New Asian Eats

Asian restaurant adds mega lobster tail roll to Frisco's must-eat list

Pretty presentation is key.

Photo courtesy of Meso Asia

A new Asian restaurant featuring Chinese and Japanese cuisine side-by-side has opened in Frisco, with a mission to be in it for the long haul. Called Meso Asia, it's a family-owned restaurant with a chef trained in Taiwan, and a glamorous ambience, as befits its Frisco location.

The restaurant is located at 4235 Preston Rd., in a busy strip north of SH 121 and south of Lebanon Road, where it's serving sushi and sashimi along with well-loved local staples such as General Tso's chicken and Mongolian beef.

There's also a decent wine list and creative cocktails such as a lychee martini, sake sangria, and a "Tokyo iced tea."

Owner Benjamin Zhu has been in the hospitality business for 25 years, first in the Northeast where he owned restaurants in New York and New Jersey, and then in Tyler, Texas, where he owns eateries such as Yamato Japanese Steakhouse and Mikoto Ramen and Sushi, which also has locations in Houston and Corpus Christi.

He came to North Texas to join family members who moved here including his sister Tina Zhu, who is helping him run Meso Asia.

They've brought in chefs from Taiwan and Hong Kong to make sure that the dishes have an authenticity in execution that other area restaurants do not.

"But we're not doing just traditional Chinese food," Tina says. "Diners want more, so we've combined dishes from several countries. 'Meso' means combination. It's not just Chinese or Japanese or Thai, it's a combination of three."

That includes a sushi bar manned by a chef who previously worked at Bluefish Sushi for many years. They also take a page from Japanese cuisine to make the presentation of all their dishes artful, regardless of what it is.

There is beef and tuna tataki, in which the meat is lightly seared on the outside and ultra rare in the center. There is a tuna tower, that precursor to poke, with tuna tartare ladled over a base of sushi rice, avocado, and crab. There is ramen.

Sushi options include a $25 lobster roll with an entire lobster tail, asparagus, and avocado; and a roll with a fried chicken tender in the center.

There are soft bao buns; spicy chicken lettuce cups; and tempura-fried green beans, served in a clever Belgian-style newspaper-patterned cardboard cone.

Tina, a CPA who is married with children, says that one of the benefits of having her brother nearby is that it creates a bigger community for their family.

"Our parents are in Plano," Tina says. "We'd get together for gatherings at their house where my 75-year-old mom would do all the cooking. We said, 'Benjamin, you need to open a restaurant here so our mom doesn't have to cook!'"

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Burger News

Fun family-owned Big Mike's Bar and Grill from TV star debuts in Plano

Tommy LeBeouf

Big burger from Big Mike's in Plano

A charming family-owned restaurant with TV star ties has debuted in Plano. Called Big Mike’s Bar and Grill, it's an elevated sports bar that just opened at 3200 Alma Dr., in a former Pancho's Mexican Buffet where it's serving tasty Angus burgers and beer-battered onion rings, hand-battered in-house.

Big Mike's is from husband-and-wife Mike Cancelmi and Jennie Marie; she gained fame as the star of the 2018 TLC show Mama Medium. The couple is from Rochester, New York, but fell in love with the Dallas area with their four sons after visiting a friend in 2021.

Their signature Big Mike's burger is a biggie: a half-pound patty with cheddar, bacon, lettuce, tomato, and a fried egg on a brioche bun, served with choice of hand-cut fries, tater tots, or sweet potato fries, for $18.

They bring their Northeast influence with dishes such as a Reuben sandwich with corned beef on marble rye, and their own version of poutine, the Canadian specialty, which they make with fries, cheese curds, brown gravy, and thick-cut crumbled bacon.

One dish reflects their hometown roots: Called the Trash Plate, it's inspired by the Garbage Plate, a sloppy comfort food dish that's the unofficial signature dish of the city of Rochester.

Big Mike's version combines macaroni salad, home fries, and choice of hot dogs from Rochester-based Zweigle’s (which they fly in from New York), or two smash burger patties with hot sauce, mustard, and onions.

Their menu also features a few entree items like NY strip steak, their priciest item at $35, served with garlic mashed potatoes and Brussels sprouts; and chicken-fried steak with mashed potatoes and green beans for $24. Portions are abundant.

Big Mike's family: Mike and Jennie Marie and their four sons.Big Mike's

“I created the menu based on things I like to eat," Mike says. "Everything we make is made from scratch, the way I would do it if I was cooking for my friends."

They host weekend brunch on Saturday and Sunday until 2 pm with a cinnamon roll skillet, frittatas, avocado toast, and a hash version of the Garbage Plate with home fries, mac salad, onions, diced Zweigle's hot dogs, eggs, and meat hot sauce. There are mimosas — they have a full bar — and they also do a daily happy hour from 3-6 pm with appetizer specials and domestic beers for $3.50.

Mike's background as a former contractor can be seen in the restaurant's spiffy remodel. The space sits 270, with enough room to host events that include karaoke every Wednesday, live music during brunch, and a ticketed group psychic event where Jennie Marie draws from her TV show days, performing readings and mediumship, with food and drink.

The restaurant has a wonderful family-oriented atmosphere. Many of their employees are friends of their sons from school or ice hockey, giving the restaurant a comfortable, homey vibe.

“We try to visit every table — that personal touch is important to us," Jennie Marie says. "We want that hometown feel, get people what they want so they come back."

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