By Rick Nelson, Star Tribune January 23, 2008 excerpts - Obento-Ya Japanese BistroAfter running a wholesale sushi operation for a few years, Kjersten and Mie Winters decided to try their hand at the restaurant business. They have succeeded with their charming Obento-Ya Japanese Bistro. Kjersten is a former Marine who fell for the food -- and Mie -- when
he was stationed in Japan. The two of them turn out a menu that's
roughly divided into three parts: bento boxes, sushi and robata. The
bentos, a refined version of a school lunch tray, feature some kind of
simply prepared protein (ginger-marinated pork, grilled salmon,
sake-glazed cod), steamed rice, a tossed field-greens salad, a small
bowl of piping hot miso soup and a scoop of mashed potato salad. It's
big eating on a small budget; most full-meal combos fall in the $7 to $8
range. . . ChinDian CafeNina Wong knows the restaurant business. She worked at her family's hugely popular Rainbow Chinese Restaurant and Bar for nearly two decades before striking out on her own a few years ago with East River Market, a small grocery and deli. Since then, her personal and professional lives have evolved; she married customer Thomas Gnanapragasam, they have a 10-month-old daughter, Tia, and together the couple has converted the largely stop-and-shop enterprise into ChinDian Cafe. The new name on the door reflects the couple's collective heritages: Wong was born in Vietnam to Chinese parents, and Gnanapragasam is third-generation Malaysian with Indian roots. . .link to full article ** Both Obento-Ya and Chindian Cafe are located in the Como neighborhood. |
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