Mosquito Lounge, Pan-Asian Bisto October 2006

by Jacki Irwin

Mosquito Lounge, owned by Larry and Mimi Alfonso, provides customers with exciting new Pan Asian food choices in a contemporary yet comfortable setting. Healthy and delicious meals are the order of the day.

Larry and Mimi Alfonso, the owners of Mosquito Lounge, are living their dream. The youthful, energetic, handsome couple enjoy their new careers as restaurant owners including getting to know local residents and working with their chef, Stephen Dill. The couple opened Mosquito Lounge last October, leaving behind jobs with the Pottery Barn and Gap in The City. They say it has been a lot of work but worth the effort. Their goal is to bring a San Francisco quality restaurant to Brentwood. Mimi says she’s the smart one but admits that Larry is the cute one. The two of them make a fine team.

Mimi has come a long way since her childhood in Vietnam. Her parents worked 12 hours per day and left her and her sister at home to fend for themselves. She recalls when she was three years old how she would sit on the dirt floor in her parents’ wooden shack surviving on a diet of rice and sugar. Mimi’s older sister, who had cerebral palsy, relied on Mimi to take care of her. The family owned nothing but their shack and the clothes on their backs. When the opportunity arose Mimi says that her parents jumped at the chance of pursuing the American Dream.

That was a long time ago but Mimi hasn’t lost sight of her goal of becoming financially comfortable and being able to finance her parents’ retirement. Mimi’s terrible childhood taught her never to take things for granted.

Larry grew up in the Philippines. When he was a child his father immigrated to the United States. After years apart Larry’s father was able to send for the rest of his family to join him in America.

Mosquito Lounge provides customers with exciting new food choices in a contemporary yet comfortable setting. Pan Asian cuisine encompasses foods typical of the Pacific Rim, a huge area of the world that includes a mixture of flavors. Asian food reflects the diversity of the region including Japanese, Thai, and Vietnamese dishes that are infused with a European flare to create irresistible dining combinations. The focus at Mosquito Lounge is on quality versus quantity.

Stephen Dill, the chef at Mosquito Lounge, spent 12 years as a sushi chef in San Francisco. Before that he was training overseas and gaining experience as a sous-chef. Dill says that the Mosquito Lounge is satisfying his creative passions. He understands the owners’ vision of providing Big City quality to our East County residents.

Mimi and Larry both gush with pride and enthusiasm at Steven’s gifts for combining ingredients in crafting unique and delicious creations – and doing so in a snap. He loves the fact that the Pan Asian theme has no limits. This permits him to continually create specials on the basis of what is fresh and in season in addition to the regular dishes listed on the Mosquito Lounge’s extensive menu. The daily soups, for example, are almost never the same.

Mosquito Lounge serves so many wonderful dishes that it is difficult to choose which to write about. The crab cake appetizers that are served over a spring mix with chili lime sauce are my family’s favorite. The tempura asparagus, lightly battered and served with wasabi soy dipping sauce, is also a tasty treat perfect for whetting the appetite.

Vietnamese Noodle Soup is served with tiger prawns, green beans, shitake mushrooms, and rice noodles in a savory seafood broth. For a salad entrée that is sure to please try the Vietnamese Cold Noodle Salad served with imperial rolls, prawn skewers, shredded lettuce, cilantro, mint, cucumbers, and rice noodles generously tossed with house vinaigrette dressing and toasted peanuts. The combination of fresh ingredients makes it difficult to put your fork (or chopsticks) down.

A favorite a la Carte plate of our publisher is the Firecracker Chicken. The crispy battered chicken chunks are served with onions and scallions and tossed with a sweet and tangy sauce. The Shrimp Pad Thai consists of tiger shrimp, rice noodles, carrots, scallions, egg, tofu, bean sprouts, and peanuts tossed in a spicy pad Thai sauce.

Entrées include dishes served with items such as salmon, tuna, sea bass, pork tenderloin, chicken, and ribs. The Korean BBQ short ribs are marinated in a delicious sauce and served with steamed rice and cucumber salad.

Mimi’s eye for design is apparent throughout the restaurant. The bar area has an adjacent lounging area for diners waiting to be seated or patrons who wish to relax with a drink from the full bar. They serve a variety of beers both bottled and on tap, plus wine, martinis, and mixed drinks. Sake martinis are made with soju, an Asian vodka that has an alcohol content comparable to beer or wine so they aren’t as strong as a traditional martini.

Mosquito Lounge is a great place to go, whether for a romantic date or with a large party. The extensive menu contains so many deliciously delightful items it’s difficult to decide on a single dish, so choosing a few and sharing makes the dining experience interesting and fun. Luckily, it’s located here in Brentwood so you can visit often trying out all the dishes they have to offer.°