TenPenh Introduces Its Asian "Blue Plate Bento Box"
Lunch Special
 

In a nod to nostalgia and the traditional diner “Blue Plate Special,” TenPenh, which offers southeast Asian-influenced cuisine, has introduced a daily “Blue Plate Bento Box” Lunch Special, available Monday through Friday, for $21. 

At TenPenh, the Blue Plate Bento Box will be served in a specially designed white porcelain dish with one large compartment for the main course and three smaller compartments for the sides.  Each day the Blue Plate Bento will focus on cuisine from a different country as follows (sample menus): 

Monday – Korea: Korean beef, jasmine rice, spicy mangos, tofu custard.

Tuesday – Vietnamese: Grilled spicy caramel chicken, wai-wai noodles, crispy sweet potato fritter, crispy shrimp, grapes, and vegetable salad.

Wednesday – Philippines: Chicken adobo, jasmine rice, lumpia, fried plantains, apple-jack fruit salad

Thursday – Japan: Panko sesame crusted mackeral, unagi nigiri, soba noodle salad, sesame vinaigrette and mandarin oranges.

Friday – Thailand:  Crispy fish, curry ginger sauce, jasmine rice, shrimp salad in crispy cup, mushroom salad, and cardamom lime salad.

Bento is a single-portion takeout or home-packed meal common in Japanese cuisine, consisting of rice, fish, or meat and one or more pickled or cooked vegetables as a side dish.  The origin of the Bento can be traced back to Japan during the late Kamakura Period (1185 to 1333) when cooked or dried rice was developed, but it was also prevalent in the Azuchi-Momoyama Period (1568 to 1600) when wooden lacquered boxes were produced and Bento would be eaten during a tea ceremony. 

The Bento continued to evolve with Japanese culture, and people who came to see Noh and Kabuki performances would eat specially prepared Bento between acts.  In the early 1900s, when schools in Japan did not provide lunch, students and teachers carried Bento, as did many workers.  Bento regained its popularity in the 1980s with the advent of the microwave oven and the proliferation of convenience stores.  Bento also often features very elaborate, aesthetically pleasing preparations where the food is arranged in such a way as to resemble other objects (dolls, flowers, leaves, etc). 

Much like the Japanese who still use Bento as a packed lunch, on day trips, for school picnics, etc., TenPenh is now providing Washington, DC’s lunch crowd with a fast, flavorful, all-in-one daily luncheon special that is guaranteed to please.