Mandarin Kitchen Dinner -- 3/29/05

It was just over a year ago I came home from my first Chowhound event, the infamous and amazing Moon Palace blow-out, during which 40 guests took over that highly regarded Shanghai style restaurant in Chinatown. My quick report on that dinner was my first significant food posting and it hooked me. But tonight's dinner at Mandarin Kitchen, a place competing in the same culinary domain of Shanghai style as Moon Palace, created a new mathematics: half the people, twice the deliciousness, 3/4 the cost -- Mandarin Kitchen, with a notable assist from CrazyC, hit a grand slam tonight. In my humble opinion, Mandarin Kitchen proved itself superior to Moon Palace in almost every way.

The dishes were too numerous for me to recall or describe them all; others took plenty of pictures and I presume we'll be seeing those here soon. Here were some of the highlights:

Cold appetizers included duck, tofu noodles, jellyfish, pickled vegetables and beef tendon. Of these, I thought the tendon was the highlight, in a red chili pepper oil, the carpaccio-thin slices of tendon were addictive. The other cold appetizers were competent, but unexciting (although TonyC couldn't get enough of the duck). Given the number of courses to come, that was actually probably a good thing.

In no particular order:

Sea cucumber in a rich, sweet brown sauce was aromatic and delicious, although I'll admit having issues with the unctuous texture of this primitive invertebrate.

Broad tofu noodles with poached soy beans and a savory green sauce were unexpectedly tasty.

The roast ham hock at Mandarin Kitchen was head and shoulders above the same item we all raved about last year at Moon Palace. The MP hock was a beautiful piece of meat, but it had a layer of like one inch of fat all around, and the underlying meat was not significantly better than a typical pork roast. Mandarin Kitchen's version avoided the vice of the Moon Palace blubber layer, while the meat itself was far more flavorful. This should be a signature dish for MK, if it is not already.

A dish consisting of chunks of fish in a thick sauce with woodear mushrooms was extraordinarily good. Salty and smokey -- two adjectives that applied to several of the dishes tonight.

A dish of ground chicken heavy with cumin and jalapeno peppers; scary at first, as Vital Information suggested, it grew on all of us the more we ate.

A simple dish of mushrooms and bok choy in brown sauce was a startling example of how good ingredients will treat you well if your chef treats them well. Smoky, woody, salty, rich and oozing in umami, this was a little delight.

A rib-sticking dish of bucattini-like noodles was served late in the meal. Oily, but not greasy, this would be an ideal meal for a winter night. It went down pretty well on the first 70 degree night of the year, too. If you ever find yourself on death row, this plus the ham hock would be a good choice for your last meal.

I've only scratched the surface with this survey. Suffice to say, this was one of the best meals I've had in a good long time. The company, as usual, was outstanding. The BYOB Chinese Lighter Fluid (106 proof rice liquor) I perhaps could've done without, but I suppose it's an experience I'll come to appreciate more over time. Rob's donation of 3 dozen donuts from Dunk was the cherry on top of this fantastic meal. Thanks, Charlotte, for putting together this highly successful event.

JiLS wrote:A simple dish of mushrooms and bok choy in brown sauce was a startling example of how good ingredients will treat you well if your chef treats them well. Smoky, woody, salty, rich and oozing in umami, this was a little delight.

My mushroom club had their annual dinner at MK about 10 days ago. About 2 months ago, the mushroom club board met to test drive the menu. I brought about 3 ounces of reconstituted dried morels, which is the equivalent of 3 pounds. Aide didn't recognize them, though the chef did. He made the same presentation described above with morels instead. If you liked tonight's version, you would have swooned for the morels.

I also enjoyed trying finally the Seth Zurer recommended seaweed flavored fish dish. I get it, really I do, it's great!

Hopefully by the next MK dinner, I will have replenished my mushroom pantry.

Charlotte: you and Aide worked magic this evening!

Thank you!

I gotta run soon to the cream city, but I before I do, I wanted to express my appreciation (too) of the wonderful event last night. CrazyC really did go crazy (in a great way) and Mandarin Kitchen complied. It was a typical LTH event: too much food, way too much booze, bonhomie that can never be too much.

The dishes seemed endless. Many were "classics" to me, the fried seaweed fish, scallion pancakes, lionshead meatballs, even gummy sea cucumber in shrimp roe sauce (I'll wait for EC's further discussion), but many dishes were new to me. I especially liked the tofu/soy bean dish Jim mentioned above. With the 100 or so dishes we had, I would say the batting average was not 1.000, but as apparant, the few lesser dishes quickly flew by. Mandarin Kitchen is a wonderful addition to Chicago dining! (And Aidee is a wonderful host.)

Thanks again.

Rob

LTH,

What a nice evening, great food, company, conversation and, as JimInLoganSq said, Charlotte, along with Aide, co-owner of Mandarin Kitchen, deserve kudos for menu selection.

We started the evening with a composed cold plate, I particularly enjoyed the tendon, jellyfish and duck. Pickled veg and tofu noodle were good as well. Wait, that's everything on the plate.


Next up were steaming hot, and quite good, soup dumplings (xiao long bao)


Followed by Crystal Shrimp w/cucumber and Ginkgo nut, which Aide is holding.


Fish filet Shanghai style w/wood ear mushroom.


The euphemistically named Lion's Head Meatball was one of Ellen's favorite dishes.


Yan du zian, which Gary Soup (eatingchinese.org) has called the national soup of Shanghai.


Tofu noodle w/beef and yellow chive


Lamb w/cumin


Spicy chicken w/water chestnut and jalapeno was one of my favorites, but I'm a sucker for both chicken and jalapeno.


Bean curd sheet w/salted cabbage and edamame, this was a table favorite and Ellen's must have next time pick.


Black mushroom w/baby bok choy


Sea Cucumber w/shrimp roe and baby bok choy. From what I understand there are many grades of Sea Cucumber and this was a top grade. Fragrance of the sea, as opposed to overpowering shoreline at low-tide, and soft and luxurious to the tooth. I really loved this dish. The shrimp roe sauce was a nice counterpoint, bringing out the flavor of the sea cucumber.


Fish w/seaweed. I've loved this dish since my first bite. Thanks to Seth Z's on-list heads up about the dish.


Eel w/yellow chive and cliantro was quite good.


but a bit Eel(y) for some.


Pork hock was as JimInLoganSq mentioned, a clear winner. Though this picture does not do it justice.


We closed with Deep fried noodle Shanghai style


and Sticky rice cake, just to, as the Chinese expression goes, fill in the cracks.


Chinese style dessert is not one of my favorite things, but Mandarin Kitchen's Red Bean Paste, Aide said they hand-pounded the red beans for us instead of using the more common caned, was pretty darn tasty.


Rob also brought donuts.


We all brought liquor, but the winner for 'interesting' booze of the night goes to El Panzone and his, burn your throat worse than unfiltered mescal or grappa, 106 proof Chinese liquor.


Even as the evening wound down to a close, no one seemed in a hurry to leave the comfortable environs of Mandarin Kitchen. Thanks again Charlotte for setting up such an enjoyable meal and thanks Aide for making us feel so welcome.


Enjoy,
Gary

At the risk of echoing the earlier posts, there is so much praise to heap on Mandarin Kitchen, CrazyC, and Aide. The parade of dishes was nothing short of staggering. Toss in plenty of wine, bourbon, Chinese fire water (what was that stuff called??), donuts, and the comforting good cheer of LTHers, and you have a night to remember.

For the food itself, I think VI hit it on the head. There were so many dishes that it was impossible to bat 1.000, but there were some very good standouts.

I loved the shanghai fried noodles and regret that I was a little too full to enjoy them fully when they arrived. The flavor and texture was homey and comforting. I could easily make a whole meal out of a bowl of these. Around the same time the noodles arrived there was a dish of oval slivers of sauteed soft rice patties (akin to Japanese mochi). This was another dish that would easily satisfy me if it stood alone. (I need the name of this, too). Well, maybe not standing alone. I might have to throw in an order of lionshead meatballs with either of these.

Other standouts for me were the milder dishes. I love big flavors, but I think the gentle flavors really won the prize at MK. The tofu-skin and pork soup had a beautiful broth with a slightly peppery finish that gave me ideas for dozens of other soups that I could make with it. The mushrooms and choy were also very enjoyable (Was this shanghai choy or baby bok choy??).

I do think my favorite was the fried fish and seaweed. A nice crisp exterior with a mild fish flavor and a comforting grassy sea taste. This dish had everything that I always find lacking in your basic fish fry.

Also, the aforementioned roast ham hock had a wonderful flavor and was lifted to new heights by the sauce. A perfect marriage. Somehow I made it out of there alive with nearly half-a-hock (and bone) in a take-out container. Probably because I kept telling everyone that it was actually sea cucumber inside the styrofoam.

Which leads me to the sea cucumber:

Vital Information wrote:even gummy sea cucumber in shrimp roe sauce (I'll wait for EC's further discussion)

I myself wasn't too put off by this dish, but a couple bites were enough. On the other had, as soon as I saw it I knew that Ms. EC would have nothing to do with it. Pungently fishy, gummy, and gelatinous, this dish is Ms. EC's kryptonite. I think it was just under 2.7 seconds after it hit her plate that her helping was on my plate. I happily ate hers and mine, but didn't go back for any more. If you have never eaten sea cucumber, and I had not before last night, it provides you with the sensation of what it might feel like to eat a Dr. Scholl's gel shoe insert. Are you gellin? I believe both VI and Ellen suggested that we could take it home and slap it on some french bread with some mayo and lettuce for lunch today, but we took a pass.

Finally, it's a good thing the Chinese fire water found its way back to the end of the table away from me. I really enjoyed this stuff. It had a bit of a kick at the beginning, but it finished with a light lychee flavor. Left alone with this bottle, I could do myself some serious damage. (and somehow, it didn't clash with a buttermilk donut).

I would also be remiss not to mention the red bean dessert. I am a sucker for red bean paste and this sugary cake of was a serious heavyweight. I really enjoyed it, but it was so sweet and rich that I had no need for more than about a tablespoon. I think we had enough of it on the table to feed a small army.

Thanks again CrazyC for the planning, MK and Aide for their comforting hospitality, and thanks to all my LTHForum dining companions who always make the meal something to remember. I'll eat a sea cucumber with you anytime.

Best,
Michael / EC

Bean curd sheet w/salted cabbage and edamame, this was a table favorite and Ellen's must have next time pick.

This would be a wonderful dish for a faux Italian meal; if such a concept existed. Visually, it just didn't fit my notion of a Chinese preparation. The bean curd sheet suggested a fine handmade noodle, the salted cabbage suggested pesto and edamame was a fine substitute for fresh peas.

An elegant dish, which would fit in anywhere ... and it tasted sublime.

mmmmm.. pork hock....
mmmmm.. extremely salty soysauce soaked duck!

as observed by many, the numerous plates of meats served over bok choy was a lil disconcerting, but not necesssarily a negative.

i found the fish fillets extremely salty, sans that, the wine flavored dish would've been excellent.

and as luck would have it, Gwiv didn't post up pix of the truly forgetteable briny shrimp w/ whatever-those-nuts were.

the fiery cumen-y lamb was a close second after the pork hock last nite... tasted like MK's hotpot, w/o the soup.

re Moutai: may i never have another 'business dinner' in Guangzhou w/ inebriated Cantonese guys ever again... i don't think i puked so hard in my life as i did after the Moutai/cheap Chinese port/7-up combination...

thank you Charlotte.

OOOOOOOOOh, i'm still full. but no one mentioned the truly wonderful soup with succulent broth and bits of pork belly. That sauce on the sea cucumber was great. btw, those nuts with the shrimp were ginko. i think those hamhock bones were classic! even Gary appeared sated.

Aide and her sister did a wonderful job.

and, although it was Tuesday, because it was such nice weather, the place was packed with many other diners, all chinese, who came in for plates and plates of hot pot.

and, Crazy C reminded us during the meal that all the dishes are on the regular menu!