Reviews
Dining Out: Not your mother’s Asian restaurant
Remember the times when Asian restaurants — mainly Chinese and Thai — always sported less than stylish dining rooms and old, grease-soaked menus? Well, those times are gone. A new generation of Asian eateries has made its appearance in town lately, showing us that Asian food can be sophisticated and healthy and that it can be served in modern, swanky dining rooms. AZN at the Mercato is one of these new-generation Asian restaurants: with its Pan-Asian menu, dimly lighted lounge and intriguing martini list, AZN is often very busy until late at night.
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AZN Brings Colorful Tasty Asian Cuisines to Naples’ Mercato
“I go there for the beautiful décor and the bold food. It’s unlike any other Asian spot we’ve tried,” one woman explained, “prices are good, and we love the Mercato location.”
I second that, with my second AZN visit. Comparing the prior to the current revamped menu, AZN has enhanced their very good selections, adding bold new dishes, creative drinks, and a thoughtful variety of nicely priced wines.
Each visit highlighted attentive service, and very good quality foods properly cooked and seasoned. Proprietors Raymond and Anna Hsu have three different style Asian restaurants in Atlanta-this is their first venture away. AZN would franchise well. One guest preferred this over PF Chang’s, saying “AZN is far tastier, less noisy and crowded.”
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AZN Azian Cuizine
We began our adventure at the new AZN Azian Cuizine in the Naples Mercato armed with a good piece of intel from a trusted friend.“Be sure to order the dumplings,” she said. “They’re out of this world.”
From the moment we entered the open, modern space of the restaurant, where servers sailed by carrying tantalizing platters of sushi, steaming entrées and brightly colored drinks, we guessed that we would be in very good hands: Hsu hands, to be exact. AZN is the latest venture for Atlanta restaurateurs Raymond and Anna Hsu, of Hsu’s Gourmet, Pacific Rim and Silk fame. The menu showcases flavors from China, Japan, Thailand, Korea, Vietnam and beyond, with dumplings, lettuce wraps, noodle and rice dishes, seafood, meat and poultry entrées, salads, “Small Bites,” burgers, sandwiches and vegetarian options. “House Specialties” are highlighted in every category, and AZN also features a full sushi bar.
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The Dish: A Conversation With Raymond & Anna Hsu
Title: Raymond Hsu is co-owner with wife Anna of AZN Restaurant, 9118 Strada Place, Naples, 593-8818
Hometown: “I was born in Tawain, raised in Hong Kong, but consider Atlanta to be our hometown.”
Education/Experience: “We own three restaurants in Atlanta and are bringing a true Pan Asian restaurant to Naples. I graduated from the University of Washington as an electrical engineer and worked for Boeing.”
How did you become a restaurateur? “My parents owned restaurants and night clubs in Hong Kong, so I was exposed to the business. Anna’s family owned restaurants in Atlanta, and asked us to run one. We left Seattle and ran the restaurant and in 1980 went out on our own. We opened the first Pan Asian restaurant in Atlanta.”
How did you decide to open a restaurant in Naples? “Our director of operations frequents Naples and really likes it here. He receives information from Realtors and when the Mercato was being built we were convinced this is where we should be. I love playing golf and fishing and Anna loves the beach.”
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Explore Diverse Flavors of Asia at Affordable, Stylish AZN
Restaurants that attempt to be all things to all people most often please no one. Faced with a voluminous menu that wanders aimlessly, customers beat a hasty retreat and spread the word to spare friends and family a similar experience.
It takes savvy and vision to create a menu that covers a broad swath of culinary ground without overwhelming the clientele, and the creators of AZN, a chic Pan-Asian restaurant that opened five weeks ago at Mercato, appear to have plenty of both.
Offering a mix of Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Thai, Indian and Vietnamese fare, AZN’s menu contains about five dozen carefully chosen dishes, not counting an extensive sushi list, the exploration and discussion of which will have to wait for another visit.
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