Vintage Puck, Wolfgang Puck

Wolfgang Puck is quite the culinary icon. If Michael Jackson is the king of Pop, Cut is the king of steakhouses. I love that place but let's go back, way back to his earlier work at the very retro Chinois on Main in Santa Monica, CA. It is his take on Asian fusion, inspired by all parts of China.

Décor – ultimate 80s appeal. The restaurant is easily missed if you are not actively looking for it. The main entrance on Main St. is very unpretentious. The inside keeps the same consistency with faded plastic aqua chairs, common of elementary lunch cafeterias. There are trinkets of Chinese culture via the red dragon, Buddha, and other pieces I have missed. The interior is a little on the tacky side, but again, think 80s retro. Not knowing what the restaurant looked like when it first opened, I am pretty sure it has kept the same look. My favorite part about the whole place is that you can see the actual kitchen and its many ducks hanging, which is uber exciting for a Chinese American on the West side – tell me where else can you see such things?

The place serves mediocre Chinese food at best but I am glad I have crossed it off my "to eat" list. Nobody can be great at everything, and it's fair to say that this is not Puck's forte.

Garlic Chicken Spring Rolls with Chinese cole slaw in a spicy plum sauce - The slaw was really nice and saucy, but the skin of the egg roll was soggy.

I also ordered a Sizzling Calamari Salad with Chinese chili paste served in a Won Ton cup, which was fantastic. The Calamari was perfectly fried, and there was a really great flavor to it greens. The Won Ton cup also added a very nice texture to the soft salad.

Whole Sizzling Catfish with ginger & ponzu sauce - There was nothing sizzling about it, so the dish name was misleading. I was more than impressed that they served an entire fish, head and tail, on this side of town but did not think it was anything to write home about. I did love the ginger and ponzu sauce, which I generously lathered over my Duck Fried Rice for additional flavor.

Grilled Szechwan Beef with spicy shallot cilantro sauce - Nothing extraordinary and I felt the beef was a little tough despite cooking its Medium preparation.

What really surprised me was the Stir-fried Chicken with cashew, pine nuts, and Chinese vegetables. It sounds like a boring dish but Wolfgang did update this dish with his mix of nuts and savory hoisin sauce. There was a bed of white rice in the center that absorbed all the good sauce that just made it even more appetizing.

We also ordered the Cantonese Duck with fresh plum sauce and I hated this rendition of it. The plum sauce was so tart and inconveniently drizzled all over the duck that I could not even avoid it if I wanted to. It was like Wolfgang was trying to turn it into a Thanksgiving turkey with cranberry sauce, which some people can appreciate had they not loved Chinese roast duck with hoisin sauce. Even Mr.Chow stays true to this dish with his minor twist. Boo on you for messing up a traditionally good dish!

Dessert was somewhat impressive because of its spread of cookies. Our curiosity was piqued by the "Confections of Good Fortune" and we found a tray of French Macaroons, almond-paste bar, and chocolate chocolate cookies at the end of that rainbow. Not the best FMacs I've had (and I am a FMac whore) but it was nice to see. It is a fun spread and none were overwhelmingly sweet.

I may be spoiled by good Chinese restaurants growing up, but I have never knocked upscale Asian cuisine if done right. I am still a fan of Mr.Chow and Crustacean in Beverly Hills, and would love to have them in my take-out boxes MWFs. Hah! BTW, funny how all these Asian restaurants start with C? Guess it makes it more authentic Chinese. Oh and this is a bit of an after-thought, but their Jasmine green tea is amazing. I don't know what brand they use but it is so fragrant and delicious, it melts all the fat I ate this meal.

Chinois on Main
2709 Main St.
Santa Monica, CA 90405
www.wolfgangpuck.com

Mr.Chow
344 N. Canon Drive
Beverly Hills, CA 90210
www.mrchow.com

Crustacean
9646 Santa Monica Blvd.
Beverly Hills, CA 90210
www.anfamily.com

Good Eats

It is rainy, I am hungry, and it is barely 9am in the morning. Driving back from Irvine after a late night of birthday celebrating, Xiao Long Baos (juicy Shanghainese soup dumplings) sounded divine. I was definitely not about to drive another 50 miles elsewhere, so I resorted to good ol' Yelp for a good place to start off a good, rainy Saturday... and thank goodness for it because Ding's Garden was such a great find.

Ding's Garden is a legit, small-time Shanghainese-Chinese restaurant. Their menu is written only in Chinese (unless you shamefully request for the English version like me - ABC, what what?). There are so many different dishes but most are the familiar classics. The food comes amazingly fast - within 5 minutes - so you won't be kept in much anticipation.

I know I said I came to satiate my craving of Xiao Long Baos but my wondering eyes got the best of me and I feasted like it was Chinese New Year again. Here is the play by play:

APPETIZER / MAIN:
+ Jiao He Jiao He (mixed cold-cut appetizer) - Simple, herby, addictive (not overly sensational to kick off your pallete)

+ XLBs - Excellent! Meaty, soupy, and flavorful. The vinegar and ginger is not even necessary because it's that good. I honestly wished I had ordered 2 crates.
+ Zha Zhang Mian - Tasty with a hint of sweetness. The noodles had a good elasticity and chewiness to it. It still is not comparable to the best-I've-ever-eaten in Hong Kong but I mean, you can't really beat the motherland.+ Pork Chop Fried Rice - Huge pork chop, well crusted, good meat to breading ratio, comforting fried rice
- Spicy Beef Noodles - Great lean cuts of meat without much tendon (my personal preference), but the soup lacked the herbiness that makes this dish - maybe it's the Shanghainese recipe vs. the Taiwanese flavors I am used to, at no fault of the dish if so
- Dan Dan Mian - Very peanuty if you are into that but it tasted too close to a peanut butter sandwich to me; I would have enjoyed more meat flavor in it. As an FYI, I do love PB in every form but this just seemed too much, even for me
- Stir Fried Rice Cakes (Nian Gao) - Ordinary, could have used more salt

DRINKS / DESSERT
+ Winter Melon Drink - Fragrant and sweet
+ Boba Milk Tea - Boba is smaller, which made it easier to swallow without much necessary chew time --> more time to eat everything else! :)
+ Sesame Rice Balls in Sweet Soup - Fantastic! I could not stop eating it for the life of me! You can tell it is freshly made from the delicateness of the rice balls. The sweet soup perfectly complements the balls, and I love the hint of fragrant Osmanthus flowers sprinkled on top. This is definitely worth getting if you can appreciate traditional Chinese desserts, which is especially perfect for a rainy day.
All in all, this meal was excellent - taste, value, and service rocked (the servers are busy folks but they will gladly stop and explain what's what on the menu and what the other table ordered). All the dishes were inexpensive, averaging $6/dish.

My mom said it best in that you know the owners of Ding's Garden are good cooks who care about their food as it clearly shows in the dishes. I can't wait til I come back for my 2 crates of Xiao Long Baos and sesame rice balls!

18922 Gale Ave, Ste A
Rowland Heights, CA 91748

534 E Valley Blvd, Ste 10
San Gabriel, CA 91776