Archive for the 'Chinese' Category

The Astronomer and I dined at Yun Chuan Garden many moons ago when my mother was in town for work. Even though no one in our party read Chinese or was familiar with Szechuan cuisine, we still enjoyed a solid meal by blindly trusting the menu’s cryptic English descriptions.

The Astronomer and I returned to the restaurant a few weekends back with our friend Danny. With a Chinese-speaking Szechuan expert at the table, we were excited to re-experience Yun Chuan Garden.

Joining the three of us for dinner were Amy, her fiance Dennis, and Laurie. Our group of six gathered around a large table toward the back of the restaurant. Danny took charge and ordered an array of beloved standbys, as well as a handful of new dishes.

To start, Danny, Amy, and I picked out a few cold appetizers from the selection at the front counter. The fried tofu, beef shank, and jellied headcheese all rocked. The spicing and seasonings were just right for my chili-loving tastes.

Continue reading ‘Yun Chuan Garden – Monterey Park’

Under normal circumstances, I would have followed up the five-course bacon feast aboard the Lardon Truck with a healthful dinner of vegetables and grains. However, since it was the first day of the new year, and my mom was in town to celebrate, I thought it would be more festive and delicious to continue the greasy streak into dinner.

So instead of digging into wholesome greens and fibrous barley this evening, our party of three followed Linda Burum‘s footsteps to Monterey Park to dine at Beijing Pie House—a shop specializing in the bready cuisine of Northern China.

Located across the plaza from Kam Hong Garden, the Pie House lacks proper signage announcing its place in the neighborhood. In fact, the store’s facade still reads “Canton Gourmet Bakery.” Don’t be fooled though—there’s plenty of pie to go around.

The restaurant was mostly empty when we arrived, so we were seated promptly and presented with laminated menus typed in both English and Chinese.

After perusing the offerings, my mom decided that the shrimp wonton soup had to be hers ($5.99). The dozen or so plump little parcels arrived floating in a steaming hot broth. My mom really liked the delicate wrappers and meaty filling, but had to doctor up the mild broth with a few shakes of soy sauce and chili oil to suit her taste.

Continue reading ‘Beijing Pie House – Monterey Park’