It was difficult to tell what cuisine they are going for at Jade Eatery & Lounge, a new restaurant tucked into a sleepy, nondescript Hicksville strip mall. But if I had to pin it down, I might say “Las Vegas.” A minuscule sign tacked out front stated, “Modern Asian fusion,” but inside, the vast room was packed with a hodgepodge of Zen imagery, including a 20-foot-tall golden Buddha that fills the space with glowing energy.
Arriving early, we snag a coveted seat by the room-length koi pond just as a server feeds the shimmering orange fish, and they follow our fingers as we stretch them out over the water. Inside the black folder on the table is a tablet with an endless array of menu categories and subcategories, a staggering selection of Chinese, Indian, Thai and budget sushi options that is difficult to navigate. Dining at Jade Eatery & Lounge in Hicksville is marked by decor that makes an impact, including an indoor koi pond.
. Credit: Noah Fecks Asian fusion restaurants aren’t typically the type of establishment that food snobs flock to. But over the past few years, the genre has been undergoing a quiet renaissance.
And today you’d be surprised at some of the dishes you can find. As Jade heats up with date-night revelers and large parties of women in delicate silk hijabs, a server brings an ingenious appetizer, one I’d never seen before: a long rectangular plate of candied lotus root, bright-red and sticky, like Panda Express chicken. The crisp tubers bring bac.