Downtown Dish Seafood, Chinese, join the cuisine on the Cap
If you blinked, you might have missed the transformation of Liu Pon Xi on the Cap at Union Station into two new spots: Bluefish, Seafood on the Cap, and Paul Liu’s Chinese Restaurant. The high-concept, Pan-Asian Liu Pon Xi, which opened in early 2005, closed recently for a month-long renovation and has reopened as a seafood restaurant with a sushi bar, and a moderately priced, more traditional Chinese restaurant. While Liu Pon Xi was popular, owner Paul Liu and his wife, who also own Haiku in the Short North and Bento Go Go in the Ohio State neighborhood, consider the new concepts an even better fit for the neighborhood. “The Short North needed a neighborhood Chinese restaurant,” Liu said. “It was a hard decision, because we put a lot of thought into Liu Pon Xi and were making money. But we just felt that when people from out of town come into the neighborhood and you say, ‘Would you like Chinese food?’ they say, ‘Yes.’ If you ask, ‘Would you like Liu Pon Xi?’ they say, ‘What’s that?’” Fans of Liu Pon Xi’s fabulous décor will be glad to know it’s still in tact. The fish tanks and koi pond, for example, are now in Bluefish. Meanwhile, Paul Liu’s Chinese Restaurant includes a dumpling bar, where the potstickers and steamed and boiled varieties are handmade with what Liu considers the most important ingredient: love. “It’s nice to work a little harder and offer a little more love,” he said. “Even if you go to fast food restaurants, one place always tastes a little better because they put care into what they do. I think people are surprised that they can taste the care and attention and love you put into it.” Bluefish, Seafood on the Cap and Paul Liu’s Chinese Restaurant, 8 E. Goodale St., are open Monday-Saturday for lunch and daily for dinner. 437-8168.
