I tried these places around Mills and 50 last Saturday night.
Chi-Kin Korean Fried Chicken - It's run by the King Bao people. They opened December 11th. It's basically Wing Zone meets Chik-Fila. I ordered ten wings for $11. I believed they would be Korean fried (batter). They were just fried in their own skin and doused with gojujang sauce. I forgot to ask them to serve it on the side so it wouldn't make the skin soggy. Why wing people don't just do this for their own benefit is beyond me. The wings tasted like they had been injected or marinated with something briny. I hate that. I also ordered some waffle fries. They were fine. They are open all day every day. They are in the old Noodles and Rice location on Mills near to 50 (7-11 side). They also sell chicken sandwiches, fingers and bibimbap. Very little parking.
Z Asian - As the name implies, this is a Vietnamese Kitchen. I kid. I spoke with the owner and the name is more preposterous when explained. It's not even like when companies try and get first listing in a phone book (or whatever they use nowadays) by putting AAA in front. This puts them last. He said it is for the Z generation. He, somehow, is trying to force them to eat his "traditional" dishes which he thinks they are forsaking. I'll get back to that in a minute. So, I guess he thinks they will see a "Z" and be drawn like moths to a flame and then he sneaks in the same-o lame-o menu. I'll bet his menu is listed online. I guess he doesn't know people can do recon before they leave the house. It gets better. Now, he is now going to change the menu to have more "street" food. Doesn't that defeat the original mission statement? I guess those dishes could be "traditional" But, why not start there? The menu is BOOORING. I used to like Vietnamese food. But, I can think of no other category that is as "me-too" as Vietnamese cuisine. Rice Noodles (with or with out broth). Or swap noodles for the rice itself. And how about a roll. Fried or raw. It's the same dullness in every Vietnamese restaurant that opens. Give me a break. Try something not "traditional". Even if it is just to differentiate yourselves so you can charge more. I'm begging you. If there are no more of grandma's recipes you are hiding from us - Evolve!
I had a $12 noodle special that they rang up as beef ($2 more) and then made it seem like they were doing me a favor by fixing it after I called them out. It was rice noodles with grilled pork and shrimp and a spring roll. The spring roll was most likely purchased ready made. The pork was good. The shrimp were tiny and terrible. Old shrimp taste and smell married with a burnt taste and smell. This is another thing I'm starting to resent. The quality of the goods served is very poor. Especially seafood. They make $5 Chines take out look particular. You can't even experiment because you know anything "exotic" won't be fresh. The noodles were tasteless (as they must be). The fish sauce (that you have to employ) is a poor major component. It's like the first Vietnamese ate this and then one day said "This is so bland. The fish sauce isn't working for me. Can I at least get the water from the pot with it"? And pho was born. I hope they can come up with some new dishes because there is no reason to come here (or anywhere) as it is. Just pick the closest Vietnamese place and go there, They are all identical. *Another disconnect is that this "traditional" menu has two Thai dishes on it.
The place looks ok except for the misplaced logo and neon sign. The "traditional" décor is at odds with them. The tables and seats are wood. The chair frames are metal. Wood wainscoting. Black ceiling. Gray walls. Some nice art work. It seats about ninety. Bar against back wall. Window views of traffic. Nine people there. They still asked me to move to another table (from the one the host seated me at) even with no dinner rush probable. Unsurprisingly, no new customers came in after me. It opened in May. Not open Monday. Parking in back. On 50. SusHi next door. Obviously I'm not recommending it. I don't know if you saw Rock of Ages. In it, they make a boy band called Z Boyz. with a z on the end. That is the joke. They think the Z makes it better. It doesn't. It makes it worse. Way worse.
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