By: Sarah McGovern
It's the weekend. You and your family are getting ready to eat dinner. Your dad is craving sushi, while your sister insists that you all eat from a Chinese restaurant. You can sense a family debate rising, almost ensuring you will not be getting dinner anytime soon. Luckily there is a place in Scarsdale, New York that can accommodate everyone's Asian cuisine craving. South East Asian. Otherwise known as SEA.
SEA is located in the heart of Scarsdale village. High school and college students and families can be found dining here on any typical night. Sadly, as we all know the time we are living in is far from typical. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, SEA has closed seating to customers and currently only allows takeout orders. It's not all that bad, at least your dad and sister can get their Asian food craving fulfilled and you get to eat one of your favorite sushi rolls.
How does eating restaurant food work during a pandemic?
Customers now must call ahead to order their food; they are then given an order number and a time to arrive at the restaurant. Upon arrival, there is a sign outside the restaurant instructing the customer to call and share with the restaurant workers that they arrived to pick up their food. The restaurant workers place the bag of food onto a table in the foyer of the restaurant. Then the customer is interested to grab the bag of food while walking through the already propped open door.
The sign outside SEA. Through the window is my takeout order waiting for me to pick up.
This contactless pickup is essential to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus during the COVID-19 pandemic. According to the CDC social distancing guidelines, the coronavirus is spread to people in close contact within about six-feet. It happens when an infected person coughs, sneezes or talks, and droplets from their mouth or nose are launched into the air and land in the mouth or noses of people nearby. The system that the SEA workers have set up to give food to customers ensures that the customer and the worker will be further than six feet from each other, preventing the spread of the virus. While this way of eating restaurant food is not ideal, it works for the time being and keeps everyone safe.
How should you order?
SEA is a Pan-Asain restaurant offering a wide variety of Asian cuisine. Just look how much they have to offer on their menu.
SEA has large portions, and these dishes are sized perfectly to share with family and friends, excellent for family-style dining. One huge plus side to ordering family-style at SEA is that you can try a variety of their delicious dishes instead of having to pick just one. Another plus to ordering family-style is that you could save money when dining. According to Lorri Mealey, a writer for The Balance, eating family-style if done right could have better food costs than a traditional menu.
Time to Grub
I dream about South East Asian's Crispy Sesame Chicken. This is a customer favorite at SEA. The restaurant takes nugget sized white meat chicken pieces and dips it in a batter. Creating a crispy outer layer of goodness on the chicken. Then the chicken is doused in gooey sesame sauce and served with steamed broccoli. The crispy chicken with the gooey sesame sauce is a fantastic combo and completely melts in your mouth while you eat it. This dish could be shared with about three people, as long as other food is ordered.
Crispy Sesame Chicken. So mouth watering!
You can never go wrong when ordering a classic yet delicious pad thai dish from SEA. South East Asian prepares their thin rice noodles with a traditional tasting pad thai sauce, along with red onions, a variety of both sweet and spicy peppers, slivered carrots, and a slice of lime on the side to add some acidity to the dish. In addition, customers can add any meat they want to, including shrimp, steak, or chicken. According to Dave Maclean, a writer for the Independent UK, there is a scientific reason why pad thai is so delicious, it hits all five flavor profiles in the mouth, salty, sour, sweet, spicy, and bitter. Also, take a look at the size of the dish, it's gigantic, four or more people definitely could share those noodles.
Pad Thai. The lime on the side makes this dish so yummy!
If heavier dishes like the sesame chicken or pad thai aren’t for you, South East Asian has a ton of sushi roll options for you. If you love spicy sushi you should try out the Volcano Roll. It features spicy crunchy tuna, with avocado inside special hot chili sauce and tobiko on the top. If you're wondering what tobiko is, don't worry, I wasn't sure either. According to Great British Chefs, tobiko is fish roe (caviar) and looks like a small pearl-like orange blob. It has a seaweed-like taste with a crunchy texture, making it the perfect pairing on top of a spicy tuna roll. The fish at SEA is always fresh, and because of that, this roll melts in your mouth. You could share this roll with others or do what I usually do, and keep it all to yourself.
Top: Yellowtail & Jalapeño Roll. Bottom: Volcano Roll
If you are not into specialty rolls and are looking for something a little more basic yet still spicy, the jalapeño yellowtail roll would be perfect for you. This roll is so refreshing. It is merely yellowtail with jalapeno, rolled in nori, and white rice, nothing more. In addition to how yummy this roll is there are so super good health benefits. According to rbsushi, yellowtail is high in protein and is one of the best sources for omega-3 fatty acids. These healthy fats are packed with a wide range of benefits, including reducing blood pressure, decreasing inflammation, and even improving mood. The same thing goes for this roll as with the volcano roll; you could share this roll with others or just keep it all to yourself.
In addition to these fantastic foods, there are tons of other options to eat, such as their chicken with hot peppers and peanuts. Along with many vegetarian options, including veggie rolls and spring rolls. SEA is terrific when it comes to working with their customer's dietary needs and wishes. This truly is a place where anyone could go and find something they want to eat on the menu.
First Picture: Spring Rolls. Second Picture: Chicken with Hot Peppers & Peanuts.
Although takeout isn't always as fun as eating in the restaurant, local restaurants and businesses need community support during this time. The coronavirus has created a crisis within the local business economy. According to the ILSR, most small businesses don't have the credit and capital to weather the coronavirus pandemic. The average restaurant only has enough cash in reserve to remain open for 16 days. If you have the means to support a local business like SEA, definitely make sure to do so. You can even make takeout fun by taking the food to a park and having a picnic, or ordering family style from your favorite restaurant.