News

Asian Box opens in California

March 4, 2012

San Francisco-based FK Restaurants & Hospitality has announced the opening of its Asian Box concept in Palo Alto, Calif. The concept was inspired by Asian street food carts and showcases traditional cooking methods and recipes made with fresh and local ingredients.

Under the direction of executive chef Grace Nguyen — formerly of Charles Phan’s Slanted Door and Out The Door — Asian Box fuses Western locavore cuisine with the foods found throughout Southeast Asia. The menu and facility are completely gluten-free, fulfilling CEO Frank Klein’s desire to offer guests an authentic dining experience that is healthy and made to order. Klein and his partners will open two additional Asian Box locations in the San Francisco Bay Area in 2012.

“I love Asian cuisine but have always found it challenging to find places offering fresh and authentic menus, especially in the fast casual sector,” Klein said. “Asian Box evolved from the idea of the kind of restaurant I’d want to eat at and introduce to my family and friends.”

Asian Box’s approach is summed up in its tagline: “What’s in Your Box?” These four words refer not only to the compostable packaging in which the cuisine is served, but also references the importance of knowing how the food gets to the plate.

With menu items starting at $6.95, Asian Box allows guests to create their own “boxes” by selecting from a number of ingredients. Diners can choose from vegetable salad, rice noodles with mushroom broth, brown rice or white rice as a base and add main proteins such aslemongrass marinated pork, garlic and soy glazed beef and coconut curry tofu.

A selection of wok steamed or wok spiced vegetables, crispy shallots, fresh jalapeno, caramel eggs, and more than a dozen additional toppers allow guests to create a box based on their combination preferences. Housemade sauces include Miss Jones’ Sriracha, Asian Box Tamarind Vinaigrette, and Asian Street Dust, a secret blend of herbs and spices. The crown jewel of housemade sauces for Asian Box is the HotBoxIt, made from California-grown Asian peppers. These sauces, along with Asian Street Dust, will be bottled and available in-store, online and at local retailers.

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