Mie N Yu's Small Wonders

By Eve Zibart
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, Feb. 8, 2008

At first sight: The extravagantly quirky Mie N Yu looks as if it had been decorated out of a Singapore flea market, with paper lanterns and lacquer-red shutters, Hindu and Buddhist deities, bazaar awnings, upholstered drum stools and water fountains. There's a table for two in a gazebo and one for six in a giant bird cage. The black bar is embedded with mah-jongg tiles. The music is a mix of reggae, salsa, chaabi (Moroccan pop) and techno.

On the menu: Although the entrees have serious price tags, chef Tim Elliott has crafted several more budget-friendly menus: happy hour dim sum at the bar starting at $1 for veggie tempura and topping out at $4 for delicate duck shumai (Monday-Tuesday from 5 to 7 and Wednesday-Friday from 4 to 7); American fusion sushi for $5 to $15; and tapas-like small plates in the same price range. (Sushi is available only Tuesdays and Wednesdays, but Elliott hopes to expand to five nights next month.) A number of dishes have a humorous '50s cocktail-party feel: crab Rangoon (crab- and cream cheese-stuffed won tons), shrimp toast, barbecued ribs and shrimp won tons -- even a pu-pu platter. The dim sum and sushi are smallish servings, but enough for two to nibble; and the tastings are half again as large, so four starters (or an appetizer combo) and two tasting dishes make up an intriguing and substantial meal for two.

At your service: Except when it's really busy, the bar service is attentive to empty plates, but not pushy. In the dining rooms, waiters double-team to watch for empty dishes and dirty flatware. But they don't pressure you to order more (or more expensive) food, even if you stick to the tastings.

On the table: The bacon-wrapped chorizo-stuffed dates resemble those vintage chicken liver cocktail snacks but are much tastier. The tempura-fried mushroom roll is lightly battered and drizzled with truffle oil. "Veal wraps" are very like Peking duck, pulled crunchy meat with scallion crepes and hoisin sauce to dip; they're tasty but a little messy. Roasted beets are served with unusually good Humboldt Fog blue cheese. Grilled calamari are tossed with black olives, caramelized onions and goat cheese. Scallops topped with foie gras were carefully cooked, though the pureed squash sauce is bland and the saba too scant. Sugar-cane-barbecued ribs are tender and not overly sweet. The cheese sampler (your choice of three) comes with a unusually generous dozen crisply toasted baguette slices.

The sushi includes good, not over-rich toro (fatty tuna) sashimi topped with witty "eyes" of grape tomato slices and dots of pesto. The "BLT" sushi of well-blotted smoked bacon, lettuce and tamago (Japanese omelet) is tasty, although a little thick and clumsy. The spam and eggs sushi -- a rectangle of rice, a bite of hamlike pork and a sunny-side-up quail egg -- is fun but sized somewhere between one bite and two. Thai shrimp roll is flavored with a mild red curry and baby basil.

What to avoid: The meat in the Peking duck roll is overwhelmed by sriracha sauce, the ubiquitous Thai chili sauce. The rock lobster meat was overcooked, and its remoulade-like sauce didn't suit.

Wet your whistle: Mie N Yu has a full bar, several imported beers, a few boutique sakes and an expanding wine list with a large number of choices by the glass.

I've heard quite enough about the gentrification of Georgetown's nightspots, thank you very much. To hear some people tell it, we'd be better off if trouble-laden bars like Sports Fans and Champions were still packed at the weekends, being cited for serving underage drinkers and serving as outlets for testosterone. Instead, the neighborhood has welcomed the swank cocktails and cool lounge aesthetic of Blue Gin and retro gleam of Modern, as well as the upscale Degree bar in the Ritz Carlton. You won't hear complaints from me -- then again, I'm out of college and don't have much interest in mixing it up in a sports bar-cum-sweatbox while quaffing cheap pitchers of beer.

The most recent target of redevelopment was Georgetown Station. While the unassuming M Street bar and restaurant was due for a change, surely no one expected something as dramatic as Mie N Yu, a lavishly decorated fantasy that embraces "the East" from the Mediterranean to South Asia. In terms of design, it's one of the most ornate and innovative spaces in town -- see the giant birdcage in the main dining room, for example, or the small dining room that sits inside a Turkish tent. Owned and operated by John Boyle (the man behind Nation, Modern and Five, to name but three of his venures), Mie N Yu is primarily a restaurant, although the vibrant bar has taken on a life of its own.

Step inside and it's easy to see why. The spacious lounge has been given an upscale international look -- rich red walls, shining gold accents, Asian art and a large reclining Buddha statue. In the middle arch of the wonderful antique backbar, you'll see a gold curtain. That's actually the DJ booth, where local aces spin house and downtempo music on weekends while surveying the crowd. On weekends, when the bar is full of well-dressed patrons chatting and sipping, the transformation is stunning.

The few elements that remain from the old Georgetown Station have been tweaked by the designers from Core. Look up, and you'll see the ceiling fans are driven by a fantastic antique system resembling a conveyor belt. The bar, too, is original, although it's now covered with colorful mahjong pieces. They're stuck on with resin, so the bar top can be a little uneven -- watch out before setting down your drink.

Speaking of drinks, I've been uniformly impressed with the cocktail menu. It's a mix of classics, like the Parisian, a French Martini with Stoli Oranj, topped up with sparkling wine; sweet cocktails with fresh ingredients, such as the Valencia, rich with blood orange juice; and clever twists, like the Mediterranean, a cool blue drink made with Citron, Hpnotiq cognac and white cranberry juice and garnished with a Swedish fish. Everything on the menu is $9; regular mixed drinks average $7.

It's a good thing the decor and cocktails are up to snuff, because other elements of the bar are problematic. The wine list isn't very long and seems highly marked up. No draft beers are offered, and the bottle selection, which features Bud, Bud Light, Corona and Heineken, is decidedly not as chic as the atmosphere. Also disappointing is the lack of a bar menu. If you want something to snack on, you can pick from the regular dinner menu -- tuna tartar, foie gras, duck rillettes, even fondue. Portions are small, though, and prices go from $8 to 18 for appetizers. Entrees (served without side dishes) range from $18 to $34.

After restaurant hours, the upstairs bar is open to everyone and it's also an attractive space -- long benches cushioned with brightly colored pillows and sturdy, antiqued chairs. When that room gets crowded, revelers have been able to drift (with their drinks) into the various dining rooms. Service has gotten better since the opening, although you might have to wait for drinks at peak times.

So far, the crowd has been a mix of professionals ranging from the twenties through the fifties, stopping by after work as well as on the weekend (although the Friday and Saturday night crowds tip toward the younger edge of the spectrum). A stunning, handsome place to meet for a few drinks, seating around the L-shaped bar is limited at happy hour; but if a friend suggests cocktails in Georgetown, this is the place to do it.

-- Fritz Hahn (Updated Dec. 2005)