Wabi-Sabi Is Welcomed in Columbia City

Today is opening day for Wabi-Sabi, Thoa Nguyen's newest restaurant. We last reported about her self-named downtown restaurant (we're still savoring memories of the Vietnamese steak frites), but now Thoa is back her old neighborhood, bringing much-awaited Asian food to the current offerings.

We went to the pre-opening party last night where, as in the photo, Thoa (lower right) was working the crowd while her two sons sent out rolls from the sushi counter, along with tempura and other tastes from the kitchen. A peek at the menu revealed many Japanese standards (we're curious as to the quality of the ramen), as well as some Korean and Hawaiian-influenced dishes. One in our group was especially pleased with the gyoza, remarking that they were perfectly pan-fried instead of deep-fried.

We'll be wanting to check back on the restaurant in some time, but for now, we're challenged in trying to figure out what wabi-sabi actually means.