Shi Restaurant, Bar, and Lounge

08/10/10

High Class Ambiance, Supermarket Quality

by pchenh at Citysearch

It's hard for me to tell what reviews are real and what are fake these days. When I see a restaurant with 4.5 stars out of 5, I expected to be blown away. I was, however, blown away by how bad the rolls were.

Let's start with the appetizers, they were good. Not amazing, the lychee calamari sounds great, but in reality, was just the run of the mill tempura-fried calamari. The Kobe Carpaccio wasnt bad, but pricey for what you got. The beef satay only came with TWO skewers. I NEVER had a satay appetizer come with less than three until now. And they were skinny skewers.

The sushi rolls, there were 3 of us, and we ordered 6 rolls, kamaikaze, spicy crunch, the Gantry, toro, and two other ones. This is where I gave them 1 star, the waitress winked at us and said that would be plenty of food. Given the many other restaurants I've been too, three rolls could fill two people, so I figured 5 rolls would fill three.

When the rolls came, I was just shocked how small the rolls were. I've seen supermarket sushi larger than these. They were tiny. 6pcs each, about the size of a a roll of pennies. Yes that small. My gf was even shocked.. And don't get me started over Quality over Quantity, they were lacking in that dept too.

I'd give this place 2 or 3 stars, but granted the number of outrageous 5 stars, I had to leave a honest, accurate review that would show the true grade of this restaurant.

I've been to sushi places far and away better than this for less the price. Bai and Takara to name a few are some of my favorites in Queens.

Perhaps the other no sushi dishes are better, but then dont call it SHI and make people think your some high end trendy sushi restaurant.

07/21/10

Fabulous location, decor and food

by godley113 at Citysearch

I have been to this wonderful spot several times since it 1st opened and have always enjoyed myself. Whether it's been for a meal or a party, we (and our guests) have always come away happy. First of all, the food is very tasty and creative. The staff has always been attentive and friendly. If the owners are in the house, they come by to ask how everything is going and always leave us impressed with their warmth and eagerness to please. The location is just off the water and you have a magnificent view of Manhattan. I suggest you grab a table outside when the weather's nice and there's availability. The bar area is very Manhattan-ish, i.e. attractive and cool. We wish it were closer but, still, it's still worth the drive!

• Pros: Fresh, tasty food made the way you like it
• Cons: Not closer to where I live

07/06/10

terrible service

by sam100 at Citysearch

Average Pan-Asian fare. Terrible service

We had reservations but were told we would have to wait because they don't expect large groups to all show up on time. Then the hostess proceeded to rudely tell the people sitting at our table that "their time was up" when they were ordering dessert. So finally about 45 min later we got a table.

After being seated we waited for another 15 for the waiter to come over. We told him that we were ready to order but the waiter said that he was only going to take our drink order. We told him to at least put in some appetizers because we were starving and had already been at the restaurant for OVER AN HOUR. Finally about 10 min later he took our food order.

He proceeded to bring our drinks out one at a time with 5 min in between each one. I finally got mine after the food was served. One of my friends never got his drink. We had to go ask the bartender for it ourselves.

They started bringing our entrees. I asked the waiter what happen to our apps. He said that he forgot to put them in. So we canceled the apps. One of friends never got her entree. We had to ask the manager to get her food. They told us we would get free dessert. We said "no thanks" we just want to go. But they made us wait for another 15 mins for 2 desserts for 8 people to split before giving us the check.

Only go here if you have a lot of free time and are not that picking about actually getting the food you ordered. Take the time to cross the bridge to Manhattan if this is your only options for Asian in LIC. Trust me it will be faster.

• Pros: nothing
• Cons: long wait, bad service

06/17/10

Amazing Amazing AMAZING!

by cinpon at Citysearch

I NEVER write reviews, but felt the need to in this case as my experience with SHI was incredible!

I had a surprise bachelorette party here last week. Just stepping into the space blew me away! Gorgeous decor and atmosphere. My friends were all having cocktails and passed hors d'oeuvres. Both were top notch and kept coming which was great! :-)

We sat for brunch which was also delicious. Everyone kept saying what a great time they were having (and these are not easy people to please)

Staff was incredibly helpful even helping with packages and parking. Loved My experience at SHI! I don't live nearby, but I will most definitely be back!

Thank you Shi to you and your staff for helping to make my special day such a memorable one!

• Pros: impeccable service/decor/food & drink
• Cons: Non

01/19/10

LIC's Chic Asian Fusion

by Foodista at Citysearch

Atmosphere:

SHI is located on Center Boulevard on the waterfront. The actual restaurant is found on the ground floor of a luxury high-rise apartment building. And although this could sometimes be a drawback--housing complex restaurants tend to be devoid of character--SHI doesn't fall into this trap. On the contrary, it has so much spark and individuality that it pleasantly surprised me.

The doors are heavy and made of dark, carved wood. They're mysterious and make you wonder what's in store beyond them. The interior is modern and not over-designed--the artwork is sparse and there's a cool-looking chandelier in the back of the dining room. SHI's best features are its floor to ceiling windows that showcase a gorgeous view of the Manhattan skyline.

Food:

Bacon Wrapped Shrimp - This was an appetizer that I split with my husband and it just immediately spoke to me. Aside from the seafood-bacon combo, which I love, the outside of it was fried. I know that this is complete gluttony but it was just so damn good. The tart vinegar sauce that was served on the side of it was also nice--very flavorful and refreshing.

Popcorn Beef - Immediately intrigued by its name, I was again drawn to it like with the bacon shrimp. I was expecting the beef to be small and perhaps round but when it came out, I just couldn't understand why they called it "popcorn." Regardless of my confusion, the beef tasted amazing. It was super crispy on the outside and so tangy from the sweet and sour sauce. The heartiness of this dish was diffused by fresh veggies such as carrots and peppers. I'd get this again without a doubt.

General Tso's Chicken - My husband ordered this and was very satisfied with it. I tasted it too and recognized it to be a good version of its kind--a simple sweet and spicy fried chicken served with steamed broccoli. In his own words "it was just a solid, well done General Tso's."

Sushi - Two of our friends we dined with ordered sushi. While I didn't try it because there wasn't too much on their plates, they seemed to enjoy it--their only complaint was about the small portion. I'd suggest getting a small side if you decide to go with a sushi entree.

The Chocolate Molt - Since not everyone was completely full at the end of our meal, we decided to get dessert. The chocolate molt promised a gooey, flourless chocolate cake, which we were all psyched to try. Although what we received was delicious, it was by no means molten--there was no silky chocolate oozing from its middle, which was a little disappointing.

Service and Cost:

I sometimes find that because of a language barrier at Asian restaurants, the service isn't always what you want it to be. However, at SHI it is. Our waiter was friendly and not afraid to give suggestions. He made a couple of jokes and definitely relaxed us. The food came out on-time, which is always a plus--especially when dining late at night.

The prices are fair and comparable to other Asian restaurants in the neighborhood. Appetizers range between $2-8, entrees between $7.50-$19 and desserts are somewhere in the $5-$7 range.

• Pros: Gorgeous atmosphere, spectacular city view, delicious food
• Cons: Far-ish from subway.