(January 23, 2009)

A little over a year ago, I had the pleasure to report on the debut of new restaurant in the Wearhouse district. It's called Imperia and I'm pleased to report that there is very little danger of the "sophomore slump" here. They've added a beautiful new Sushi bar helmed by Tatsusan and hot young chef George Thomas has taken over the exec chef reins from Joe Tellus. The theme is Asian and the place is uber cool.

Thomas has added some new small-plate specialties to complement stalwarts such as the Edamame Dumplings and the Duck Hosin Scallion Cakes. His Crab Cake is exemplary. It's a simple dish refelecting his Baltimore heritage with lump crab, miso, sugar, egg and finished with panko breadcrumbs..but the flavor will blow you away. And the Crispy Pan Fried Chili Soft Shell Crabs is another Thomas innovation that calls out, no shouts out, for your immediate consumption. The crabs are wok fried and they are immensely tender as they should be. And new on the menu as well is the Kobe Beef Tartar with Japanese pickles and sunny side up quail eggs. If one is going to do tartar you might as well begin with Kobe. And the tender morsels of beef taste like something you might get at the NYC Kobe emporium Megu. Another addition is the sauteed Diver Scallops which Thomas wisely prersents from the minamlist side: and thery are a delight.

The larger plate entrees at Imperia have always been most impressive. The stunning Dragon Rib is a keeper but let's look at the Peking Duck this time. This is a dish with spicy marinated tuna, black r of patient perfection and Imperia presents a version of this quintissential Chinese delight that is tender and resonating with beautiful flavors. This is a must try. As is the Crispy Fried Whole Fish. The key to this dish is texture. I've had versions of this that have been overcooked. But the Imperia version is faithful to the imperatives of this painstaking dish and the result is a fulsoime and very interesting amalgam of flavors.

Chef Tatsu has also been a valuable addition to Imperia. An alumnus of Musashino, Tatsu has his own uniqe style as most sushi masters do. And the sushi bar at Imperia is impressive. Take for example the Red Devil Roll. With spicy marinated tuna, black sushi rice, roasted bell peppers topped with spicy mayo this is a signature from Tatsu as are many others in his domain. And do try the Kampache which features fragrant hamachi with an intriguing sugar and lemon zest.

The key to a great restaurant, and Imperia is deservedly in my Top 20, is to continue to evolve. As you can see from today's samplings, they have continued to do that in a most impressive manner. They are next to Sullivan's on Colorado at 4th. The mood is cool and sleek and the food delivers like the crack of a Chinese firecracker.

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