New Shanghai
I’m not going to lie, I love dishes such as Sweet and Sour Chicken or Crab Rangoons, I’ll even get Chop Suey every once in a while if it is cheap and I’m broke. In other words I’m no enemy of Americanized Chinese food, much like I’ve come to terms with Tex-Mex (whenever they don’t act like they invented the stuff). Still nothing draws my attention like those truly foreign gems, especially the ones listed with a little chili pepper next to them on the menu, indicating that they are spicy. New
Personally I made several visits, with varying quality of service but consistently good food. On my first visit I had the Szechuan flavored Beef Tendon noodle soup, which is spicy and exciting, but still has a “somebody’s grandma made this” quality of nurturing comfort, assuming that chilies in broth somehow comfort you. Also that day I discovered that many of the appetizers are served cold, and the slimy transparent soy based cubes I got on the side where a little off-putting, although the sauce of chopped peppers, pickles, chives, peanuts and chili oil they where bathed in made me keep going back to it between sips of perfect soup.
I made a couple more visits with my girlfriend while I decided if the place was truly connoisseur worthy. During that time we tried the Mongolian Beef which is very good and has at least an entire onion sliced into it. We also tried the Rabbit hot pot, which is spicy and packed with whole chilies, peppercorns and cloves of garlic. It is not a subtle dish but it is not too hot or gamey to eat either, assuming you don’t mind tiny bones. Lastly we tried the Yu Hsiang shredded pork which is good at almost every spot but is outright amazing here, fortified with more garlic, peppers and black mushrooms than usual. On these outings we had a few appetizers such as the Cucumber with Scallion Sauce (a refreshing salad) and a couple of absolutely perfect meat pies which came way too late for us to enjoy them with our meal but where fine when eaten the next day.
Finally it was time to bring as many people from the connoisseur extended family as I could, a party of six starving guests with high expectations. It was my impression that all expectations where met, first of all the service was uncharacteristically good that day and everything we ordered was delivered more or less on time. Having the luxury of a family style table with a spinning glass surface, we passed appetizers and entrees around and ate like kings. To start things off we had a few cuts of beef and ox tripe and tendons, which put me off a little since it was served cold but it ended up tasting like perfect roast beef deli slices in that wonderful chili oil we all love. I kind of wanted to take them home and turn them into sandwiches, but the more I picked at them the less that seemed like an option. Also we received a plate of crunchy and delicious Salt and Pepper Prawn, each breaded in a spice flecked tempura like batter. The crab rangoons where the good kind, not the oily and stingy sort that taste like wontons with a smear of rancid butter.
As for entrees we ordered a large variety, and appreciated all of them. One of our guests got Sweet and Sour Chicken, usually a bland and soggy dish of poorly breaded chicken corndogs but here they got it just right, delivering a crunchy and tart variation. The Mu Shi Pork was another example of classic Chinese fare done right. One patron was talked into getting a plate of freshly fried shrimp, and although the fact that they where fried with the shell on made it an unpopular dish with most patrons I loved how after removing the tail and head it was crispy enough to just bite into the body, shell and all. The shrimp where unlike what I’m accustomed in the north east, instead of belonging to the giant and sweet cocktail variety these where about an inch long and tasted of salty ocean goodness. I ordered the Ma Po Tofu and regretted it; it was nothing but a massive island of flavorless tofu cubes surrounded by an endless ocean of chili oil, there where no other ingredients to give it any sort of character. Another patron got the seafood Udon and it was generously packed with all sorts of ocean delights, from mussels and shrimp to fish and that ubiquitous imitation crab meat.
The most outstanding dishes of the night where the Cumin Lamb and the Smoked Duck with Tea Flavor, both from the Chef’s Specials section of the menu. The lamb was buttery and tender, cooked all the way and generously powdered with cumin, like a marshmallow is sometimes powdered with confectioner’s sugar. This dish was not hot, but it was certainly spicy and left you with the impression that you had found your new favorite Indian dish in a Chinese restaurant. The duck was salty and smoky, with crispy skin and moist slow cooked flesh. This large serving emerged from dinner with plenty of meat left on the bones, no matter how much we picked at it while promising that we where done eating for the night.
Normally I would end my review by recommending the spot, and I do, it is one of my current favorites. But I have a few warnings I would like to share as well. First of all watch out for the little green spheres lumped at the bottom of most of the hot dishes. These are