If you are as old as I am, then you probably bought your P.F. Flyers one door south of the Vogue at 6253 N College Avenue. It was Keen's Shoes - remember the Myna bird in the window?

Now it is David Lee's Naked Tchopstix, a Pan Asian restaurant. Opened in November 2003, it is the northside version of Bistro Tchopstix, his downtown establishment.

Pan Asian includes all kinds of Asian cuisine such as Vietnamese, Chinese, Korean, and Japanese. "Pan Asian is very popular on both coasts", says David, "I am sure it will be welcomed in Indianapolis."

David came to America from Korea in 1982. He moved to Indianapolis in 1990, and has had a hand in several local restaurants since then.

"We work hard to find fish fresh enough for us to serve.", says David, "We rejected many fish suppliers because they were not up to our standards. We found a great supplier of wonderfully fresh fish for our chef to prepare."

"There is a common misconception about sushi. Many people think that it is all raw fish. Only about half of the types of sushi are raw. To teach people about sushi, we have sushi lessons every other Monday evening. You can learn things like how to order, how to use chop sticks, what types of sushi are available."

In addition to sushi classes, there is a Thursday Night Tasting Menu. Every week five or six dishes are served in smaller portions so that new things can be tried.

This and other articles about new businesses in Broad Ripple are not intended to be food reviews. However, David tried to describe the tung soo dishes to me. I promptly told him that if I saw a menu selection with tofu and vegetables, I would pass right over it. The more he described it, the more enthusiastic he became. Finally, he asked, "Do you want to try it?" After that prelude, of course I did. He ran to the kitchen and returned with two large rectangular plates. One was a vegetarian dish with tofu and the other was a shrimp dish. I therefore learned my lesson immediately: the sweet and sour tofu was wonderful. It included apples, green peppers, cucumber, carrots and onions. I asked him if he personally makes the sweet and sour sauce because it was so smooth and mild. His response: "We make all of the sauces here. Everything we serve is made in our kitchen."

When I told David about the incredible tempura prawns I had while visiting Kamakura, Japan, he dashed to the kitchen again. He returned with a plate of tempura shrimp that were light and crispy - not at all greasy. "How do you do that?" I asked. David replied, "That is the skill of our chef."

I was pleasantly surprised to learn of the return of curb service to Broad Ripple. Your phoned-in order will be brought to your car upon your arrival.

Another perk is the free parking in back of the restaurant. Even when they are charging for parking, letting the attendant know that you are dining at Naked Tchopstix will waive your fee.

Naked Tchopstix is a welcome addition to Broad Ripple Village.