Staying In: Sakaya Kitchen

I was never a tater tots person. Until I visited Sakaya Kitchen Fresh Asian Grill. 
Happily, their spuds taste nothing like the ones that came in the old Hungry Man TV dinners. Imagine: ultra light pop ’ems with a delectably flaky shell and a bit of spice. Grease is not the word here.
Chef-owner Richard Hales is obviously having fun running things at this new Midtown Miami entry. The French Culinary Institute grad doesn’t limit himself to one cuisine, going for Korean (crackly, sweet chicken wings), Thai (aromatic sticky coconut rice), Japanese (garlicky edamame and rich chicken noodle-miso soup) and Chinese (super-stuffed egg rolls and exceedingly tender, pickly pork buns).

That said, the Angus beef in the lettuce wraps was chewy and the grilled garlic chicken in the mixed green salad was a tad dry. You might want to stick to sides and starters while they work out the kinks.
 Can’t decide on a cuisine? Ask Hales, who used to run the Asian station at the Mandarin Oriental Miami’s Cafe Sambal. He’s behind the counter and slugging things out in the open kitchen.

This story was originally published April 22, 2010 at 3:04 AM.