Señor Wong has to be one of the trippiest restaurant names ever to come out of downtown St. Paul. And that's a good thing, because this sleepy city center needs some attention, people.

But even beyond its ridiculously mixed-up name, Señor Wong will catch your eye. Asian-styled, with hints of Latin America, its setting seems to have been assembled by someone with a very specific idea of what they wanted. Like any stylish nightspot, it offers a long drink list, moody lighting and tasty late-night specials. But there's also a swig of casualness -- a pool table and two dartboards have been dropped into the middle of the joint.

That's just what owner Son Truong wanted. But as he tells it, the whole thing started with just a taco.

Truong, 32, and his roommate, Bobby Wong, had mastered their own authentic homemade taco. Every Wednesday the two would invite friends over to share in their chorizo- and pico de gallo-filled delight. They loved it so much that they thought about going into business -- maybe a pushcart in downtown Minneapolis.

Truong found the image of "two Asian guys pushing a cart down Nicollet Mall selling tacos" a bit silly, he said. Instead, he envisioned a funky restaurant and cocktail lounge. He had the experience -- his family has worked in the restaurant business since moving here from Vietnam in 1979. (His father opened Caravelle, his older brother owns Ngon Bistro and relatives run Pho 79.) With help from his younger brother, Lam, he decided to stick with what he knew best: pan-Asian food, but with a place for his favorite tacos.

Thus was born Señor Wong, named after his roommate, who is Chinese and works at the restaurant.

"It flowed better than 'Señor Truong,'" he said.

The whole Asian-Latino thing is reminiscent of Chino Latino, but for my taste, everything here seems a lot less manufactured.

Truong quietly opened Señor Wong in early February. It's inside an old diner on the street level of Kellogg Square, a 1970s-vintage high-rise apartment building.

To save on costs, Truong and his brother did most of the renovation themselves. They kept the diner booths but gave everything else a facelift, laying down hardwood floors and painting the walls the color of an orange sunset. Asian art and rice-paper lamps hang throughout. You could say it looks like a downscale Azia.

Truong doesn't mind being compared to that Minneapolis nightspot, or King and I Thai and the Red Dragon -- he frequents all of those places. The absence of such a bar/restaurant in St. Paul is one reason he feels confident he can succeed in the city's quiet downtown.

As far as late-night eating and drinking go, he's on the right track. The menu leans pretty Asian (Vietnamese pho soup, spring rolls, stir-fry, etc) with some specialty tacos mixed in.

"It's heavy on the 'Wong' right now, but you're slowly going to see more of the 'Señor' side," Truong said.

During the late-night happy hour (10 p.m. to close), you can get wonton poppers, wings and tacos for as little as $2 to $4. Beers, wine and premium sake range from $3 to $5.

The drink list is strong. He only has six taps, but they're a good bunch: Bells, Surly, Fat Tire, Stella, Flat Earth and, gulp, Miller Lite (which he hopes to replace soon). There is a good assortment of classic Asian and Latino beers (Sapporo, Negra Modelo and such) along with some surprises, like the Hitachino XH, a Japanese beer aged in a sake cask. (It's tasty and will run you $9.25.)

Fans of the Red Dragon will notice some familiar drinks on the Polynesian cocktail list. The Donkey Punch is a replica of the Red Dragon's infamous Wonderous Punch, with its diabolical mix of rums, including Bacardi 151. It turns out Wong's father owns the Red Dragon and gave the OK to use the recipe, Truong said.

If Señor Wong takes off, and I hope it does, it could mean a little less snoozing for a drowsy downtown.

"I want to try to help St. Paul remove that stigma," Truong said.

Yep, Señor Wong to the rescue.

thorgen@startribune.com • 612-673-7909