This is one of the best restaurants that qualify as " special occasion"-worthy in NWI. The decor is elegant, the service pretty flawless and the menu/ drink options a fine combo of classics and creativity. I wish I could eat at least one meal per day here. They can and will accommodate any type of group and there is enough space for it to be kid-friendly. It is always recommended to try the noodle/ rice dishes but the seafood is truly exceptional as are the steak/ chops.
Review Source:Our dinner club decided to go to Asparagus for our quarterly get together. Â It's really 3 couples who each takes turns deciding where to have dinner every 4 months. Â Never having tried Thai food, I was really excited our friends chose Asparagus. Â That really is the point of the "club", going to new places and trying new foods. Â I cannot comment whether this was authentic Thai food or not but I can say it was very delicious!
For an appetizer, we ordered the Vietnamese Spring Rolls and the Lobster Mango Summer Rolls. Â Both were scrumptious! Â Another couple ordered the Avocado Crispy Rolls, and I assume they were also yummy cause they were gone in an instant! Â lol
I have to say everyone was happy with their meal. Â Well, except for my husband who ordered the Red Snapper Deluxe. Â He was warned that it was a complete fish, head and all but I don't think he really thought that through. Â The sweet sour sauce on top was very good and the fish was tasty, but the work to eat it without choking on bones was a bit much for him.
As my Entrée, I ordered the Shitaki duck and shrimp and it was very, very good.  I was expecting a small portion, much like you'd find in classier restaurants.  That was not the case however.  I could not even finish the meal.  Of course, I had to save room for dessert!
My husband decided on the cheesecake, his favorite "go to" dessert and it was good, but not anything extraordinary. Â I order the apple crisp and ice cream. Â Unique and not at all what I was expecting! Â It had several types of nuts, peanuts and cashews! Â OMG! Â Yummy doesn't describe it! Â The portion could have easily fed two and I barely finished half!
The only bad thing to report was they automatically added a 20% tip to our bill. Â Not sure if this was because we had 6 in our party, even though we all paid separately. But I'm more accustomed to this practice in larger parties. Â Our waitress benefited from this since no one realized this until the following morning. Â Each couple gave an additional 20%. Â
Next time we won't be so generous! Â And I do believe there will be a next time!
The food is quite good (especially considering there are practically no Thai options in the region). Â If you want to dine with a bunch of hipsters (hey, sometimes I do), go to Five Star. Â If you want a classier experience, go to Asparagus. Â The service and the presentation of the food was probably the best I've had outside of Chicago. Â This place should do more business than it gets.
FYI: there's a dining room (small, quiet) and a lounge area with an impressively stocked bar. Â I much prefer the lounge for the atmosphere.
I work very close to this place. This area doesn't exactly have a lot to choose from as far as restaurants are concerned. I was pleasantly surprised when a co-worker suggested this place for lunch. We split several appetizers and salads and everything was fresh and wonderful. My two favorites were the eggplant and the avocado rolls. I certainly wouldn't make this place a destination, but would choose it if in the area.
Review Source:Asparagus - Chi-town style atmosphere in "The 219"
I've been here a few times, not as often as I'd like but, often enough that I know what to order before I get there.
Here's the skinny:
This place is good for "Date Night"
The menu has something for everyone.
Appetizers really ARE appetizing!
Bar area deco is very relaxing.
Martinis are ridiculously tasty.
Here's the fat:
The menu is very eclectic, I'm pretty sure that there's NOTHING on it that I don't want to try.
Some of my Fave's:
Asparagus & Crab Soup - It's damn near perfect. I add a bit of salt to it, that's it.
Bangkok Baby Back Ribs - delicious and fall off the bone.
Pineapple Fried Rice - Ya... If you're a pineapple fan, this is where it's at!
Basil Fried Rice - I can't lie, it's good but I always say "easy on the basil".
Desserts are to die for, if you're not too full because of the giant portions, definitely take a look.
As far as appetizers go Asparagus dominates in taste and showmanship. I really like how they take the time to add some elegance to the plate. The only thing negative I can say is that it's just an appetizer... I wish some of the appetizers were made into full meals.
My Fave's:
Lemongrass Beef - tender, just the right spice and beautifully presented. BTW the red sauce is pretty HOT but, compliments really well with the beef.
Thai Egg Rolls - perfect, that's it, just perfect.
Gettin' your drink on??
Try these:
Tokyo Night (This is My absolute favorite one)
Lychee Martini
Kumquat Martini
Geisha Girl
Hot Sake
Good food, good drinks, good people! You'd be crazy not to try it at least once.
#SYOY
Woohoo review #57!
#Awesome
This place is divine. Â The atmosphere is chic and luxurious from the moment you walk in!
You must start with the avocado crispy rolls because they are so amazing. It goes so well with the sweet and sour sauce. Trust me, this is something you can't miss!
My favorite meals have to be the following:
Green Curry, it has a mild flavor but amazing none the less. I would ask them to kick up the spice a bit to add to it and add more green curry paste. I love the fact they personalize it to your heat preference but anything over medium heat ruins the flavor of the meal.
Red Curry, I absolutely love it here. So fresh and full of flavor. I could swim in this sauce. The crispy vegetables are perfectly cooked and add to the flavor. I would not touch this dish, it is perfection! I do like to add some srirachi to it to complete the flavors but that is because I am a heat head. I love spices!
Five Spice Duck, so I have mixed reviews about this dish. The first few times I had it, it was amazing. So moist and delicious. The five spice really adds something to the dish and it is so unique. Then came the bad experience, the duck was sooo dry that I had to send it back and get my usual red curry.
Their sweet Thai iced tea is amazing!
If you live in the area and have not experienced Asparagus for yourself, you have clearly been living under a rock!
What a surprise to find a Thai restaurant in Merrillville but I did treat myself to a nice, late lunch before I had to drive back to St. Louis. Â I ordered the asparagus soup as well as the lamb chop appetizer. Â I thought the service was perfect and will consider stopping back in next time I'm in the area.
Review Source:I wasn't expecting much from a Thai restaurant in the Midwest, so I was pleasantly surprised by how great Asparagus was! Â I wouldn't say that the food is "authentic". It is actually more fusion style, but Asparagus really makes it work!
I ordered the lobster mango spring rolls and the tofu pad thai. Both were superb!
The peanuts in the pad thai were BBQ roasted, which really lent the rest of the dish a nice smokey flavor. The sauce served with the spring rolls was delicious - not quite the typical peanut sauce - but with a bit more tang and a hint of plum.
Any of the rice/noodle dishes are big enough for two to share. Since I was eating alone, I had enough for a whole second meal (midnight snack/early morning breakfast). Woohooo.
This place is ok, but relatively for the restaurants in this area it's probably pretty good. I had the Thai Egg Rolls to start, and these were underwhelming. Then I went with the Five Spice Duck for the meal. The flavor of the spices was almost too strong, the rice was delicious and went great with the duck, and for the duck itself was ok, mainly fat and bone, and to my disappointment, not crispy on the outside nor that moist on the inside. To their credit that was still better than many places I have had duck.
Review Source:This is my 2nd review; my 1st review was a solid 4 stars, BUT my 2nd review is a solid 5 stars!!!! Â The martinis; Asian desire was strong & good BUT the Green tea was off da chain!!!! It was so refreshing and you can actually taste the green tea, altho you really couldn't taste the alcohol, you most definitely felt the effects of it =) Â Our group of 4 enjoyed all our meals. Â We tasted each other's dish and they were all delicious. Â The most memorable was the spicy catfish... OMG!! The service was excellent and upon our request, the owner/chef eventually came to our table to greet us. Â She took the time out to speak which was great because it was a nice crowd in the main dining area AND she was serving a large private party as well. Â Btw, on Fridays and Saturdays, there is a live jazz band playing in the bar area. Â Asparagus is a MUST TRY spot!
Review Source:Checked out Asparagus based on the recommendations of others here and we were quite pleased with our visit. Â We had calamari and soft shell crab for starters. Â Both were excellent. Â For the main course, I ordered spicy tofu massaman and it was incredible.
What really made the whole experience great was the attentive waitstaff. Â They were always close by and checked in frequently. Â Lastly, I certainly didn't expect the top-class decor on the interior when walking in from the parking lot.
Unfortunately, I don't travel down I-65 more often. Â :o(
Everything was DEEEEE-lish! The service was fantastic too! We ordered the Avocado Crispy Rolls & Coconut Soup for our starters--both were excellent. The crispy rolls were light and airy even though they were fried. The Tom Ka Gai (sp?)soup was full of flavor, none of which was over powering.
For dinner we ordered the Drunken Noodle and the Grilled Flank Steak. Again each one was fantastic! Each dish was cooked to perfection, the noodles were perfect (not slimy like what you often find in some Thai restaurants) the basil and citrus in this dish were in a perfect balance with all the other flavors in the dish. The same can be said for the flank steak. It was a melody of flavors that were just yummy. Â We finished off with the bread pudding and again it was another yummy dish.
OMG! Seriously, this was a great great dinner. The folks in merrillville are lucky to have this quality of Thai food in their town. I met a friend here because it was a half-way point for us ( I live in Indy and she lives further north) this place was soooo excellent  that I would make the 2 hour drive again just to have dinner.
There is less to this restaurant than meets the eye. Â It has very appealing decor and an appealing-looking menu. Â That's why I was surprised that the food -- at least what I ordered anyway -- was a bit Panda Express-ish. Â That is, soggy vegetables in too much oil and salt. Â What was even more surprising is that the dish I ordered was the only one specifically asparagus-based -- and it was substantially pricier than the other dishes. Â I figured that in a restaurant called "Asparagus" I couldn't go wrong with what sounded like a signature dish, but the asparagus had the texture of vegetables that have been on a steam table for several hours. Â The white asparagus was literally so limp and soggy that I wouldn't have recognized what it was if the menu hadn't told me. Â Perhaps the kitchen was just having a bad day, but I'd be reluctant to return.
Review Source:My husband and I dined at Asparagus last Saturday night. We had spent some time researching restaurants in Merrillville because we had concert tickets at the Holiday Star TheAtre. We chose asparagus because of the good reviews and appealing menu. Boy, were we dissapointed. Appetizers were mediocre at best. Soft shell crab and lobster in spring roll did not taste fresh and very pricey. My husband ordered a duck stir fry and I ordered the Hawaiian king prawns. Both dishes were so loaded with soy sauce we could not eat them. At first the server was going to have the owner come out and talk to us, but later returned saying she was much too busy to talk to us and offered something else on the menu. We declined the food but we had a glass of wine to drown the soy sauce out of our mouths. $140.00 spent on very bad dinner.
Review Source:Asparagus is the go- to restaurant for me when it comes to drinks and appetizers. The menu is a new take on classic Thai, with a few French influences thrown into the mix, with good results. The restaurant is situated in front of a non descript strip mall, but do not let that deter you! This place is anything but run of the mill strip mall fare. The interior of this place is very high scale, clean linen and Asian influenced art is everywhere. The bar is even better looking, with a modern boudoir twist to it. Now onto the food. As stated before, I eat more of the appetizers here than the entrees. It's not that the entrees are bad, it's just that the appetizers are very good. They have a varied variety of appetizers to choose from which are very creative, from escargot to grilled quail. Add very creative( and very strong...lol) drinks to the mix and you have a winning combination. So, in my opinion, order 3 or 4 of the appetizers, a couple of nice drinks and have an entertaining evening at Asparagus.
P.S. Fellas, if you want to impress a date, reserve the small room there. It's not known by many patrons that it exists, but it'll add an intimate touch to any outing. Â Enjoy!
P.P.S. If you are looking for classic Thai dishes, this is not the place for you. This is modern Thai. I do think that they own another restaurant in Cal City called Siam Marina though that serves more classic Thai fare, they are good also.
Asparagus is a Thai-fusion restaurant (so not completely traditional Thai- more "fancy" Thai). I don't have a favorite entree- I try to switch it up each time we go. However, their appetizer selection is great!!! There are so many interesting and different appetizers, there are times those ARE our entrees!!! They have great Martinis too, and the atmosphere is casual, but attractive (in the bar area, anyway).
Review Source:Disappointed at the price and food served. I ordered the Vietnamese spring rolls as an appetizer, as the menu listed the contents and I was happy to see no onions or peppers. When it was delivered, it had red peppers and purple onions, neither of which are standard fare in Vietnamese spring rolls I have gotten elsewhere. Â I was so bummed out I had to send it back. Entree was overpriced by about thirty percent and the dessert of apple crumb had no crumb, just cashews (an odd choice).
We decided we are not going back.
So, i was really disappointed with Asparagus this time around. And since you know it's my go-to restaurant, it hurts to have to say negative things about this place.
No one in my household felt like cooking yesterday, nor did we feel like sitting in a restaurant. The best solution to this conundrum? Take out! But from where? Asparagus, duh!
The take out items on Asparagus' menu are the same as the standard items, save for alcoholic beverages (container laws and such apply). Instead of getting a standard noodle dish, we ordered some Thai Egg Rolls, and Garlic Chicken with fresh veggies.
So, I walk into Asparagus to retrieve my meal; and a snippy server emerges from the bar area. "Are you here to pick up an order for Mary?" I'm still trying to figure out how she new I picking up take out. At any rate, I confirmed. She brought the bag, and then took my money. If she'd reversed the process, it would have been more efficient. I digress. About five minutes later, the server ran back through with my money and placed it in my palm. I said, "Thank you!" That's a little backwards, ey? On my way out of the door, I peaked at the change in my hand. I'm a math teacher...I knew I was short changed. But whatever, I wasn't going to make a stink (or wait 5 more minutes) over $0.40.
After sitting down to eat what I anticipated would be a wonderful meal, I wished I'd made a stink about the $0.40. The food was not of the quality I'm used to at Asparagus. The sauce was too salty to stomach. And as for fresh veggies, there were very few drowning in at the bottom of this oily, salty, container. The container of rice was broken, and started spilling out into the bottom of the bag. And I could've sworn we were told that there are supposed to be 4 Thai Egg Rolls in an order. There were only 3.
From the (lack of) service to the (lack of quality of the) food, I expected so much more from Asparagus. Hopefully, last night was a fluke, and the next time I'm in town it's better.
The closest you'll get to good Thai food in NW INDIANA - but it's pricey like a Chicago restaurant. My advice is to come for a special occassion and not as your monthly stop. C'mon, Asparagus, ask your customers for their email addresses and email us some discount pricing specials or days!
Review Source:Some co-workers and I have come here for a nice lunch every month or so. It is definitely on the pricier end, even when ordering from the lunch menu, but it makes for a nice occasional treat. Another bonus is that I guess Thai food lends itself well to vegetarians, which is helpful when you have some as guests.
I invariably order the chicken pad thai. The serving size is out of control; for the hungriest person, it is easily enough food for 2 meals. Considering the price, though, that's a good problem to have.
The decor is tasteful, too. I've eaten in both the main dining room, and in the cozy bar area. The bar is gorgeous; I always wanted to drink something from here, but it's during the workday... I'll have to make it a point to come after work sometime.
After waiting to try this restaurant for awhile, I finally made it there this week. The neu looked delicious and apetizers as well. We ordered the lobster mango margherita for a starter and we were not disappointed. We did ask the water if he could bring out some bread or crackers though so we could use it as more of a brushetta dish. It was served with just two spoons at first so we topped the small slices of garlic bread that were brought out with it. We were not even close to half way done with it when our food was brought out. That was the only thing that could have waited atleast another 15 minutes to be sent out. I ordered the drunken noodles dish and my friend ordered the pad thai. We were both satisfied with our choices. I will def. be back, but this time will ask the waiter to wait on putting our main course in so soon.
Review Source:Don't let the strip mall fool you; Asparagus is spectacular. Food, cocktails, atmosphere, and service are always perfect. The flavors are perfectly balanced -- not the exaggerated, Americanized flavors of many Thai restaurants. My favorites are the spring rolls (tamarind chunks in the sauce - mmm) and lad na (recently removed from menu, but they're still happy to make it). Pricey for NWI, but definitely worth it!
Review Source:I ordered Pad Thai with Chicken for carry out. It was delicious! My food was ready in 10 minutes, the spice level was perfect, and overall it was fantastic. The price was right given that it could easily serve two. I will definitely go back. The also have some great lunch specials for under $10 (dine in).
The atmosphere seemed nice, but I didn't get much beyond the front counter. Â I could have done without the burning incense, but incense always bothers me. Â The staff was pleasant and efficient.
Stopped in for lunch on a hot summer Monday. Â First off, Â at 12:30pm - the place was almost empty. Â And it was FREEZING! Â But the Thai food was excellent as was the service. Â We left stuffed and a little chilled - but satisfied. Â My wife and I both agreed that this is place that would be better for dinner so we are making plans to return for an evening.... Pricey for NWI but I'm all for more upscale food instead of another Jimmy Johns...
Review Source:Mixture of Flavors Assaulted my Palate
Best Asian restaurant I've dined at so far in Northwest Indiana. The food is creative, flavorful and not greasy. The menu consist of fusion of Vietnamese, Thai and French.
Seafood Crispy Roll is definitely good, the vegetables and the roll itself are crispy and not greasy and soggy. Not very impressed with the sesame sweet sour sauce though, it's got a funky-gingery taste.
Nem Nuong is basically a pork meatball with spices. The turnip added a little bit of crunchiness when you bite. A little bit of bland in my opinion.
Pad Thai Chicken is a mixture of stir fried rice noodles, vegetables and peanuts with sweet and sour sauce. The sauce is good, it's just the right mixture of sweet and sour.
Seafood Panang is what I liked best, shrimp, mussels, squid and scallops in a curry and coconut milk creamy sauce. It's got a tangy, creamy taste with a little bit of kick.
The Chocolate Truffle Egg Roll is divine. It's a chocolate wrapped in egg roll, fried (but not greasy) and served hot with vanilla ice cream.... yum!
The ambiance is simple-elegant. Attentive, but not hovering, and amiable service.
A little bit pricey, but it's well worth it.
We arrived 15 minutes before our reservations and was promptly seated with a friendly hostess.  The decor and ambiance of this restaurant are beautiful.  It is understated elegance, as are the place settings and cleanness of lines throughout the restaurant.  Their wine list is extensive, but sadly, you can only get 6 or 7 wines by the glass.  I settled for a bright Reisling and my husband ordered a drink which I think is called Hong Kong Nights (or something like that).  It was loaded with alcohol but you'd never know it (including sake).  It was delicious!  We could have sat there all night drinking those, but someone would have had to come to pick us  up.
We started with a tofu satay. Â The peanut sauce had just the right spice for us and was creamy and delicious. Â The tofu, such as it is, was dry, but there isn't much you can do with grilled tofu. Â So, we dipped and it was delicious. Â
My husband ordered the Mussaman curry and it was very good. Â There was a small bite to it but it wasn't overpowering. Â I ordered Asparagus delight with tofu. Â To my utter surprise, the waitress pointed out to me the dish had fish sauce, surmising I was a vegetarian and I appreciated that. Â She explained I could order this without fish sauce. Â How refreshing and accommodating. Â I agree with the last writer who stated the food was a little sweet. Â My dish was sweet, but it wasn't overpowering. Â When I brought this up to the waitress, I asked her why this was sweet. Â She said it was in the wine they used. Â The next time, because I have no sweet tooth, I will ask that it not be as sweet. Â All in all, this dinner was wonderful (came to $67 with drinks) and was worth it. Â I highly suggest this place. It's a nice change.
Just as we had given up on fine dining in northwest Indiana, we came across Asparagus. Â Excellent in every category, this dining experience rivals anything Chicago has to offer. Â Their liberal use of fresh ingredients and large portions is a pleasant surprise in comparison to other up-scale restaurants. Â Having had dinner on two occaisions, we have only scratched the surface of the offerings on the menu.
Try the crispy seafood eggrolls, packed with chunks of seafood; or, the extensive list of satays, all with interesting sauces. Â I highly recommend this restaurant to anyone who is tired of the same old stuff in the region. With drinks, appetizers, entree and dessert we spent an average of $40 per person (in Chicago it would have been much higher!)
I wanted to take my wife to a nice, romantic, upscale restaurant, and Asparagus restaurant in Merrillville, Indiana had come highly recommended. Â This is a Thai/Vietnamese/Asian inspired restaurant, although there were only two Vietnamese items on the menu (Vietnamese Spring Rolls and Pho Ga soup).
The ambiance is elegant with muted lighting and white tablecloths. On Valentine's evening, the place was packed; the place probably did tens of thousands of dollars in business that evening, although my wife and I agreed that Asparagus is a HUGE disappointment.
First of all, the place is quite expensive, and if you are looking for good value in times like these, steer clear of this place. I can honestly say that after our two appetizers, salad and entree, I went home and had a snack. You are not going to get stuffed full of food here, which is actually a plus, except the amount you pay for such a small amount of food is really bordering on obscene.
We ordered a couple of cocktails to start things out, a good Dirty Martini and one called "Kiss Me baby" which featured pineapple, rum, and Peach Schnapps. They rang in at about 9 bucks each, but such is what you'll pay at a nice restaurant. Next came the appetizers, the "Duo Cargot" and the Soft Shelled Crab.
The "Duo Cargot" was a pairing of Shrimp and Escargot, and was the best thing we ate all evening. For 12 dollars you get an trendy plating of Three Shrimp and Three Escargot served over a sauce redolent of coconut milk, with a nice amount of heat from chilies. The other appetiser was a Tempura battered soft shell crab, served on a bed of micro greens with a dressing of of the same sauce. It was acceptable, but demerits were scored because it wasn't hot at all. Merely luke warm and a bit soggy.
For our entrees, we ordered the Wasabi Crusted Rack Of Lamb with Green BEans and a soy buerre blanc, and the Asparagus Lover With Shrimp and Scallops. The entrees were preceeded with either soup and salad. The house soup, aspagragus and crab had my wife shrugging "where's the crab meat?" She felt that it was relatively tasteless; I tried it, it was ok, but there wasn't very much of it...about a cup. The salad I had featured microgreens, pieces of asparagus shaved parmesan and a peanut sauce. It was okay, but was a harbinger of things to come: SUGAR.
This was my major complaint with the food at Asparagus. You would imagine a Thai restaurant to feature complex flavors of lemon grass, coconut, peanut, chili pepper, basil, etcetera. WHile those flavors may have been present on other dishes, they were absent on our entrees. The main flavors were unfortunately sweet. Really sweet. Wayyyyy too sweet.
My entree, the Wasabi Crusted Rack of Lamb had NO Wasabi flavor at all. None. Zero. I have to admit that the rack was perfectly cooked and very tender, but was almost room temperature. The sauce it was served in, advertised as Soy Buerre Blanc, was actually sweet enough to be a dessert. It tasted like sweet butterscotch. It really ruined what was a nice little rack of lamb. Underneath the lamb was a combination of blanched cabbage, celery, onions and carrots. No green beans to be found anywhere. All of this was swimming in the syrupy sweet butter sauce. To add another unfortunate element, this was served in a large high walled bowl, so that when you tried to cut the lamb, your bowl rocked back and forth and splashed sauce over everything.
My wifes entree, also served in a bowl, was a little better, but still way too sweet. The sauce that coated the pea pods, shrimp, scallops and onions was akin to a Panda Express Bourbon Chicken sauce with lots of extra sugar. Hers was served with about half a cuip of steamed white rice; she said about halfway through the meal that she couldn't eat any more without more rice cause it was too sweet. Her shrimp were large and plump, with a nice texture. The scallops were also large, but had no sear to them. Even so they were not tough and were cooked through. Six shrimp and three scallops, plus pea pods equals $35.00. My lamb rack was also $35.00.
When the bill arrived, we were shocked to see the total, and I quickly discovered I had been charged for a bottle of wine that I didn't order. The mistake was corrected, but the entire bill plus tip came to $150.00 The experience for this price was simply not acceptable.
A word about the service. Our server seemed to be a girl in her late teens, who knew nothing about the menu. When I ordered cocktails she tried to take the drink menu from me, not thinking that I might want to order wine later. She wasn't very prompt or attentive. My wife and I certainly agreed she didn't earn a 15% tip, which amounted to about 20 dollars. This girl probably made five or six hundred dollars in tips on Valentine's evening, not because she was providing good service, but because the food was so expensive, and people give the customary 15%. Something is wrong with that picture.
This is an up-scale Thai restaurant near Southlake Mall - cloth tablecloths, unusual geometric dinnerware, etc. The atmosphere is refined and calming. The food is an interesting twist on the usual Thai favorites. The crispy asparagus rolls was a good appetizer. Cilantro lime tilapia entree was a large portion and quite good, though I would have preferred that the sauce not be poured over the fish. It made the crunchy tempura batter soggy. The spicy salmon was also good, but very spicy for our tastes. Chocolate egg rolls for desert were great. Though rather expensive, this is a nice alternative to the usual chain restaurants that cluster near major shopping malls.
Review Source: