When you're out on the islands off of St. Pete, most of the restaurants you see are independent joints, small operations that can weather seasonal shifts in clientele, slow times and the lack of a large base of neighborhood regulars, scattered piecemeal down Gulf Blvd. Until, that is, you get to John's Pass Village on Madeira Beach. Amidst nautical kitsch and souvenir stores — and a real-live miniature pirate ship! — there is an enclave of chain restaurants mixed with independent outlets, places like Hooters and Bubba Gump Shrimp Company sharing the same block with pizza joints and enough ice cream stands to cool off a million tourists.
The newest restaurant to enter this dense fray is another chain, although folks outside of Indiana likely haven't encountered it before: Naked Tchopstix, a pan-Asian restaurant and lounge. There are six Tchopstix locations, all scattered around the Indianapolis area, except for this one.
The Tchopstix menu is a welcome addition to John's Pass Village, its sushi and Korean barbecue a counterpoint to the abundance of bar food, oysters and pizza that surround it. And, considering its neighbors, Tchopstix's saving grace might be that it's a little less mainstream than the competition. In fact, the restaurant's blend of Japanese and Korean cuisine isn't exactly common in Pinellas, so it may lure people out from the mainland for a visit.
Tchopstix's Japanese offerings center largely around a massive sushi list, ranging from the usual overblown "signature" rolls to tidy and well-constructed nigiri. Many of those rolls are more for novelty's sake than thoughtful eating, like the Rainbow Roll — with four different fish, avocado and shrimp, just on the outside of the behemoth — or the Playboy Roll, a flaming mass of sweet, spicy and shrimp.
When it comes to simpler preparations, Tchopstix is capable enough in construction, although the fish is of middling quality at best. There are also a few Japanese cooked dishes, including a wonderful version of katsu made from thin cutlets of pork covered in crackling batter and served with a savory soy-based sauce.
Where Tchopstix really shines, however, is in its Korean dishes. The kimchi is bright and spicy enough to appeal to the masses without disappointing hardcore heat fans, and that vinegar and chile flavor works well in a warm and deeply satisfying kimchi soup fortified with strips of beef and hunks of creamy tofu.
The restaurant's version of kalbi — grilled shortribs — works well as an introductory dish for unadventurous eaters, the meat crisp and glazed in garlic and sticky-sweet soy sauce. Better — and still eminently approachable — is Tchopstix's bibimbap, a rice bowl piled high with veggies, strips of that sweet and salty beef, and a gooey sunny-side-up egg. Pour on the sauce (it's not too spicy) and dig in. There's a few dollars difference between the regular bibimbap and the "dolsot" bibimbap — served in a hot stone pot — but it's worth it for crisp and caramelized rice bits you'll find when you hit the bottom of the bowl.
The rest of Asia is given a cursory glance by Tchopstix, a bland nod to China with a version of General Tso's chicken and a crisp whole fish paired with a sweet Thai chili sauce, but the restaurant is clearly banking on Japan and the Korean peninsula.
The interior reflects that, with etched glass art and decorative screens on the walls and plenty of lacquer surfaces, but the designers were constrained a bit by the location. Tchopstix is upstairs in an older building, with low ceilings and exposed ducts for a look that's more low-end practical than industrial chic.
Still, there's a balcony on one side of the building where you can sit and nosh on bulgoki and mai tais while watching the tourists stagger out of Hooters, the seats just high enough to allow a glimpse of the ersatz pirate ship in John's Pass. Tchopstix may not be a typical seafood restaurant, but it certainly fills a niche that sets it apart from the rest of the neighborhood.
