From downtown to the Grand Central District, St. Petersburg has several mini restaurant kingdoms commanding its streets. And the latest one, taking shape along the 400 block, comes from the restaurateur behind Thuy Cafe, La V and Nouvelle Beauty Bar.
Thuy Le is working on her latest culinary project, Asie, at 437 Central Ave., where the Zatar Mediterranean restaurant closed two years ago. Located right next to Le's linchpin Vietnamese fusion mainstay La V, Asie (pronounced ah-zi) will specialize in sushi and pan-Asian dishes from around the globe.
According to Jason Saal, general manager for La V and Nouvelle, timing played a part in the new restaurant's emergence; the salon is doing well further up the block, and La V is in the position where it's essentially running itself. But Saal also credits the birth of Asie, in large part, to their staff and customers — like Scott Gault and Chuck Catanese at The Bank of Tampa, who (like many extreme regulars) stop into La V multiple times a week and helped get the concept rolling.
"On this block in general, we kinda watched everything around us seem to, for a moment there, start to fade away with the exception of our friends over at Il Ritorno," Saal told CL Friday. "But even during this off season when the snowbirds left, it's been amazing the support we've had from downtown."
That support gave him and Le the confidence to figure out what to do next. Asie is it.
Asie, whose name is French for Asia, is set to serve modern, sophisticated interpretations of traditional pan-Asian cuisine without losing its French roots or artistic accents. Saal said the inspiration and fresh ideas Le picked up during her time in southeast Asia over the summer will also translate to the menu, which plans to offer Asian flavors for the American palate.
Diners can expect items like superfood salad with chicken breast, rainbow kale, Brussels sprouts, red cabbage and cucumber, alongside crispy duck in ginger sauce, tofu ramen and whole steamed chicken wrapped in sticky rice.
The fare — fit for lunch meetings, intimate dinners or more extravagant occasions — will be showcased in a sleek setting featuring fuchsia and lots of grays. Live music from local bands is also planned, as is operating until 2 a.m. Fridays and Saturdays.
Another treat for fans of La V? Asie will connect with its smaller-but-older sibling from the inside. They're still deciding whether a doorway will be opened up near the front (without knocking down the entire wall that separates La V and Asie), giving diners access to both concepts, or toward the back for staff-only use. But either way, the marriage allows the restaurants to share a liquor license, which will come in handy for Asie's specialty cocktails (think Japanese liquors or possibly spins on an Old Fashioned). Happy hour, hosted from 4 to 6 p.m. Monday to Friday, will highlight a half-off deal for all drinks and a $6 menu.
For the most part, the gang's sticking to what they know.
"I think part of what makes us successful is these are Mom's recipes, Thuy's mom's recipes. These are family items, things that she grew up on. And I think what a lot of our patrons appreciate is, when they come in, [La V] is a very family feeling type of place," Saal said. "We all work as a group here. And we wanted to stick with that as well over on the other side."
With an estimated build-out of six to nine months, Asie will debut in summer 2017 — at the latest. Saal said they have their fingers crossed for sooner, and that "honestly, I wouldn't count us out" if the opportunity to launch another concept downtown came around.
This article appears in Sep 15-22, 2016.