Ethnic eateries

STEVE ROBERTSON * photos@semissourian.com

This Pontiac Vibe GT, powered by a high-performance Yamaha engine, was photographed by the floodwall in downtown Cape. The GT is a front-wheel-drive vehicle, but an all-wheel-drive version with eight inches of ground clearance is also available.By Laura Johnston ~ Southeast Missourian

Whether you like sushi, souvlaki or sauerbraten, there's likely to be a restaurant in Cape Girardeau where you can find something to suit your taste.

In the past few years, the number of ethnic fare in Cape Girardeau has expanded -- not just in sheer numbers but in variety as well.

In the past year, an Indian/Pan-Asian restaurant and Russian-Ukranian cafe joined the list of ethnic restaurants in the city. A new Chinese buffet also opened.

For many years, only Mexican or Chinese restaurants were the choices when it came to ethnic foods in most American cities. But today, Cape Girardeau has a wide variety of ethnic fare from Thai and Pan-Asian to Italian, French, Greek and Lebanese.

"I think people are very impressed with the number of fine ethnic restaurants that we have," said Adelaide Parsons, director of the Office of International Programs at Southeast Missouri State University.

The number of restaurants enhances Cape Girardeau's image as a community on the move up and outward, Parsons said.

Many of the restaurants also have vegetarian menus and more diverse offerings like sushi that are popular for Japanese students or kim chee for Korean students at the university.

The Chinatown Buffet serves everything from steamed dumplings to scallops in black bean sauce and chicken satay on its buffet. There's also plenty of steamed and fried rice, lo mein noodles, and sweet and sour chicken and shrimp dishes. There's plenty of seafood selections, not just Chinese fare.

The Cape Girardeau restaurant occupies the former Western Sizzlin' building. A Jackson location is slated to open soon near the intersection of East Jackson Boulevard and Donna Drive.

If Chinese isn't your thing, try some Indian curry.

Shangrila

At the Shangrila, an Indian/Pan-Asian restaurant that opened close to the Famous-Barr court in Westfield Shoppingtown West Park, diners have a variety of curry flavorings to choose from. Whether you prefer the mild yellow curry or the hot red and green curries, the dishes at Shangrila can be made to order.

The dining room is decorated with plenty of Asian paintings, and the menu is full of curries, kabobs and stir-fried dishes.

Because the menu is fairly detailed, there aren't too many questions from patrons who visit the restaurant for the first time, said employee Netre Pathak.

Owner Raz Marasini opened Shangrila in December and hopes the crowds pick up by March, when people finally discover there's a new taste in town.

"We have many new guests who have never tried any Indian cuisine," said Pathak. But once they try the dishes, particularly the hotter curries, they find that they enjoy the taste, he said.

Cafe Azu

Cafe Azu is hoping to attract Americans who want to expand their knowledge of Eastern European foods. The restaurant serves schnitzels (German cutlets), borscht (Russian beet soup) and Hungarian goulash (beefy, tomato-based stew), which are all top menu selections.

But the cafe also features some lesser-known versions of stroganoff and dumplings.

Erik Minkin, owner and operator, said he didn't want to "Americanize" the food at his restaurant. He wanted to demonstrate that European food could have good flavoring and great presentation.

Ever since coming to the states, he and his wife, Lucy, have talked about opening a restaurant.

People don't have many opportunities to eat authentic Eastern European foods, he said.

Since the restaurant opened in August, Minkin has had to do a lot of explaining about menu items, he said. But that's simply because it's different than people were used to, Minkin said.

The stroganoff doesn't come served over noodles, and the dumplings aren't what most people recognize as dumplings, but the schnitzels are the most popular.

Minkin, who formerly worked at the Royal N'Orleans and Holiday Inn restaurants, hopes to expand the menu soon to add more salads with warm dressings and other pasta dishes.

Many of the restaurant's employees also are Ukraninan or European, so they know what the dishes are supposed to taste like and what the texture should be. He has only had to train them about consistency and quality of cooking, he said.

Living in America and serving authentic ethnic food does require some international business dealings.

Minkin doesn't buy any of his food premade. So he's often making special orders.

The ligonberries he uses in some of the desserts have to be ordered, as do the mushrooms in the Black Forest schnitzel. The liqueur that gives the creme brulee dessert a mocha or chocolatey flavor is a Latvian beverage Minkin orders from Switzerland.

Phonecia

Emad and Mimi Salamy didn't just stop at ordering their foods from Lebanon for their Phonecia restaurant. The couple took a sabbatical over the summer to write a cookbook and revamp the restaurant's menu. The book "Cedars of Lebanon" is on sale at the restaurant and includes many family favorites and traditional recipes.

ljohnston@semissourian.com

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