Tony's Asian Fusion Restaurant & Lounge

Only in America would you find a place like Tony's Asian Fusion Restaurant & Lounge. This bustling East End spot serves Japanese, Chinese and Thai fare, plus a smattering of Vietnamese dishes. Co-owner Tony Liu was born in China; his partner, Tony Asta, is of Italian descent. Six Chinese chefs staff the kitchen. They're fluent in several culinary languages.

One chilly night, I was warmed by a bracing bowl of Thai tom ka gai, chicken coconut soup sparked with lime juice. Tom yum goong, hot and sour shrimp lemongrass soup, was moderately fiery, eminently pleasing. In comparison, mixed vegetable and tofu soup tasted wan. So did Chinese hot and sour soup, which wasn't hot in either temperature or spiciness.

A properly cool Vietnamese summer roll - rice paper enfolding crunchy shredded lettuce, bean sprouts, rice noodles and shrimp - was a refreshing harbinger of the warm months to come. Another Vietnamese starter, beef and shrimp crepes, were actually shrimp crackers topped with grilled beef and shrimp, rice noodles, scallions, chiles and chopped peanuts. I found it a flavorful if unwieldy dish.

Sushi? Surely. The "red dragon roll" (salmon slices draped atop a filling of spicy salmon) proved fresh and lively. So, too, did the "New York" roll, comprised of tuna, yellowtail, salmon, avocado, scallions and roe. An entree of tuna and yellowtail sashimi was pristine and artfully plated.

The kitchen also comes through with more-than-competent Chinese specialties. Tender squid in a slightly sweet black bean sauce was satisfying, as was a composite called shrimp and steak "Q" - filet mignon and shrimp in a brown sauce with baby corn, broccoli and straw mushrooms. It's the Thai food, though, that firmly places Tony's on the dining-destination map. Barbecue lamb ribs - eight perfect chops - were infused with smokiness, topped with a complex and compelling basil sauce. Other standouts included crisp-skinned duck with a spicy-sweet Penang curry sauce and fruity, fragrant mango chicken. Then, there was "drunken" salmon, delicate grilled fish topped with the nuanced basil sauce and accompanied by a bright mango and avocado salad. Gad phad prik haeng, a vivifying stir-fry of chicken with string beans, asparagus and cashews, arrived extra-spicy, as ordered. Banh thit nuong, Vietnamese-style grilled pork over rice noodles, were meaty, smoky and tender, paired with nuoc nam, a zippy dipping sauce.

Finales are decidedly non-Asian. Tartufo is offered, as is sorbet in hollowed-out whole fruit, such as lemon, peach and coconut. You can find those same desserts at many Long Island Italian restaurants. What you won't find so readily, especially on the tony East End, is a repertoire as reasonably priced and gratifying as Tony's.

Reviewed by Joan Reminick, 5/27/05.