish, curvy bar topped with black granite. A casual but sophisticated lounge area is off to your right. With its long red couch and low tables, the lounge is a cozy spot for cocktails, coffee or dessert.
The restaurant’s generous menu features modern Chinese cuisine, sushi and Japanese dishes, Thai grill, low-calorie steamed and vegetarian dishes, and a wide selection of house specialties. You will find a Kosher-style menu as well. The restaurant offers a healthy menu, free of trans-fats, and they do not use MSG. When food is fresh, no MSG is needed, Ho notes.
For starters, the menu lists more than a dozen choices of appetizers for every taste. Order a sampler, and you can try the edamame, shrimp dumplings, baby back ribs and spicy Buffalo chicken roll - strips of white meat chicken in a crispy, tangy spring roll wrapping. The Bistro lettuce wraps are another excellent choice. Cool fresh lettuce cups are graced with minced chicken, diced veggies, pine nuts and hoisin sauce.
The sushi and special rolls are standouts. Traditionally prepared and served all day, the sushi is presented so attractively, it is a feast not only for the taste buds, but for the eyes, as well.
A roll called “Yummy” was just that, with grilled eel and avocado inside and crab meet and special sauce outside. My companion called it the best sushi he had ever tasted. The colorful Passion Roll is also a popular choice, with spicy tuna, salmon, yellowtail caviar, seaweed, avocado and spicy mayo sauce. If you are not crazy about raw fish, the Snow Mountain Roll is delicious, with crunchy shrimp tempura and cucumber.
Among the hot entrees, the choices are extensive, as well. You can opt for flavorful and tender beef with broccoli or the excellent Mongolian-style beef or lamb with scallions in a tasty Szechuan sauce.
The spiced island pineapple chicken has tender strips of chicken and a fruity sauce with just the right touch of sweetness. Wok-flashed shrimp and chicken is another delicious choice, offering red and green bell pepper in a mild ginger sauce.
Singapore Curry Mei Fun is also a winner. We enjoyed angel hair rice noodles stir - fried with shrimp, barbecued pork and bean sprouts, with a delicate curry flavor. The Pad Thai is excellent, as well.
Desserts at Elaine’s Bistro have a Western flavor, with a hot fudge sundae, decadent chocolate ganache cake and refreshing triple sorbet among the selections.
A special cocktail menu features exotic, one-of-a-kind libations.
Elaine’s Asian Bistro & Grill
8 Bond Street,
near Grace Avenue
Great Neck, NY 11021
516-829-8883
www.elainesbistro.com
HOURS:Open seven days a week. Monday to Wednesday from 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Thursday and Friday from 11:30 a.m. to 11 p.m.; Saturday from noon to midnight and Sunday from noon to 10 p.m. Bar and lounge stay open late.
CUISINE:Innovative Asian
AMBIENCE:Contemporary casual.
PRICES: Appetizers, $5 to $11; Soups and Salads, $3 to $13. Special sushi rolls, $12 to $15 and Dinner main courses, $10 to $24. Special bento box lunch available until 3:30 P.M. Lunch dishes, $8 to $15.
RESERVATIONS: Strongly recommended for Friday and Saturday evenings.
DELIVERY:Yes, free.
PARKING: On street and parking lot, across the street.
HANDICAP ACCESSIBLE:No.
CREDIT CARDS: Yes.
