Szechaun Spicy At Beijing Garden

I have written extensively about my visits to Wonton Gourmet near downtown Cleveland, Ohio. To date, they have some of the tastiest and most authentic Chinese food I've ever had in the entire northeast Ohio area. Their specialty, however, is Hong Kong style cuisine and as such, lacks some of the authentic flavors from other regional Chinese cuisines, specifically Szechuan cuisine. While they have added a few spicy and delicious items to their menu over time, for a true spicehead like myself, the last time I had true Szechuan food was during a trip to Chicago in 2007 at a restaurant called Lao Sze Chuan.

In a fortuitous twist, however, a restaurant named Beijing Garden located in Twinsburg, Ohio, had some spicy Szechuan dishes on their menu and it didn't take long before fellow blogger Nancy from Fun Playing With Food had set up a time and date for our decently-sized party to meet up and experience this food for ourselves. Beijing Garden was located at the end of a small number of stores at 7995 Darrow Road, Twinsburg, OH 44087 and can be reached at 330-425-9795. Parking was in the lot directly in front of the stores.

Here was a shot of the front of the restaurant:


Once inside, I was warmly greeted by Chef Shawn Chen and since I was the first to arrive, he invited me to sit in a chair in the lobby until the other five guests showed up. Several minutes later, all but one of the other guests arrived and we were shown to a circular table in the main dining room. Waiting for the final guest gave me time to photograph the menu:





While almost any Chinese restaurant has to cater to the American palate with dishes like General Tso's chicken and Wonton soup, by examining the menu closely, it was pretty easy to spot the more authentic Szechuan dishes, too. We started our meal out by ordering tea. Our server brought us two pots, one filled with jasmine and the other filled with green tea:


I opted to poor myself some of the green tea:


To begin our meal, we decided to order three of the appetizers: Dan Dan Noodles, Salt and Pepper Calamari, and the House Special Fried Dumpling. Since most authentic Chinese meals are eaten as the dishes come out of the kitchen, that was how we chose to eat our meal today, too. Of course, the large Lazy Susan at the center of the table helped making sharing very easy.

First out of the kitchen were the Dan Dan Noodles:


This was our first and certainly not our last taste of the fiery Szechuan peppercorns used to make this dish sing with flavor. Szechuan peppercorns are known for two qualities, ma and la. The dish not only has to have a spicy quality to it, but the peppercorn actually numbs your lips as well. Comprised of cooked noodles, chicken, scallions, sprouts, and peanuts, this was a very tasty way to start off our meal. The spicy and numbing quality of the peppercorns was present, but not overpowering. Had I not been sharing this with five others, I could've happily made an entire meal out of this dish.

The second appetizer to arrive was the Salt and Pepper Calamari:


The squid rings were lightly battered and fried and were toothsome without being chewy. The coating was a mixture of salt, black pepper, and as was first noted by my friend Diane, MSG. MSG is often used in Asian cuisine to develop a depth of savoriness but some, like Diane, are particularly sensitive to its presence in food and actually have physical reactions to consuming it. There are many who claim that MSG sensitivities are largely overblown, but I'm not about to start debating that point. I noticed the flavor as well, but it didn't bother me nearly as much since I don't have a sensitivity to it. While I'd prefer the dish without it, at the same time, I realized that Chef Chen was indeed giving us authentic dishes.

Our final appetizer was the House Special Fried Dumplings with a Soy-based Dipping Sauce:


These were expertly fried without a touch of greasiness to them. They were filled with ground pork and shrimp and the sweetness from the shrimp matched the saltiness from the dipping sauce well. I could have also ordered a plate of these for myself, too.

Collectively we also decided to do a soup course before the entrees. When the chef told us about another house specialty soup that mostly appealed to his Chinese customers, we immediately perked up and expressed our desire to try it. After a few more minutes, this arrived at our table:

This was a steamed shrimp and tofu soup with bok choi and cooked noodles in a light soup broth. Our server also brought out six soup spoons as well as individual bowls for each guest. As soup was ladled into each bowl, it was passed around so that everyone except one of the guests had one (she ordered an individual serving of their Hot and Sour soup instead). To my taste, everything harmonized well in the bowl. The noodles were soft without being mushy, the bok choi still had a bit of crunch to it, the shrimp were cooked without being rubbery and the tofu was still silken without disintegrating. This was a nice transition from appetizer to entree.

For our last course of the evening, we decided to order four different entrees and share them among us. First to arrive at the table was Ma La Chicken:


Studded with green peppers, onions, and zucchini, the dish had been loaded with more of the Szechuan peppercorns and then "dry" fried in the wok. This meant that there wasn't a sauce, per se. While the Dan Dan Noodles did have a touch of spicy and numbing quality to it, the Ma La Chicken really delivered in that department. Three or four bites in and I was happily "feeling the burn."

The second entree to arrive at our table was a long-time favorite of mine, Ma Po Tofu (or Dofu):


We had asked Chef Chen to serve it in the more authentic way with a bit of ground pork (most Chinese restaurants list it on their vegetarian menu) and he definitely delivered. Adorned with even more of the Szechuan Peppercorns, this dish picked up where the Ma La Chicken left off. The tofu was creamy, the pork a bit chewy (not in a bad way), and the tasty sauce was a wonderful topper to the bowl of steamed rice I had portioned for myself. Was this the best tasting Ma Po Tofu I've ever had? No, but it was darned close.

Our third entree was the Ziran Lamb:


Containing a combination of sliced lamb, onions, scallions, and the principle ingredient that defines this dish as Ziran Lamb instead of just a straight-up stir-fried lamb dish, cumin. LOTS of cumin. Normally the use of this much cumin would be off-putting, but Chef Chen managed to combine sweet, spicy, savory, and earthy in such a way that this dish was absolutely delicious. For those gentle readers out there who might by put off by the gaminess of lamb, I can assure you that the flavor was mild and tasted more like beef than lamb.

The final entree in our amazing culinary journey today was straight off the vegetarian menu and was a combination of Potato, Eggplant, and Green Pepper:


This was a simple, yet effective dish. After all of the complex flavors of the other entrees we had tonight, this one offered straight-forward flavors that helped to mitigate some of the spiciness that had consumed most of our mouths. What surprised me the most about this dish were the potatoes. To an American palate, the potatoes would've tasted a bit undercooked due to the ever-so-slight crispness of it. However, after trying a bite or two myself, while I could understand this perception, the potato also didn't taste "raw." The chef had walked a very fine line between under and overcooked and done a marvelous job.

As a special treat, Chef Chen surprised the entire table with a plate of Fried Bananas to end our rather large meal:


The bananas had been dredged in granulated sugar after being fried and had been served up with a sweet red swirl on the plate. This was the perfect way to get a little something sweet at the end without feeling like you had to go overboard. While the obligatory fortune cookies were still brought with the check, I opted to have a second piece of banana rather than my cookie.

With tax and tip for all of the food we had eaten tonight, the total came to an amazing $16.20 per person. Clearly it helped to share a meal with five others, but given how utterly full each of us was and the amount of leftovers we got to divvy up between us, this was one heck of a bargain and definitely on par with the value at Wonton Gourmet. Today's meal at Beijing Garden had been a true standout and I was elated by the knowledge that I now have a place to go when I want to experience the true burn of Szechuan Peppercorns. I highly recommend you give Chef Chen's restaurant a try whether you want some of the more typical Americanized Chinese food or need to take the plunge and go for something a little more authentic.

But Doesn't "Ma La" MEAN Spicy And Numbing?

Due to a personal commitment, I needed to travel to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to meet up with some new acquaintances. We decided that the small, core group of us would meet up for lunch first and then depending on how that went, expand the group to include others for dinner as well. When it somehow came up that I was a food blogger (honestly, I wasn't the one to spill the beans this time), it became clear that picking a spot would fall squarely on my shoulders. Given that both myself and the people I would be meeting were staying on the west side of Pittsburgh near the airport, I decided to focus my search there. I also needed to take into consideration that my hotel room, in the worst case scenario, might not be ready until 3 PM so I needed to make sure I had something to do in case lunch was done early.

Enter IKEA. It's on the west side of Pittsburgh over by the airport and it has been ages since I've been able to swing a trip. I figured I'd find a nice local place to eat that was close to the mega-store and in the event I was done early, "Bazinga!" (as Sheldon Cooper would say), I could kill two birds with one stone. What I didn't realize as I began to localize my search to that part of town was that it was essentially filled to the brim with every national chain restaurant I could name. Of the few local places I stumbled upon, feedback on the web was consistently bad. I've learned by now that the reviews people leave that are either all in capital letters or in the extreme (positive or negative) are usually not all that helpful. It's the well-thought out reviews that seem to have been written by a calm and reasonable human being that I find the most helpful.

And so it was that I stumbled upon Ya Fei, Incorporated. Feedback seemed a little mixed, but overall it was fairly positive. Knowing that most people like both Chinese and Italian food, I took a chance and suggested it to my dining companions. They agreed and we met up for lunch at noon on a Saturday. As it turned out, Ya Fei was literally right across the street from IKEA, so it couldn't have been a more perfect spot. Specifically, the restaurant was located at 1980 Park Manor Boulevard, Pittsburgh, PA 15205 in the Robinson Towne Centre. They can be reached at 412-788-9388. Parking was in the massive lot outside the strip mall.

Here was a shot of the front of the store:


As we arrived a bit early for lunch today, I had a chance to check out the interior of the small lobby inside the front door. To my left was a dry erase board with today's specials:


What caught my eye was the dish listed on the top right hand side of the board, "Ma-La Delight." I struck up a conversation with the woman standing behind the hostess stand who I think might have actually been the owner as she seemed quite knowledgeable. I asked her if the "Ma-La" actually referred to the spicy and numbing sensation created in the mouth when using real Szechaun peppercorns. She said that indeed they were and stated that only a few years ago, because of an FDA regulation, these peppercorns weren't even available in the United States. I asked her if they used the peppercorns in another Szechuan favorite of mine, Ma Pa Dofu (aka Ma Pa Tofu). She stated that they didn't and only saved the Szechaun peppercorns for special dishes like the one on the menu today. She finished the conversation by complimenting me on my knowledge of Chinese food and I graciously thanked her for the compliment.

While the price of this lunch dish seemed a bit high compared to the rest of the menu ($16 versus $7-$9), the chance to try these zesty little pods kind of stuck with me. After our entire group finally arrived, we sat down at our table and were handed the menu to peruse:






Honestly, while I did give the menu a cursory glance, I was still thinking about the special menu item and how good it would be to eat a dish made with authentic Szechuan peppercorns. I considered adding a side dish, perhaps an egg roll or a spring roll. As it turned out, my dining companion decided to order a combination platter that came with an egg roll which she didn't want. When it came to placing our order, the rest of the crowd ordered what I would consider to be more Americanized Chinese fare. The interesting item to note at Ya Fei was that for many of the dishes, you can have either a brown sauce or a white sauce, spicy or not spicy. In fact, our server asked each individual person those questions.

When it came time for me to place my order, I asked for the Ma-La Delight. When she didn't ask me if I wanted it spicy or not, it didn't seem out of place because I had just been talking with the woman at the hostess stand about this very topic. Why would you order such a dish if you didn't already expect it to come out of the kitchen prepared with a minimal amount of heat and spice? I bet, gentle reader, you can already guess where this is heading.

Our lunch order now placed, we settled back in for tea and beverage service:


The tea was hot and delicious and quickly after dropping off our beverages, my egg roll with standard American sauces arrived:


Here you have a fried pork and cabbage egg roll with small pools of sweet and hot mustard sauce. Here was a shot of the interior of the egg roll:


This was a pretty tasty egg roll. It was nicely fried and wasn't too greasy. The vegetables inside the roll were crispy and hot, but were softened just slightly from the pre-cooking of the filling. The sauces were pretty standard and I have to at least be thankful that the "sweet" sauce wasn't of the bright neon red variety. I could taste the actually fruit flavor in the sauce.

After only a few more minutes, the kitchen was able to quickly turn out our lunch dishes and they arrived at the table, two at a time. While everyone else's lunch came with rice on the plate, mine came with rice in its own bowl:


It was at this point that I realized that the $16 dish I had ordered was more of an entrée than a lunch combination. No problem, I thought, if it tastes great and provides a nice Szechuan peppercorn heat, it'll be worth the extra price. Here was a shot of my Ma-La Delight:


Comprised of scallops, shrimp, broccoli, baby corn, mushrooms, and red peppers in a tangy sauce, I searched the plate for any indication of the Szechuan peppercorns. Hmmm ... there didn't seem to be any visible sign of them, but maybe they got ground up before being thrown into the wok. I plated myself up some of the rice and several spoonfuls of the entrée


and dug in. On the positive side, the flavor was quite delicious. The sauce had a nice balance between sweet and sour and the vegetables were cooked nicely, just a bit tender while still maintaining the crispy edge. The scallops were luscious and soft and sweet and complimented the sauce quite nicely. The shrimp, while not quite as sweet as the scallops, were on the verge of being overcooked having a just slightly rubbery quality to them. But even that little quibble wasn't enough for me to say the dish didn't live up to its full potential.

What did, however, was the utter lack of any spice, in the form of numbness or spicy heat. I took bite after bite, assuming that it would build up, but absolutely nothing happened. I would've sent it back to have them re-fire it except that by the time I made the realization, I was already half-way through my lunch and didn't particularly want to hassle with it. After I finished my meal and we paid the check, I approached the woman with whom I had first talked about today's special. I told her that while it was tasty, there was absolutely no fire at all to the dish.

She looked at me with an obviousness in her gaze and said that unless specially requested, the Ma-La Delight is always made mild. At this point, I actually thought to myself, "Then why do you call it Ma-La Delight? Why not call it Sweet and Tangy Delight? Or Seafood Delight?" When I asked her how to order it properly the next time I (or more likely you, gentle reader) come back, she said that I should ask for it, "extra spicy."

What struck me as odd was that when my companions ordered non-Ma-La dishes off the menu, they were each asked how they wished it to be prepared. I, ordering a dish that by it's very name suggested that it should contain lots of spice and heat, was never asked that question. I sighed as I pondered the logic behind this new bit of information. I understand that most Americans wouldn't want it super spicy with mouth numbing properties. But at least give me the chance when I order it to make that decision for myself.

All that being said, each of my other dining companions today said that they really enjoyed their meals. I enjoyed mine, too, but not at the level I know I expected. If the true Szechuan peppercorn experience is what you are after at this local Pittsburgh restaurant, make sure you speak up when you are ordering and never assume that just because it's in the name of the dish, that is what you will actually get.

New Spicy Szechuan Offerings At Wonton Gourmet

Normally, on the Sunday after the Ohio Linuxfest is held, my aunt and I traditionally go out for lunch somewhere in Columbus before I head back home to Akron. However, on this particular Sunday I had been invited by a very good friend to attend a late lunch she was throwing at Wonton Gourmet in Cleveland to showcase some of the new menu items that had been added recently. Now I know that I have written about Wonton Gourmet several times before here on my blog and there have been plenty of times I have gone and didn't write about it because I had already covered the food or just plain decided I didn't want to belabor the point. However, since our nine course meal was covering new culinary ground, I thought it would be appropriate to not only come back early so that I could attend the festivities, but also write up an entry to introduce the new food to you as well.

I arrived at around 2:20 PM and decided that since I had never included a shot of the front of Wonton Gourmet, I would do so now:


I walked in to find that our hosts, Diane and Steve, were already sitting at our table waiting for our not-so-small group of tasters to arrive. The original invitation that Diane had sent out to her guests had a list of the courses that we would be served today; however, there were a few changes and the addition of one extra course to surprise us. After the entire party arrived, the first course was brought out and consisted of a hot corn and tofu soup which was ladled into bowls before being passed around:


I have had this completely vegetarian soup one other time and absolutely loved the subtle interplay between the corn and the tofu. As with many of Wonton Gourmet's dishes, the flavors balanced sweet and savory extremely well. While I knew I had to pace myself, I ladled another half bowl of this soup into my dish before forcing myself to stop.

Food at Wonton Gourmet is served "family style." This means that the food is brought out as it is finished being prepared in the kitchen and is served in one large bowl or large plate. Often times this manifests itself as multiple dishes coming out in rapid succession and longer pauses occurring in between courses. Next up, a dish of yuba wrapped pork and shrimp filled rolls in a savory sauce appeared on our table:


While I initially thought that the one per customer rule was a bit strict, I was thankful later on that I had actually only eaten one of these rolls. These were tender and flavorful and the filling really touched on my sense of umami. The yuba skins were very tender and held up well to my manhandling of the roll with my chopsticks.

The next course to appear on our table was one of the new spicy dishes, Szechuan Style Jumbo Shrimp:


In addition to all of the obvious chili peppers in the above photo, this dish also had sliced celery. The shrimp were absolutely fantastic. They were large and had a dry coating on them. Tossed around with a fiery blend of spices and chilies, the shrimp had a piquancy to them that was pronounced without being overpowering. As with many traditional Chinese dishes, this was a dry dish. Spooning this over my rice didn't do a whole lot to add flavor to my rice, although it did allow my rice to counteract some of the heat.

The next dish to be served was the XO Paste Rice:


While I originally thought this was just shrimp and scallop fried rice, it wasn't until my friend Edsel pulled up the menu on his iPhone that we realized that this dish was to feature XO Sauce. While this dish was excellent, neither Edsel nor I really got a distinct flavor from the XO Sauce. He admitted, too, that had he been served this and not known what it was supposed to be, he would've just assumed it was your standard seafood fried rice.

The next course to arrive at our table was the Ma La Pork Chop:


Traditionally, the "Ma La" refers to two different sensations, one being the spiciness of the chili and the second being the actually numbing of the lips and mouth. This is usually accomplished through the addition of Szechuan peppercorns, an ingredient that you will be hard pressed to find being used in Americanized Chinese cuisine, especially food that is destined for the traditional American palate. While the pork chop had a great flavor and a nice spice, it was only after careful inspection that we discovered just a few Szechuan peppercorns on the plate. I'm guessing the cook wanted to introduce us to this flavor and sensation without giving the diners full frontal "Ma La."

Smartly, Diane decided to include a green leafy vegetable in the middle of the meal instead of at the end. In previous visits, the greens always seem to come out last when everyone is too full to enjoy them. This plate of Yu Choy dressed in a savory sauce seemed perfectly timed:


Yu Choy, also know as the rape (pronounced "rop-A") plant, was similar to Chinese broccoli in texture, but not quite the same in flavor. The rape was nicely cooked and the entire vegetable was tender with just a bit of crispness to it. Diane's plan worked perfectly, and platter after platter of this tender vegetable was eaten up before the arrival of our next course.

I was surprised and delighted when the next course arrived, the Hot and Spicy Szechuan Fish:


I had the privilege of eating this dish the last time I went to Wonton Gourmet several weeks ago and absolutely fell in love with it. Comprised of whitefish and Chinese cabbage that had been cooked in a spicy, hellish broth and topped with loads of fresh garlic, this dish was a flavor explosion and a garlic lover's dream. Additionally, since this dish was served "wet," there was plenty of sauce to spoon over the rice. The fish was cooked perfectly, tender and still juicy, and the combination of the chilies and garlic tantalized my sense of smell even before I managed to eat any.

Our final savory course was known as Hot and Spicy Two Flavor Beef:


This dish contained two cuts of beef, tripe and tendon. Served in a spicy sauce and topped with peanuts, scallions, and sesame seeds, this dish had me a bit worried. Tripe is not my favorite cut of beef and if it isn't prepared correctly can be frightfully chewy. I needn't have worried as the tripe was incredibly tender. Unfortunately, it turned out to be the beef tendon that was a bit too cartilaginous for my taste. The flavor of this dish was very good, but I did have an issue with some of the textures. I'm glad I tried it, however.

All I knew of the last dish was that it would contain sweet red beans and lotus. Knowing that the Chinese don't like extremely sweet desserts like Westerners do, I figured it would be some take on a sweet red bean filled pastry. It turns out what we were served was a sweet red bean "soup." Here was a shot of the dessert:


This was quite interesting. I will have to admit it isn't something that I would crave, but I'm glad I had the opportunity to try it. It was served warm and definitely tasted of sweet red beans. The consistency was that of a regular bean soup you would see here in the United States, although it was smoother. As I had thought, the sweetness was very reserved. It was a nice way to clear out all of the spice of the previous meal. Being pretty darn full by this point, I only managed to eat about half of my soup before stopping.

Traditionally, Wonton Gourmet presented food from the Hong Kong region in the Cantonese style of cooking, which didn't lend itself to a lot of hot and spicy dishes. However, looking back at our amazing meal, I realized that nearly half the course were Szechuan-like, if not outright Szechuan. I'm happy about this because no other restaurant in Cleveland, Akron, or Canton serves this style of cuisine (at least to my knowledge). Now I have four more reasons to return to Wonton Gourmet when I need my spicy Chinese food fix.

While we managed to get away with all of this food (plus plenty of leftovers for the next day) for a mere $30, including tax and tip, normally meals at Wonton Gourmet run as low as $10 per person. While you can certainly go by yourself, it's when you get to have a shared experience with five of your closest friends that the sense of community really comes alive. I know that our group of twenty people had a very communal experience with today's meal and I look forward to returning soon for another fantastic experience. As always, Wonton Gourmet is highly recommended.

Thai Gourmet vs. Pataya: Battle of the Asian Cuisines

Thai Gourmet, located at 3732 Darrow Road in Stow, OH (phone is 330-688-0880, no website) has been a local go-to place if I don't want to drive all the way to Cleveland (although I do think Cleveland does have better Thai restaurants). Out of the blue, I decided to pop in on a Saturday evening around 6 PM. It was definitely busy, although they did have a table available. It had "ok" lighting, but not optimal, so the pictures will appear a bit dark.

First, a shot of the condiments that are on the table. Notice the dried chili in the container in the front; that will be important later on in the meal.


I decided to do soup, an appetizer, and an entree. For my appetizer, I decided on doing the Thai Dumplings. Here is a photo of the dumplings:


This was FANTASTIC! A nice pork and shrimp dumpling in a soft wonton skin, cooked until still tender. It was served in a nice broth that had all the elements of Thai style cooking: sweet, savory, umami, and spicy. Topping the dumplings was scallions and fried shallots, which provided a nice textual contrast. I would order this again in a heartbeat.

Next came the Tom Yum Gai (chicken instead of shrimp).


This had a sort of odd "off" flavor. It almost tasted like it had too much of an acidic component to it. The ingredients were cooked properly (nothing was rubbery or tough), but the balance just wasn't there. This was a dish that I didn't finish and didn't take home with me.

Finally, even though it isn't Thai, I saw that the restaurant offered Ma Po Tofu. Although the version on the menu is vegetarian, I asked if they could add some ground pork to it and the waitress indicated that they could. The menu declared that the dish came out "spicy", but I know better and asked my waitress what my spice level options were. She indicated that the hottest they could make it was "Thai spicy". When I asked if "Thai spicy" was American Thai Spicy or Thai Thai Spicy, she indicated that it was the latter. So I ordered my dish "Thai Spicy", not really sure what to expect.

Here is what came out from the kitchen:


My heart dropped almost immediately. If you notice, there are no red flecks at all in the dish. No red flecks means no chilies. Tasting the dish confirmed my worst fear. Either the cook has absolutely no idea what "Thai Spicy" is supposed to actually taste like, or I got the "American" Thai Spicy. *Sigh*

So, I ended up adding about 6 spoonfuls of the crushed chili peppers that were sitting on the table. This helped, but it still wasn't the same thing as cooking with the chili during the dish's preparation. Flavorwise, the dish was fine, but clearly once again, my hope for a properly spiced dish was dashed. I did take the rest of the dish home and had it for lunch the next day.

Several days later, I ended up eating dinner at a Canton restaurant I frequent regularly, Pa Ta Ya (1122 30th Street NW, Canton, OH 44709, no website). It had been closed for a while and when I returned, they had a new menu. The thing I like about this restaurant is that it is one of the few places in Canton that I can get Chinese (admittedly, American Chinese), Thai, and Vietnamese. While their Pho is not the best I've ever had, at least I can get it on a fairly regular basis if I want it.

Seeing Thai Dumplings on the menu brought back the memory of the Thai Dumplings I had at Thai Gourmet several days earlier. So I decided to do a taste comparison between the two. Here is the dish:


While this dish had several of the same elements as the one I experienced at the other restaurant, it was not nearly as harmonious (or tasty). There was absolutely ZERO heat at all. I'm not looking to be blown away with chili heat, but this had none at all. This meant that the sweetness in the sauce was not counterbalanced in any way.

Another concern that I have, and this is not a new concern, is that the knife skills of the chef at Pa Ta Ya is just not very consistent. In the picture above, you'll notice that the knifework on the cucumbers is just not very even. While this doesn't bother me in a dish such as the dumplings, it is often a big factor in other dishes, like the Pho:


Pa Ta Ya's Pho is a decent bowl, with nice tender meat and a nice umami broth. I always add hoisin sauce and sriracha to give it a bit of sweetness and garlic-y heat. This restaurant is unusual in that they bring you out a side of both sauces instead of having the condiments on the table. While I usually only add a little bit of hoisin, I like quite a bit of sriracha and no matter how many times I go back and order the Pho, I always have to ask for extra. Oh bother.

And here is the same Pho, with an onion wedge that has not been properly prepped.


Part of the problem with such huge pieces of onion is that they aren't cooked through in their version. While I love onions, I just can't really do them raw anymore, so I end up having to pick them out.

Just so Thai Gourmet isn't the only one with a chili level issue, the one thing that drives me up the wall at Pa Ta Ya (I've eaten there quite a bit for lunch), is their inconsistency with spicing the dishes. I've tried working with several of the servers there (including the daughter of the owner) to try and understand how I need to order a dish if I want it spiced to the level I require and it is still a hit or miss proposition. If the husband owner is cooking and he sees me, I will generally get it at the spice level I ask for. With the wife owner cooking? Forget it.

Overall, I think I'd have to give the edge to Thai Gourmet. Even though they have no idea what "Thai Spicy" is, at least their dishes were more refined and better balanced.