NextPittsburgh on 15 local Asian restaurants to check out.

Photo via Top Shabu Shabu.

Tom O'Connor of NextPittsburgh released a list of "15 Asian restaurants in Pittsburgh that should be on your radar" tonight, with a nice assortment of local places with, or gaining, acclaim for their authenticity.

Tom asked me for comment, and I shared something I've mentioned elsewhere on the growth of authentic Asian places vis-a-vis the increase in international students in Pittsburgh:

The growth in international students is an important factor, but it’s also entrepreneurs finding opportunities to introduce more authentic dishes to neighborhoods willing to support them[.] You have more diners, international and domestic alike, open to — even demanding — real, authentic food.

Several recent profiles on the Asian restaurant scene have focused on that increase, particularly among Chinese students. For further reading on that angle, try:

• Pitt News (November 20, 2015): "Hungry for more: Competition heats up among Oakland’s Asian restaurants"
• Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (July 9, 2015): "Restaurant Scene: The Asian Influence"
• Saveur (October 21, 2015): "America's Next Great Chinatown Takes Root in Pittsburgh"

15 Fahrenheit rolled ice cream coming to Squirrel Hill.

On the same block as a forthcoming Japan-inspired crepe place is a forthcoming Thailand-inspired rolled ice cream place. Signage recently went up at 1722 Murray Ave. (map) for 15 Fahrenheit, which opened its first area shop in Mt. Lebanon in April. 15 Fahrenheit's official website provides an introduction:

If you never heard of the concept "Rolled Ice-cream" then you are in for a real treat that will keep you coming back for more because of the individual process that takes place in creating this unique experience.

This is a Thailand inspired concept that will be made on a chilled pan that will be chilled to -15 degrees fahrenheit, using two paddles to make a delicious rolled treat. You will get to observe how this whole process is created from start to finish. The end result will be a delicious treat for you to enjoy.

2017 Silk Screen Asian American Film Festival includes selections from Japan, Korea, China, Malaysia, Taiwan, Singapore, and Philippines.

The lineup for the 2017 Silk Screen Asian American Film Festival was announced tonight and it includes selections from across East and Southeast Asia, as well as a Chinese Short Films Presentation. Full-length films include: Close-Knit (彼らが本気で編むときは), Harmonium (淵に立つ), and Himeanole (ヒメアノ～ル) from Japan; The Bacchus Lady (죽여주는 여자) and Missing (미씽: 사라진 여자) from Korea; Old Stone (老石) from China; 1985's Taipei Story (青梅竹馬) from Taiwan; Interchange from Malaysia; Ma'Rosa from the Philippines; and Pop Aye, a Singaporean-Thai film that played in Pittsburgh last week.

Selections in the Chinese Short Films Presentation are: "The Stilted Building", "103 Days of Francis Xavier in China", "Blooming Rape Flowers", "Unrest", and "My Daddy Eric Tsang".

The festival runs from September 16 through 24 at theaters throughout Pittsburgh. Tickets and showtime information will be available later in the month.

2017 Singaporean-Thai film Pop Aye in Pittsburgh, July 28 - August 3.

The 2017 Singaporean-Thai film Pop Aye will play at the Hollywood Theater in Dormont from July 28. A summary from a recent A.V. Club review:

Some men buy a Ferrari when they’re in the throes of a midlife crisis. Thana (Thaneth Warakulnukroh), the successful architect who’s at the center of writer-director Kirsten Tan’s wistful feature debut Pop Aye, buys an elephant. And although at first this appears to be an act of portentous quirkiness, it turns out that the elephant, Pop Aye—played by an elephant named Bong, one of three actors listed in the film’s credits—is the same one Thana grew up with on his uncle’s farm in the Thai countryside, and the duo’s long walk back to Thana’s hometown is not just a homecoming; it’s an act of penance.

Dissatisfied and feeling as though life is leaving him behind, Thana longs for a simpler time, one less beholden to modern conveniences and consumerist luxuries. The film takes a similarly leisurely tack, ambling along at an unhurried pace for a road trip story that doubles as a travelogue of rural Thailand. Much of the film is split between this odd-couple pilgrimage and scenes of Thana’s life back in Bangkok, where his younger co-workers are squeezing him out of his own firm and his relationship with his wife, Bo (Penpak Sirikul), long ago soured into resentment.

Tickets and showtime information is now available online. The theater is located at 1449 Potomac Ave. in Dormont (map), and is accessible by Pittsburgh's subway/LRT at a block south of Potomac Station.

2017 Singaporean-Thai film Pop Aye in Pittsburgh, from July 27.

The 2017 Singaporean-Thai film Pop Aye will play at the Hollywood Theater in Dormont from July 27. A summary from a recent A.V. Club review:

Some men buy a Ferrari when they’re in the throes of a midlife crisis. Thana (Thaneth Warakulnukroh), the successful architect who’s at the center of writer-director Kirsten Tan’s wistful feature debut Pop Aye, buys an elephant. And although at first this appears to be an act of portentous quirkiness, it turns out that the elephant, Pop Aye—played by an elephant named Bong, one of three actors listed in the film’s credits—is the same one Thana grew up with on his uncle’s farm in the Thai countryside, and the duo’s long walk back to Thana’s hometown is not just a homecoming; it’s an act of penance.

Dissatisfied and feeling as though life is leaving him behind, Thana longs for a simpler time, one less beholden to modern conveniences and consumerist luxuries. The film takes a similarly leisurely tack, ambling along at an unhurried pace for a road trip story that doubles as a travelogue of rural Thailand. Much of the film is split between this odd-couple pilgrimage and scenes of Thana’s life back in Bangkok, where his younger co-workers are squeezing him out of his own firm and his relationship with his wife, Bo (Penpak Sirikul), long ago soured into resentment.

Tickets and showtimes are not yet available online. The theater is located at 1449 Potomac Ave. in Dormont (map), and is accessible by Pittsburgh's subway/LRT at a block south of Potomac Station.

Sweet Panda Asian Market coming soon to South Side.

NextPittsburgh profiles Noi Chaisri, the owner of Thai Me Up and Sweet Panda Asian Market opening soon on the South Side.

Chaisri says it’s common for guests at Thai Me Up to ask where they can buy a particular ingredient used in their cooking, and until now, she would send them across town. It didn’t take long for her to decide that it made more sense to open her new storage space to the public as a market.

Sweet Panda will stock mostly Thai products alongside some Japanese, Vietnamese, Korean and Filipino fare. Expect to find fresh lemongrass and basil alongside specialty soy sauces, purple yams, vegan tofu and other hard-to-find items.

Sweet Panda will also sell prepared meals, “like an Asian version of GetGo,” laughs Chaisri. They’ll open early so customers can pick up Thai beef jerky with sticky rice for breakfast, or snag some ginger chicken for supper on the way home. They’re also thinking of offering some curries that aren’t on the menu next door.

Sweet Panda will open later this summer at 114 S. 23rd St., next to her restaurant (map).

Nicky's Thai Kitchen North Hills location to open in mid-April.

The Nicky's Thai Kitchen coming to Mt. Nebo Road in the North Hills is planning on a mid-April opening. I photographed early signage back in January; earlier anticipated openings in February and March were delayed. The new restaurant will open at 1026 Mt. Nebo Rd. (map) in what was Recipes Remembered and, most recently, a Chinese restaurant.

Squirrel Hill's Thai & Noodle Outlet to open March 31.

Squirrel Hill's Thai & Noodle Outlet is scheduled to open tonight, March 31.

Signage went up earlier in the month at 5813 Forbes Ave. in Squirrel Hill (map), in what was most recently Sukhothai Bistro. That replaced Cool Ice Taipei, a Taiwanese food place, back in June 2014.

Thai N' Noodle Outlet coming soon to Squirrel Hill.

Coming Soon signage recently went up for Thai N' Noodle Outlet at 5813 Forbes Ave. in Squirrel Hill (map), in what was most recently Sukhothai Bistro. That replaced Cool Ice Taipei, a Taiwanese food place, back in June 2014.

Nicky's Thai Kitchen to open North Hills location.

Construction is underway at 1026 Mt. Nebo Rd (map) on Nicky's Thai Kitchen, in what was formerly Recipe's Remembered and, most recently, a Chinese restaurant. Nicky's Thai Kitchen has two locations in Pittsburgh---downtown and North Shore---and is routinely in the conversation for best Thai food in the city. The North Hills location is scheduled for a February opening.

Vengeance of an Assassin free at Parkway Theater, November 17.

The 2014 Thai action movie Vengeance of an Assassin will play at the Parkway Theater on November 17 at 7:00 pm. The movie, like the others in the theater's Asian Movie Madness series, is free. The theater is located at 644 Broadway Ave. in McKees Rocks (map), a few miles west of the North Side.

Cemetery of Splendor (รักที่ขอนแก่น), Mountains May Depart (山河故人) at 3 Rivers Film Fest from November 7.

The annual 3 Rivers Film Fest includes two Asian movies in 2015: Thailand's Cemetery of Splendour (รักที่ขอนแก่น) and China's Mountains May Depart (山河故人). A summary of 2015's Cemetery of Splendour, from the 3RFF site:

Soldiers with a mysterious sleeping sickness are transferred to a temporary clinic in a former school. The memory-filled space becomes a revelatory world for housewife and volunteer Jenjira, as she watches over Itt, a handsome soldier with no family visitors. Jen befriends young medium Keng who uses her psychic powers to help loved ones communicate with the comatose men. Doctors explore ways, including colored light therapy, to ease the men’s troubled dreams. Jen discovers Itt’s cryptic notebook of strange writings and blueprint sketches. There may be a connection between the soldiers’ enigmatic syndrome and the mythic ancient site that lies beneath the clinic. Magic, healing, romance, and dreams are all part of Jen’s tender path to a deeper awareness of herself and the world around her.

And of 2015's Mountains May Depart, from a review in The Guardian:

[The] movie is split into three parts, taking place in 1999, in 2014 and in 2025. We begin with a bunch of people dancing to the Pet Shop Boys’ Go West, and as the new century and millennium dawns, the movie shows China more or less obsessed with doing that: going West, embracing capitalism while at the same retaining the monolithic state structures of the past, and beginning to worship consumer goods as status symbols: stereos, cars, and perhaps most importantly mobile phones — a technology which the film shows retaining its fetishistic power for the next quarter-century.

Cemetery of Splendour (รักที่ขอนแก่น) will play at the Melwood Screening Room in Oakland on November 7 at 3:00 pm and November 10 at 8:00 pm. Mountains May Depart (山河故人) will play on November 7 at Waterworks Cinema at 9:00 pm and on November 11 at the Harris Theater at 8:30 pm.

The festival runs from November 6 through November 15 at five theaters around Pittsburgh. Showtimes and ticket information are available at the 3RFF website and at the links in the last paragraph.

Cemetery of Splendor (รักที่ขอนแก่น), Mountains May Depart (山河故人) at 3 Rivers Film Fest in November.

The annual 3 Rivers Film Fest announced its complete 2015 lineup today, and it includes two Asian movies: Thailand's Cemetery of Splendour (รักที่ขอนแก่น) and China's Mountains May Depart (山河故人). A summary of 2015's Cemetery of Splendour, from the 3RFF site:

Soldiers with a mysterious sleeping sickness are transferred to a temporary clinic in a former school. The memory-filled space becomes a revelatory world for housewife and volunteer Jenjira, as she watches over Itt, a handsome soldier with no family visitors. Jen befriends young medium Keng who uses her psychic powers to help loved ones communicate with the comatose men. Doctors explore ways, including colored light therapy, to ease the men’s troubled dreams. Jen discovers Itt’s cryptic notebook of strange writings and blueprint sketches. There may be a connection between the soldiers’ enigmatic syndrome and the mythic ancient site that lies beneath the clinic. Magic, healing, romance, and dreams are all part of Jen’s tender path to a deeper awareness of herself and the world around her.

And of 2015's Mountains May Depart, from a review in The Guardian:

[The] movie is split into three parts, taking place in 1999, in 2014 and in 2025. We begin with a bunch of people dancing to the Pet Shop Boys’ Go West, and as the new century and millennium dawns, the movie shows China more or less obsessed with doing that: going West, embracing capitalism while at the same retaining the monolithic state structures of the past, and beginning to worship consumer goods as status symbols: stereos, cars, and perhaps most importantly mobile phones — a technology which the film shows retaining its fetishistic power for the next quarter-century.

Both films will have two screenings, starting on November 7. The festival runs from November 6 through November 15 at five theaters around Pittsburgh. Showtimes and ticket information are available at the 3RFF website.

Thai film How to Win at Checkers (Every Time) in Oakland, July 12 and 18.

The 2015 Thai film How to Win at Checkers (Every Time) will play at the Melwood Screening Room in Oakland (map) on July 12 and 18 as part of this year's Silk Screen Asian American Film Festival. A synopsis of the feature film debut of Josh Kim, via the official website:

In Thailand, all males turning 21 years old must participate in the annual military draft lottery. Drawing a black card grants exemption, while drawing red results in two years of military service.

On the morning of his draft lottery, Oat reflects back on his childhood -- when as a child, his older brother Ek faced the possibility of being drafted himself. Unable to convince Ek to do whatever he can to change his fate, young Oat takes matters into his own hands, resulting in unexpected circumstances.

Based on the short stories “At the Café Lovely” and “Draft Day” from the U.S. bestselling book Sightseeing by Rattawut Lapcharoensap[.]

The July 12 screening is at 6:30 pm. The 2015 festival runs from July 10 through July 18 at the Melwood Screening Room and the Regent Square Theater. Ticket information and the complete festival schedule are available through the festival's website.

Former Steelers QB Bradshaw to travel Asia for Korean reality show remake.

Terry Bradshaw, the Hall of Fame quarterback of the Pittsburgh Steelers from 1970 to 1983, will be one of the stars of "Better Late Than Never", an upcoming reality show based off South Korea's "Grandpa Over Flowers" (꽃보다 할배). From The Wrap:

“Better Late Than Never” will follow five famous men as they backpack throughout Asia without any luxuries. Actors Henry Winkler and William Shatner, former athletes Terry Bradshaw and George Foreman and comedian Jeff Dye have signed up for the reality series that begins production in August.

The one-hour series, an adaptation of the South Korean variety show “Grandpa Over Flowers,” will follow participants to Tokyo, Kyoto, Seoul, Hong Kong, Bangkok and Chang Mai.

“The five will navigate their way through each city — communicating with the local population, immersing themselves in local traditions and enjoying exotic food — all the while dealing with the unexpected twists and turns that any trip presents,” the network said in a statement. “As they check off items on their own personal ‘bucket list,’ the five will rely on each other for support and encouragement and, in the process, demonstrate that friendship is the ultimate gift.”

Thai Loy Krathong Festival at Pitt, November 24.

The Office of International Services at the University of Pittsburgh and the Thai Student Association will present a Thai Loy Krathong Festival on November 24. "Loi Krathong takes place on the evening of the full moon of the 12th month in the traditional Thai lunar calendar", says Wikipedia.

The name could be translated as "to float a basket", and comes from the tradition of making krathong or buoyant, decorated baskets, which are then floated on a river.

The free festival runs from 11:00 to 1:00 pm in room 310 of the William Pitt Union (campus map).

"Hawker Stand" temporary restaurant coming to Oakland, bringing Southeast Asian street food.

Spice Island Tea House will be taking a brief hiatus, says its Facebook page, and will be replaced by "Hawker Stand,"

a temporary restaurant featuring classic street foods of South East Asia.

We will serve tasty snacks and curries popularized by Asian food stalls, some of which you may recognize from the original Spice Island Tea House menu. We will post a working menu up as soon as possible. The menu will be posted on www.facebook.com/hawkerstand.

Spice Island Tea House will return in late 2014 or early 2015.

After nearly 20 years, 6 days a week, we think that Spice Island Tea House deserves an extended vacation. But we are excited about exploring this new territory, and hope that you will be too.

The spot is located at 253 Atwood Street in Oakland (map).

Sukhothai Bistro opens in Squirrel Hill.

Sukhothai Bistro opened in Squirrel Hill on the 24th, in the spot formerly occupied by Cool Ice Taipei. It becomes the fifth Thai place in the neighborhood, joining Bangkok Balcony, Silk Elephant, Sun Penang, and Curry on Murray.

Nakama voted best Japanese restaurant again by Pittsburgh Magazine readers.

Pittsburgh Magazine announced the winners of Best Restaurants 2014 readers' poll today, and Nakama was voted the best in the Japanese / Sushi category. The Southside's Little Tokyo Bistro and Shadyside's Umi finished second and third, respectively. Umi was also included on the list of best restaurants, as decided by the magazine's editors. Nakama was also voted the best Japanese restaurant by readers of the Pittsburgh City-Paper in 2013 (and in 2008, 2009, and 2011).

These three are in highly visible locations, and Nakama routinely places first in these sorts of polls (most recently in 2012 and 2013). Restaurants most liked by local Japanese and by fans of authentic Japanese cuisine---restaurants like Chaya, Kiku, and Kyoto Teppanyaki---rarely earn spots on readers' "best of" polls.

Sesame Inn was voted first in the Best Chinese category and Everyday Noodles, which opened in February 2013 in Squirrel Hill, was also named to the magazine's Best Restaurants 2014 list. Nicky's Thai Kitchen was voted Best Thai place, and made the editors' list as well.

Squirrel Hill's Cool Ice Taipei closes, to be replaced by Thai restaurant.

Old news from last week, but Squirrel Hill's Cool Ice Taipei has recently closed at 5813 Forbes Ave., and will be replaced by Sukhothai Bistro, a Thai restaurant. It may be a familiar name to Pittsburghers: there used to be one in Oakland on Semple St., and ages ago there was a Sukhothai downtown.

Sukhothai Bistro will join Bangkok Balcony, Silk Elephant, Sun Penang, and Curry on Murray as the neighborhood's fifth Thai restaurant.