Haiku - Woodbury

Haiku Asian Bistro and Sushi Bar is located in the back of a shopping center off Jericho Turnpike in Woodbury. Lauren and I were craving Japanese and I had been wanting Lauren to try this place for a long time. (I have taken out here on several occasions.)

Our friend Jess joined us this particular Thursday. When we walked in, the three of us we were greeted by a friendly hostess who seated us immediately in a comfortable booth located in the corner. The place was crowded, but our server came to the table almost immediately. Jess and Lauren stuck with water and I ordered a Coke. I'm very picky with my Cokes - but this one happened to be a good one. Lauren makes fun of me, but I really think finding the perfect balance between syrup and CO2 is no easy task. This restaurant did a good job.

For an appetizer, we ordered some sushi rolls. Jess and Lauren split a shrimp tempura roll and we all shared a spicy tuna roll. I also ordered one of my favorite sushi pieces - Ikura. Fish eggs over rice. I highly recommend to those of you who like a stronger fishy taste. Anyway, the sushi was good, but certainly not stand out. One thing that has bothered me in the past about the sushi at Haiku is that they don't use cucumber in the rolls. For instance, most California rolls use crab meat, avocado and pieces of cucumber. This place leaves out the cucumber in most of the rolls, leaving the sushi to be a bit less textured and therefore mushier than normal. But,I have always found the fish to be fresh.

For our main courses - we all ordered the same basic dish but with slight variation. Jess and Lauren ordered the Stir-Fried Japanese Udon Noodles with Shrimp. I ordered the same dish, but with beef. Udon noodles, if you have never had them, are like a thick spaghetti noodle. The portion was generous and all our dishes came out nice and hot.

Our noodle dishes came with vegetables mixed in, served in a brown teriyaki type sauce. We all thought the meal was tasty. (Although I found my noodles to be a bit doughy, but I really don't have enough experience with Udon noodles to know if this place made them well. It could just be the nature of the noodle.) While I liked the stir-fry - it didn't come close to my favorite dish at Haiku - The Pad Thai. You can order the Pad Thai with beef, chicken, shrimp or with just vegetables. I have had it with beef and chicken and both are excellent. It comes in a generous portion with flatter, shorter noodles,carrots, egg,peanuts, sprouts and lime. But I particularly love the flavor of the sauce. It's a really delicious orange tangy sauce that is not at all spicy. (This may in fact be a turn off to people who enjoy spicy Thai.) We discussed our experience briefly and Jess and Lauren said they would definitely eat here again. I know I'll be back. After a vote - we decided to rate Haiku a 3.5 mints, above average, on the dinner mint scale.

Cool Fish - Syosset

Let me start off by saying Cool Fish exceeded my expectations in every way.
Lauren and I were slightly thrown off when we arrived because we didn't realize the restaurant was "hidden" in an industrial park surrounded by businesses and parking lots.
But, we were quickly won over the second we stepped inside.
We were greeted by a polite hostess who smiled at us and asked us where we would like to sit.




The restaurant had a decent amount of customers for a Thursday night and perhaps one of the most notable features was the live musician we passed on the way to our table.
Lauren really took a liking to him and we found ourselves bopping to familiar tunes as we browsed through our delicious sounding dinner options.
Cool Fish is one of the many carefully engineered restaurants of businessman and chef Tom Schaudel.




(I think he was actually walking around greeting guests when Lauren and I were eating, but both of us were too intimidated to approach him. Maybe next time.)
Lauren and I sat in the main dining room, but as I learned from the website - you actually have the option of a more laid-back experience by the bar -with a separate "lighter fare" menu.

We both opted to start with wine which was delicious. Lauren had the Pino Grigio and I had a White Zinfandel. Both wines were tasty and smooth and went down easily.
I then opted for the price fix dinner which includes 3 courses for $35.00 (Note - this option is only available Mon-Thurs after 5pm)
I had a delicious caesar salad with very enjoyable dressing and a side order of raw little neck clams. (These are one of my favorite appetizers and I figured it would be a good test for a seafood restaurant)They were fresh, tasty and served chilled to perfection. (After I told Lauren they tasted deliciously like the ocean - she opted not to try it. I don't understand why someone wouldn't want the ocean in their mouth, but to each their own.)



Anyway, on to the main course. I selected the Sliced Steak with Mashed Potatoes and Asparagus. The steak came out just a touch less cooked than I liked it, especially for specifying "medium well," but the sauce was so good I ate it anyway.
It was filling and very enjoyable.



Lauren had the Pan Seared Maryland Lump Crab Cake which came with a Petite Herb Salad which she seemed to enjoy very much.
To finish off the night - we shared my third course dessert for which I selected the Passion Fruit Sorbet. (I have a slight obsession with Sorbets) It came with 2 scoops of the sorbet and interestingly enough, a chocolate wafer underneath, creme filling, raspberry sauce and topped with powdered sugar.
The combination was curious, but Lauren and I both ended up really liking it.

All in all - the place was among our favorite so far.
The restaurant interior designed by Brian Shore really added to the experience. Lauren and I both commented several times on the beautiful "fish themed" artwork around us and the warm feelings the room gave off. You will definitely be comfortable in this restaurant.
But while we're on the comfort topic. You're probably better off choosing a booth to sit in. While we enjoyed the feeling the room created and our dinner - we both realized halfway through the meal that our wood chairs weren't the most comfortable.
But it's a small price to pay for the delightful evening you're sure to have if you to Coolfish.
We gave it a 4 out of 5 mints on the dinner mint scale.
We will certainly be back again soon.