Guests will soon know the answer to the question “What’s in Your Box?” when San Francisco’s FK Restaurants & Hospitality debuts its Asian Box concept in Palo Alto, California, on Friday at 5 p.m.
Inspired by Asian street food carts, Asian Box will showcase traditional cooking methods and recipes made with fresh and local ingredients. Under the direction of Executive Chef Grace Nguyen—formerly of Charles Phan’s acclaimed Slanted Door and Out The Door—Asian Box will fuse Western locavore cuisine with the colorful, flavorful foods found throughout Southeast Asia.
Its menu will be completely gluten-free, fulfilling CEO Frank Klein’s desire to offer guests an authentic dining experience that is fun, exciting, healthy, and quick. Klein and his partners will open two additional Asian Box locations in the San Francisco Bay Area this year.
“I love Asian cuisine but have always found it challenging to find places offering fresh and authentic menus, especially in the fast-casual sector,” Klein says. “Asian Box evolved from the idea of the kind of restaurant I’d want to eat at and introduce to my family and friends.”
To hear more from Klein and his team at Asian Box, watch the video below!
Asian Box’s menu will offer a variety of items guests might find at a street cart, while simplifying the ordering process. With menu items starting at $6.95, Asian Box allows guests to create their own “boxes” by selecting from a number of ingredients. Diners are invited to choosefrom Asian Vegetable Salad, Rice Noodles with Mushroom Broth, Brown Rice or White Rice and add main events such asLemongrass Marinated Pork, Garlic and Soy Glazed Beef, and Coconut Curry Tofu, for example.
A selection of wok steamed or wok spiced vegetables, crispy shallots, fresh jalapeno, caramel eggs, and more than a dozen additional toppers allow guests to create a box based on their preferences and experience a different combination every time they visit.
Housemade sauces include Miss Jones’ Sriracha, Asian Box Tamarind Vinaigrette, and Asian Street Dust™ ($.25), a top secret blend of exotic herbs and spices. The crown jewel of housemade sauces for Asian Box is the HotBoxIt sauce ($.75), made from California-grown Asian peppers.
The sauces, along with Asian Street Dust, will be bottled and available in-store, online, and at local retailers.
The first location will be in Palo Alto’s Town & Country Village.
