Simply Wonderful
By Todd Lyon
From the New Haven Register
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| Formosa co-owners Shanyu Chang, left,
and his wife, May Chang. Their daughter,
Carrie Chang, is in the background
with her husband, Jack Yj Liu. Peter Hvizdak/Register |
Route 17 — aka Middletown Avenue — is one of my personal roads most traveled. My sister lives in Northford, you understand, and so I routinely take that exit off I-91, and locomote my Toyota past the Cine 4, U.S. Surgical and, until recently, the Ambers Restaurant, famous for its ribs.
Last year, that familiar landscape started to change. Ambers closed its doors after 30-plus years, and a new Asian restaurant began to emerge in its place.
When Formosa opened in October of ’06, I was initially suspicious: that dreaded "fusion" word was splayed across its wide facade. It’s a word I’ve seen bandied about too often, and I worried that Formosa would offer bland, incoherent versions of various Asian cuisines.
Turns out, Formosa is wonderful.
I found that out two weeks ago, when our party of five stormed the place on a Tuesday night. We ordered with abandon: appetizers of sushi, ribs and pot stickers; entrees of Shrimp Pad Thai, Coconut Curry Chicken, Steak Formosa and more.
When five people order five appetizers, five entrees and three desserts, and everyone is happy, you know you’ve got a winner on your hands.
What’s more, the place looks great. On one side, a stylish dining room with hushed lighting and cushy banquettes; on the other, a modern lounge surrounding a bar with hydraulic seats that rise and fall at will.
Formosa is the result of a collaboration between restaurant veterans — husband and wife May and Shanyu Chang, who launched their first restaurant in New York in 1989, and subsequently opened the highly regarded Szechuan Delight on Dixwell Avenue in Hamden, which they still own and operate.
In 2005, their daughter Carrie married Jack Yj Liu, and thus the next generation emerged: They envisioned a restaurant combining varied disciplines and techniques that integrated the cuisines of China, Japan, Thailand, Vietnam, Italy and more.
"Too many Americans think that Asian food means cheap take-out, or poor service," says Jack, who is chef de cuisine and general manager of Formosa. "We want to provide fine dining without breaking the wallet."
There is such variety on Formosa’s menu that I can barely begin to describe it. But I must say that everything I sampled there — from sushi rolls to filet mignon — was outstanding.
Our service was also excellent, and we’re now officially friends-for-life with Endry (known to most as "Henry"), who cared for us with a combination of sass and service that will go down in history.
I’ll say it again: Formosa is wonderful.
Todd Lyon of New Haven is a freelance writer. She can be reached at toddlyon@earthlink.net. |
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