Japoix gives a glimpse of what's beyond fusion

For more than a year, I didn't set foot in the Beauvallon after the last manifestation of nine75 shuttered, but this past August, the building began showing signs of life again, with the opening of Se7en and Japoix. This week's review is devoted to the latter, which took over the...

By Laura Shunk

January 25, 2011

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For more than a year, I didn't set foot in the Beauvallon after the last manifestation of nine75 shuttered, but this past August, the building began showing signs of life again, with the opening of Se7en and Japoix. This week's review is devoted to the latter, which took over the old home of nine75. Lawrence Yee picked up the space after he got a killer lease offer, opening his restaurant with chef Jay Spickelmier at the helm. He named it Japoix to reflect its fare, which is a marriage of Japanese and French culinary traditions. And as you eat your way through the restaurant's interpretation of that union, you get a glimpse of what could lie beyond the fusion of the late '90s and early '00s. Fusion never really stops; cuisines continue to merge and evolve, both purposefully and accidentally. Spickelmier and Yee are forging that bond with intention, moving beyond what was done ten years ago and trying to innovate in their restaurant. Are they successful? Find out tomorrow, when the review is posted here along with a slide show.

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Laura Shunk was Westword's restaurant critic from 2010 to 2012; she's also been food editor at the Village Voice and a dining columnist in Beijing. Her toughest assignment had her drinking ten martinis and eating ten Caesar salads over the course of 48 hours. She still drinks martinis, but remains lukewarm on Caesar salads.

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