When did the Asian fusion trend take over the world? Did I miss the memo? I’m not sure how I feel about all this “fusioning.” On the one hand, I love places like Watermoon in Rye and Kuma Inn in Manhattan. On the other hand it bothers me a little that fusion is muddling up the unique and individual qualities of Asian cuisines— especially if a restaurant doesn’t have expertise with any of them. Like the saying goes, “Jack of all trades. Master of none.”
This all makes it sound like I’d be poo-pooing the arrival of Hito Asian Bistro & Sushi Bar in White Plains. Quite the opposite actually; I’m excited when any Asian restaurant comes to Westchester. And you know what? Hito has some kinks to work out, but as the restaurant meetup and I found out, it’s got potential.
The staff were certainly friendly and attentive— and not afraid to make suggestions. I ordered a wonton soup to start. One waitress didn’t seem to agree with the choice.
“You sure you don’t want to try the hot and sour?”
“Uhh, I don’t know,” I said, a bit surprised. ”You tell me— which is better?”
“The hot and sour. It’s not that hot, but it’s very good.”
She seemed determined to dissuade me from wonton, so I was game (besides, hot and sour IS one of my favorite soups). She brought it over and said, “You tell me what you think. If you don’t like it we’ll get you something else.”
Good soup, but I’ve had better. I like it darker and thicker, with shredded pieces of pork. And the waitress was right— the soup had the sour, but it needed much more of the hot.
While the sushi bar is clearly the star of the show, the rest of the menu at Hito is a mix of Japanese, Chinese and Southeast Asian. I’m not sure “fusion” is the right word though. There’s some crossover of flavors and sauces, but for the most part the menu feels more like a collection, rather than a fusion, of Asian cuisines.
Krysia’s mango shrimp, served up in its own mango shell, looked worthy of a pic. And according to Krysia, it tasted worthy too.
My Szechuan peppercorn shrimp was fragrant and flavorful, with a nice warming heat from the peppercorns.
The shrimp were enormous and there were plenty of them. Shrimp dishes are often a few dinky shrimp and lots of filler. Not here— good portion size all around.
I’m worried how Hito’s doing— on the day the restaurant meetup and I went, it was mostly empty— I’ve read comments from others that it’s been empty when they’ve gone too. I get the feeling that at two months old, they’re still sorting things out; they don’t have their liquor license yet and the dessert list of just ice cream is paltry (no mochi— I asked). Also, sushi aside, the rest of the menu could use more creative juice. Some of the dishes are rather pedestrian (beef and broccoli looks glaringly ordinary in a restaurant owned by a former chef at Nobu); why not push the menu in more imaginative directions…
I hope the folks at Hito take some more chances with their food. They’ve already got the makings of something good— nice decor, big portions and reasonable prices. Let’s see if they can make it even better.
GRADE: B
Hito Asian Bistro & Sushi Bar
106 Westchester Ave.
White Plains, NY 10601
914-428-2626
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Tags: hito asian bistro, sushi, white plains