Ok, so we all know that when you go to a Mexican restaurant one of the first signs of quality is based on the chips and salsa they serve, right? So what is the standard early warning sign of Chinese food I wondered recently?
Is it the egg rolls, the rice, or the General chicken? No, too easy.
Maybe it is the cheese puffs\ crab wantons with the horribly sweet but delicious dipping sauce...mmm fried cheese.
Though all of these deserve mention, I finally decided recently that, for me, the biggest hint at the quality of food and ingredients you will receive lies in the murky depths of the Hot & Sour Soup bowl.
The consistency, level of spice, type of mushrooms, bamboo shoots, and quality of tofu all play an integral role in the soup's final outcome. If a restaurant uses dried shiitakes in their soup instead of meaty fresh ones, the whole experience is thrown off. Use pickled or canned bamboo and you turn the foodie frown upside down. Tofu falling apart and flavorless? Your soup comes out looking and tasting a bit pre-chewed.
Something so simple, and yet with so much room for error. One of my favorite places in town is actually a little private owned cafe in a strip center along Studemont. It's called Sam's Cafe, and it is an awesome example of a quality Chinese dive. The decor and size of the place aren't stellar, but the sweet and sour soup is one of the best I've ever tasted, and consistently so. This carries over in to their other foods as well, like the tofu in black bean sauce or the sesame chicken which are both really tasty.
Sometimes I go there just for the soup, when I'm sick, or need a quick bite, or am too hungover for more solid foods. It always hits the spot, and it is as kind to your palette as it is to your wallet($1.50 for a small).
Send me your favorite places for Hot & Sour soup, or favorite Chinese places and why. Think there is something else food-wise that marks the level of quality? let me know...let's get a discussion going here people!
Is it the egg rolls, the rice, or the General chicken? No, too easy.
Maybe it is the cheese puffs\ crab wantons with the horribly sweet but delicious dipping sauce...mmm fried cheese.
Though all of these deserve mention, I finally decided recently that, for me, the biggest hint at the quality of food and ingredients you will receive lies in the murky depths of the Hot & Sour Soup bowl.
The consistency, level of spice, type of mushrooms, bamboo shoots, and quality of tofu all play an integral role in the soup's final outcome. If a restaurant uses dried shiitakes in their soup instead of meaty fresh ones, the whole experience is thrown off. Use pickled or canned bamboo and you turn the foodie frown upside down. Tofu falling apart and flavorless? Your soup comes out looking and tasting a bit pre-chewed.
Something so simple, and yet with so much room for error. One of my favorite places in town is actually a little private owned cafe in a strip center along Studemont. It's called Sam's Cafe, and it is an awesome example of a quality Chinese dive. The decor and size of the place aren't stellar, but the sweet and sour soup is one of the best I've ever tasted, and consistently so. This carries over in to their other foods as well, like the tofu in black bean sauce or the sesame chicken which are both really tasty.
Sometimes I go there just for the soup, when I'm sick, or need a quick bite, or am too hungover for more solid foods. It always hits the spot, and it is as kind to your palette as it is to your wallet($1.50 for a small).
Send me your favorite places for Hot & Sour soup, or favorite Chinese places and why. Think there is something else food-wise that marks the level of quality? let me know...let's get a discussion going here people!
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