Yum!

Suzy Wong’s House of Yum, 1515 Church Street.

Lunch, dinner, and late night dining.

Top Chef D.C. had me at hello.  I mean, seriously.  When John Somerville flopped his dreadlocks over his shoulder during the opening credits only to be the first eliminated because of making a dessert from frozen puff pastry?!  We’re talking television magic.

But then the real magic hit me.  Chef Arnold Myint is from Nashville, where he owns three restaurants.  And he’s only 32.  And he used to be a professional figure skater.  And now I live in Nashville.  And I’m no where near as accomplished or driven.  Surely, my eating in one of his restaurants will result in a little bit of that youthful determination trickling down to me, right?

So, to Suzy Wong’s House of Yum it was.  We were smart, having learned from our time in Europe that making a reservation is your only surefire guarantee of eating in popular place with a small dining room, and called ahead.  When we arrived, the place had a small line of couples waiting for a table.  We walked past them all, told the hostess our name, and were seated right away, albeit a little too conspicuously for my taste.  The dining room is even smaller than the online photos led me to believe, and we sat directly behind the hostess booth at a table within arm’s length of that line of hungry diners.  We quickly ordered drinks to fend off the angry stares.

We took a bit longer to peruse the food menu, and I was happy to see that this was yet another place I could potentially bring my vegan, vegetarian, and/or gluten-free friends.  We ordered the Asian Wonton Nachos Deluxe (“BBQ Pork, Queso Blanco, Edamame, Cilantro Pico, Sriracha, & Red Curry Crema,” $10) because I’m a sucker for a $1 upgrade to deluxe anything, especially if that upgrade includes BBQ pork).  We had requested this shared plate as an appetizer, but no sooner had it arrived then we were bombarded with our mains, as well.  Peter’s was the Coconut Chili Fried Brown Rice w/ Egg ($8), and he has a way of diving into a dish after a successful first taste that lets me know he is in heaven.  I try not to interrupt these rapturous moments, and so I began to work on my dish, the Sesame Tuna Loin (“Pickled Cucumber with Wasabi Ponzu Dressing,” $11).  I have been on the hunt for the perfect rare tuna ever since my honeymoon four years ago in Vancouver where I had the most delectable and perfectly flavorful rare tuna over a bed of garlic mashed potatoes that I have ever tasted.  It was in one of the restaurants attached to a hotel, but for the life of me, I cannot remember which one, which is probably God’s way of telling me to let go of my dream of finding that chef and kidnapping him or her until I have perfected the recipe myself.  But my hunt for that perfect tuna still consumes much of my time and energy and forces me to order tuna nearly everywhere I go.

Finally, my friends, I am excited to tell you that I have found a suitable rival for that dish that haunts my dreams.  This Sesame Tuna Loin, a deep and royal magenta flesh surrounded by the spicy savoriness of wasabi and pickled cucumber, might be the greatest fish find in Nashville, and you would do well to make your reservation and order it tonight.