Best of Cleveland 2014: Bento Box
best of cleveland
12:00 AM EST
September 21, 2014
The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles would feel right at home in Bac Nguyen's Ninja City. It's not in a sewer and there's no pizza at the new Uptown lunch, dinner and late-night spot, but the Asian street food along with exposed ductwork and a chain link fence-covered mirror are all right out of a gritty '80s kung fu movie. Illuminated Japanese letters over the bar, a large custom comic book mural and a Marvel vs. Capcom arcade game round out the fun effect. But what really kicks ass here is the bento box ($11.95). Construct your own by choosing four from Ninja City's 11 little bites or build it like Nguyen with spring rolls, tom yum soup with shrimp, shredded papaya salad with sweet garlic vinaigrette and the spicy shrimp quesadillas. "You've got the crispy spring rolls, a nice cold refreshing papaya salad, and a spicy, sour soup," he says. "And the quesadillas come in from left field with the cheese and the mango salsa that it comes with. To me, that combination represents a nice variety." 11311 Euclid Ave., Cleveland, 216-860-0510, ninjacity.com
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