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RuYi brings "quick casual" Asian to Potawatomi
A ruyi is a Chinese good luck charm -- often made of jade, ivory, coral or other precious materials -- and one that often has a serpentine shape. They connote prosperity, longevity and good fortune and were often bestowed as gifts to bring good luck.
RuYi is also the name of the new pan-Asian noodle-focused restaurant in the expanded Potawatomi Bingo Casino, 1721 W. Canal St., in the Menomonee Valley.
RuYi's menu features Chinese, Japanese, Thai and Hmong dishes but emphasizes noodle dishes. It's pretty clear from the open layout of the restaurant that while not offering "fast food," RuYi is adapted to a grab and go meal.
"Yes, it will be a fast dining experience," says Potawatomi Food and Beverage Director Michael Tsuchihashi.
"In Asia a lot of restaurants are located at busy intersections and in train stations where people want a quick bite and noodles are adapted to that. We went with that emphasis ... quick casual.
"There are a lot of areas in the restaurant, an island counter, a service counter. It's got a lot of spaces for single diners and that's unique for us here at the casino."
A projected menu includes appetizers like fresh Vietnamese basil spring rolls and Chinese chicken lettuce wraps alongside entrees like Japanese seafood udon, spicy volcano chicken tenders with rice noodles and Korean bulgolgi. Desserts will include coconut milk tea with tapioca, bubble tea and green and red bean milk teas with tapioca.
Tsuchihashi estimates the average diner will spend about $12 on a meal at RuYi, which is open daily from 11 a.m. until 4 a.m.
The gorgeous space, decorated in elaborate tile work and Asian icons, uses the ruyi's snaking shape to great effect, slithering reds and golds -- colors that spell good luck in China -- through the dining area, which has a range of tables and counter space that, together, can accommodate 90 diners.
"RuYi," says Tsuchihashi, "is Chinese for 'as you wish.' Gaming and superstition go together, so we want it to be a good luck charm. We looked at a cross section of all the restaurants we have here at the casino and we already had a lot of different food stylings, but not Asian, so it made natural sense."
Tsuchihashi -- who is half Japanese and lived in Asia for six years -- says that diners will find RuYi to be just like the real thing.
"We have a lot of Asian guests here at the casino," he notes. "It's important for us to have an authentic restaurant and we thought the name helped."
"It's going to be a fun restaurant and authentic rather than interpretive."
Tsuchihashi hopes the restaurant is ready for a soft opening this week. The renovated casino's grand opening takes place Thursday, June 19.
The expanded casino is also home to a higher-profile Dream Dance location, which has expanded seating capacity. A new location for the popular Buffet also seats more diners. Wild Earth, which offers less expensive fine dining that Dream Dance opens upstairs in July.
Talkbacks
jtisfly | Aug. 24, 2008 at 4:55 p.m. (report)
Makes Wong's Wok look like Charlie Trotter's! We recently dined at Ru Yi before a show and had high hopes. The space is decorated nicely and the menu looked interesting. Unfortunately, the dumplings, a "house specialty" were leaden and doughy. My husband's lo mien was acceptable but my udon was flavorless and full of gristly and fatty meat. Service needs a lot of work too - we were charged for a more expensive entree but just wanted to leave rather than argue. The lady next to us was charged $28 for a $8 order of potstickers. Oh, and there is no wine list unless you like sticky sweet plum wine. The only upside here was that the prices were very reasonable, so at least you don't pay a lot to eat badly.
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milvtecguy | July 1, 2008 at 6:44 p.m. (report)
I recently dined at your RuYi restaurant. My guest and I were both excited to try the food after seeing the wide variety of Asian nationalities covered by the menu. My order was the Pad Thai with chicken. The dish had no seasoning at all, making it very bland. It was simply nothing more than noodles with chicken and vegetables. There was none of the taste associated with the dish present. The chicken was dry, and the food was warm at best when it was served. There was probably as much tofu in the dish as there was noodle. The only upside to the entire dish was the nicely cooked vegetables. I do not know if you were aiming for the traditional version which is dry and light, or the more westernized version; either way it feel short. It was honestly the worst tasting Asian food I have ever had at a restaurant. My guest ordered the Red Curry with beef. The beef was cooked nicely, the rice was not overly cooked, and the variety of vegetables present complimented the dish nicely. However the yams were barely cooked, making them very difficult to even chew. Root vegetables should be thoroughly cooked, not left crisp like others...no one wants to bite into a crunchy potato. The sauce was average at best, and was over powered by an excessive amount of coconut milk. If we were the type of people who would send a dish back to the kitchen, we both would have done so. The decor was nice, and the server was friendly and always there when something was needed. If it wasn't for the terrible food it would have been a nice culinary experience. I do not look at myself as any type of food critic, I just know good food from bad, and this was bad.
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