Long Island Restaurants

Blue Ocean Asian Bistro & Sushi Bar

Is it my imagination, or does every other new restaurant have the word "blue" in its name? One of the latest, in Bethpage, also crams in several other of-the-moment terms - "Asian," "ocean" "bistro" and "sushi."

What a restaurant calls itself may succeed in pulling people in the first time. A second visit, however, depends upon what's on the plate.

At Blue Ocean Asian Bistro & Sushi Bar - an attractive and hospitable Pan-Asian and Asian fusion restaurant - the trendy something-for-everyone menu happens to work. Credit goes to kitchen chef Raymond Lin and his friend (not brother) sushi chef Kevin Lin.

Kevin Lin's inspired tuna "Manhattan" arrived, appropriately, in a cocktail glass. I was invigorated by the sprightly combination of raw tuna, avocado and apple sprinkled with tobiko and finished with a citrusy orange yuzu sauce. Sushi rolls, both simple and complex, were fresh and lively, the rice right in consistency and temperature.

Favorites included the multilayered sushi "cake" of spicy tuna, eel, salmon, yellowtail, roe and scallion, as well as an "angel" roll - blackened tuna, asparagus, radish, sprouts with salmon, eel, yellowtail, salmon roe, scallion, tobiko and tempura flakes. Less appealing was a lobster salad roll whose mayonnaise-y interior had been chopped to a near puree.

While both miso and hot-and-sour soups were full-flavored, I was more impressed with the Asian-style pumpkin soup, an autumnal puree both soothing and spirited, dotted with cubes of pumpkin. I found myself surprised by a seafood bean curd soup whose depth of flavor transcended its innocuous description.

Two compelling appetizers were the delicate fried shrimp dumplings with long beans and water chestnuts, as well as rock shrimp, lightly crisped and coated with a lilting curry glaze.

An entree of Thai mango chicken came off as subtly spicy and sweet yet not cloying. From Raymond Lin's Asian fusion repertoire came boneless breast of duck, the succulent overlapping slices coated with a plum sauce that tasted better than it looked. The accompanying soba noodles in cream sauce would have been better without the cream. But oven-roasted sea bass with lemon butter sauce, fingerling potato and Asian greens was an entirely refined and flavorsome composition.

I wasn't tempted to order either the ice cream (fried or plain) or fried bananas offered for dessert. In fact, I needed nothing more than another cup of the restaurant's excellent green tea. To conclude a meal comprised of so many intriguing flavors, the simplest choice is often the best.

Reviewed by Joan Reminick, 12/15/06.

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