Wasabi in Cary brings together the best of Japanese sushi and Thai cuisine
Every couple will recognize this conversation:
“What do you want for dinner tonight?”
“I don’t know, what do you want?”
“I don’t know, what do you want?”
And so on, until one of you (OK, it was me) finally raises the stakes with the phrase universally recognized since grade school as the ultimate debate-ender: “I asked you first.”
Naturally, this forces the other partner’s hand (OK, it was my wife’s). Her reply was so quick, I’m pretty sure she was just waiting for the right time to play the card: “OK, then how about sushi?”
Problem is, I’m not in the mood for sushi. I was actually craving a Thai curry. Clearly, I’ve overplayed my hand.
Then I remember Wasabi, a local favorite restaurant in MacGregor Village that has been serving a Japanese-Thai twin bill menu since 2003. I haven’t eaten there in several years, but I recall better-than-average sushi and first-rate Thai curries. The fact that I live inside Wasabi’s delivery zone is icing on the Thai coconut cake.
Sadly, coconut cake was not in the offing the day I placed my order online. Nor was sticky rice with mango, desserts having fallen victim to a temporary pruning of the menu as the result of the pandemic.
Everything else I ordered from the still-extensive menu was available, though. Contact-free delivery was prompt — two minutes early, to be exact, with a text message informing me our order had been delivered. The food was impressively close to the temperatures you’d expect if you were dining in the restaurant. Even the presentations — chicken saté skewers fanned out across a banana leaf, a pair of lobster tails nestling on a bed of pad thai Supreme — revealed an effort to recreate the dining out experience.
Transported to our own dining room, the meal was so delightful that we ordered up an encore performance a couple weeks later.
Well, not an encore, exactly. Other than a couple of chicken skewers that were part of the Wasabi appetizer platter (along with Thai spring rolls, shrimp in blankets, and gyoza, both steamed and fried), our meal that second night didn’t include any of the dishes we’d had the first time around.
We sampled nearly a dozen and a half dishes over the course of those two meals. Highlights from the Thai menu include eggplant hot pepper (a kaleidoscope of purple-skinned Asian eggplant, red and green peppers, onions and basil in a brown sauce amped up with fresh chiles); roasted duck red curry (brown rice is a welcome option); and the pad thai Supreme, which will turn any meal into a celebration.
The Thunder Storm Roll (spicy salmon, tempura flakes, asparagus and avocado, topped with salmon, tuna, and sprouts, with spicy kimchi sauce) and the tempura-battered fried MacGregor Roll (shrimp, BBQ eel, cream cheese, avocado and asparagus topped with masago and fried white fish; served with spicy mayo and eel sauce on the side) do the sushi bar proud.
And if you find yourself caught up in that “I don’t know, what do you want?” loop, just remember the Wasabi appetizer platter. It’s got a little something for every mood.
Wasabi
105 Edinburg South Drive, Cary
919-460-7980 or wasabicarync.com
Takeout Tales
I have invited readers to share their restaurant delivery and curbside pickup and experiences. That invitation still stands. Just email me at ggcox55@gmail.com, with a description of your experience. I’ll publish as many as I can (edited as needed for brevity and clarity) in this space.
CO
Pete K. gives a double thumbs-up to the pan-Asian cuisine and curbside takeout service at CO in North Hills. And I enthusiastically second his vote for the curry laksa.
“We’ve had takeout from CO a couple of times, and it’s been a great experience both times. The food is great and travels well. Our second experience was for eight entrees and several appetizers. Everything was delicious and proper temperature. And we always end up with leftovers. The laksa is especially delicious.”
Hawthorne & Wood
Tandem
Harvest 18
18restaurantgroup.com/curbside-at-harvest
Linda’s Bar & Grill
Cheryl H. gives a shout out to three restaurants in Chapel Hill, and one in Durham. She’ll be happy to know that Linda’s Bar & Grill has reopened, and is offering takeout again.
“I appreciate your continuing to do weekly columns during the pandemic through reviews of takeout. It is a service to the community and to the restaurants. My husband and I have trepidation about in-house dining right now, since we are in a higher risk group.
“Our first foray will likely be outside dining. As a friend so aptly lamented, she misses drinking an over-priced glass of wine and being served a nicely displayed dinner on real plates.
“We have enjoyed takeout at Hawthorne and Wood, Tandem and Harvest 18. All nicely done by friendly staff. Looking forward to supporting Linda’s Bar and Grill in Chapel Hill soon. They were our first takeout order — grilled salmon cakes, Brussels sprouts, and sweet tater tots, which never disappoint.
This story was originally published July 19, 2020 at 11:00 AM with the headline "Wasabi in Cary brings together the best of Japanese sushi and Thai cuisine."