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wings. Fans of Blue Sky’s chicken and spinach eggrolls, formerly only available when they ordered Bulgogi, will be happy to see them available on their own. Those favorites join new items like Cuban albonigas (meatballs with queso), steamed asparagus wrapped with prosciutto and served with balsamic vinegar reduction and chicken lettuce wraps. “The Thai mussels… people love those,” Shin said. “And the calamari’s been a hit. People also love the portabella mushrooms stuffed with chicken, spinach and artichokes.” The global influence will be even more apparent during another menu revamp, set to happen “soon,” Shin said. “One of my chefs, he’s Irish and has got some ideas, so I’m not going to stay with what I know,” he said. “It’s going to be even more global.” Also coming up is a remodel, something Shin said his wife Mia will definitely be in charge of. “My wife’s got an itch to do it right now,” he laughed. “And you know guys… they’re like, ‘Okay.’ She decorated Soy and a lot of people walk in a say, ‘Wow. This place is beautiful.’” Shin said he and Mia have put a lot of time and effort into Blue Sky but he thinks it will benefit them, and diners, in the long run. “I knew that it was going to take time and money and work, so me and my wife talked about it and, so far, we’ve managed,” he said. “When we first converted, there was nobody in here, but slowly they’ve come back and now there are some nights when we’re overwhelmed. Like with every restaurant, if you have good food and good service at good prices, people will come.”
Sushi at Soy
When Sae and Mia Shin opened Soy Noodle House several years ago, they had planned on including sushi in the menu. But when they discovered they were just a few doors down from an already established sushi restaurant, they decided they didn’t want to step on any toes. “We were going to include sushi originally but, out of respect for Wicked Wasabi, we decided not to,” Sae Shin recently said, adding with a smile, “it was an Asian thing, I guess.” With Wicked Wasabi’s recent shuttering, as well as Soy’s expansion last fall that saw the restaurant double in size, Shin decided that there was no time like the present to add the essential component to his Asian cuisine venture. “Me and my wife grew up eating sushi, so it’s natural for us,” he Blue Sky Kitchen explained. “And we [at Soy] have 990 Broad Street | 706-821-3988 a variety of maki rolls, nigiri… Lunch and dinner daily everything.” To help them get the new sushi bar up and running, the Shins hired Duy Phan, who helped develop the menu. “He’s been doing this for five years,” Shin said of Chef Phan’s qualifications. “And he came in and showed me and Mia how to do everything, so my wife and I can do it as well.” Open since May, Soy’s sushi bar menu is extensive. The two pages of offerings include everything from a vegetarian roll with avocado, roasted peanuts and white sauce to sashimi, dinners and Bento boxes, appetizers and a wide variety of Makimono rolls. On this section of the menu, customers will find those that they’ve heard of before (California and Alaska rolls) to crazy combinations like the Hawaiian Roll, that includes pan-fried Spam. There’s even one named after the Shins’ daughter, Umi, who will turn two at the end of the summer. When Soy’s sushi bar first opened in May, it was available at lunch and dinner Monday-Saturday. Now, however, they’ve decided to make it a dinner-only option on the same days, which Shin said has worked out much better. “Now it’s set up, we’ve got brand-new equipment and we’re rolling,” he said. “I think it’s made Soy complete, really.” Soy Noodle House 1032 Broad Street Restaurant: 11 a.m.-10 p.m., Monday-Sunday Sushi Bar: 5-10 p.m., Monday-Saturday | 706-364-3116 | soynoodlehouse.com 14JUNE2012
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