Ming Tsai, the famous chef of Blue Ginger restaurant in Wellesley and tv star of Simply Ming fame, will open Blue Dragon in Boston this month. The Ivy League-educated Tsai, 48, is expected to bring his expertly crafted dishes to a whole new level.
The Improper Bostonian's piece on Tsai describes the new eatery as a "relatively small" 75-seat "Asian gastropub." It also features many interesting tidbits about Tsai, including his family background and his journey to stardom (hint: he got an engineering degree for his parents' sake, but was much better suited to be a chef). Tsai describes the naming process for the restaurant in his typically whimsical fashion:
Like Blue Ginger, Blue Dragon's name was mostly Polly Tsai's whimsy. "'Blue is my favorite color, ginger is the best spice, this is the year of the dragon,'" he recounts of his wife's thought process. "The key to a restaurant name is: Can you pronounce it? Can you spell it? If not, f*** it, it's over."
Tsai reveals on Food&Wine that one of the dishes he will serve at Blue Dragon is "Asian Sloppy Joe Sliders," and he provides a complete recipe in case you are interested in trying your hand at his special brand of cuisine.
Boston Waterfront Guide reveals that Blue Dragon "will feature a full bar, burgers and sandwiches for lunch, and an Asian Fusion menu for dinner."
However, Tsai apparently does not like the term "fusion" as it brings to mind cooking that is less than terrific.
Blue Dragon Boston already has a Twitter account, where tweets have been steadily streaming in anticipation of the opening this month:
Looking for talented, dedicated professionals to join our team! Open interviews this Sunday from 11-5pm 324 A St. Boston @chefmingtsai
@Mariobatali Looking forward to rocking the Four Point Channel area of Boston together
The last one is apparently in reference to fellow celebrity chef Mario Batali opening a restaurant in the Boston area in 2013 as well. Here's looking forward to an extraordinary gastronomical year.
