(May 2008)

By Warren Rojas

Work on your hibachi skills as you finish the pork satay skewers ($6.95) to your liking, then plunge the crackling meat into the house peanut sauce (chopped peanuts on top are nice). The hot passion chicken ($12.95) is more of a self-contained fire-starter, yielding breaded chicken coated in a ruddy sauce surrounded by julienned carrots, onions and peppers.

(February 2006)

By Warren Rojas

In the pantheon of all-time fun places to visit, tiki bars must surely rank high in the standings. Most people just naturally unwind when surrounded by bamboo chairs, thatched shades and waiters in festive Hawaiian shirts—particularly after they’ve had a couple of tropical cocktails devoid of any nutritional value. And while it doesn’t quite beat a trip to the islands, Pacific restaurant in Sterling does its best to re-create a lazy afternoon in paradise, complete with exotic dishes and electrifying spirits.

The garish establishment features just about every Asian cliché, including a bubbling koi pond, myriad Asian parasols, servers in day-glo Hawaiian shirts and effervescent piano music (all that’s missing is Don Ho). But the inherent cheese factor is cancelled out by the good cheer and undivided attention from the welcoming staff. Case in point: Guests are handed a steamy cotton towel at the end of each meal to freshen up (a nice closer).

Living up to its name, the menu draws from every part of the Pacific Rim, showcasing a broad range of Polynesian, Chinese, Thai, and other Pan-Asian cooking styles—sweet, spicy influences abound. Most appetizers are right in the $5 to $6 range, while a number of entrées—including the vegetarian and noodle dishes and all but a handful of the Chinese selections—clock in at under $15. In fact, many of the bar’s jumbo punch bowls—staggering libations designed to be shared by up to four people—cost more than most main courses.

For some quick tableside fun, fire up a round of the satay skewers. Each portion comes with a mini-grill so you can custom- sear your order—pork is best, although the beef is a close second—or you can always just watch the flames dance across the cast-iron grates. All three meats (chicken is also offered) are accented by a pleasing peanut sauce. The Northern China pot stickers are plump pockets of tender ground pork and scallions. The emerald triple delight delivers huge jumbo shrimp, massive scallops (impressive) and scads of tender, sliced chicken in a smart garlic-ginger brown sauce. Hot passion chicken tosses chicken nuggets encased in a crispy shell in an intriguing blend of tangy passion fruit and spicy pepper sauce sure to hold your attention. Meanwhile, the nostalgic sounding Hawaii Five-O is actually an alluring new find uniting jumbo shrimp and grilled chicken with roasted macadamia nuts (snappy).

The restaurant also offers a three-course prix fixe menu as well as mid-week (Tuesday and Wednesday) lobster feasts.