Restaurant Finds : Boling's dim sum

We came here to this small city chain restaurant for dim sum as my stepson wanted for us to try it. It was very crowded as dim sum here is popular on Sunday. We tried some of the dumplings and other dishes. While good I did not think anything was really outstanding in my mind. Dim Sum can get get pretty pricey though when each dish is added up. Next time I would rather focus on an entree and try them instead.

Recipe Finds : Crispy Wonton and Salmon Napoleon with Parsley-Roasted Garlic Puree

This recipe looked so good on Ming's show. But I thought I would get it out for others to try. If you try it before I do, let me know.


Crispy Wonton and Salmon Napoleon with Parsley-Roasted Garlic Puree

Episode 701: Wonton Wrapper/Parsley

Serves 4


Ingredients
All ingredients A-Z

6 heads garlic, roasted

1/2 cup picked parsley leaves, plus sprigs for garnish

1 tablespoon Wanjashan organic soy sauce

juice of 1 lime

1/8 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 8-ounce center cut piece of salmon, sliced into 1/2-inch strips (4x2)

8 whole wheat wonton skins, crisped up in a saute pan, (not a fryer) set aside

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Canola oil


Directions

With a mortar and pestle, blend the garlic and parsley with a pinch of salt until smooth. Mix in naturally brewed soy sauce, lime juice and whisk in extra virgin olive oil. Alternatively, in a food processor, pulse together garlic and parsley with pinch of salt until smooth, then blend in soy sauce, lime juice and olive oil. Season salmon with salt and pepper. In a saute pan on medium heat coated lightly with oil, sear salmon for 1 minute, keeping the middle rare. Plate by dolloping garlic puree in center of plate to anchor crispy wonton. Top wonton with 2 pieces of salmon, then dollop puree on salmon. Top with parsley leaves and a second crispy wonton. Build another layer repeating process. To finish, top wonton with puree and garnish with parsley leaves.

Fire Wok buffet has some superb enterees

I've been here several times with friends. Have not been here for awhile but it is one of the better chinese buffets. It is only certain times and days (when I was here last. The buffet has some really superb entree and very different ones . The rest are very good to good. I think you, like others, will like this buffet.

Good Mongolian but use the cheat sheets

I've been to several Mongolian BBQ's : Ann Arbor MI, Lawrence KS, Olathe KS , Spokane WA and maybe a few others. The best one was in Spokane where there was fresh salmon on the Mongolian. It was magnificent Mongolian BBQ.. The taste, flavor , freshness superb. What I found in that one and this one, there are cards and recipes that give you instruction and guidance concerning what ingredients, sauces and condiments go better with certain foods (chicken, beef, seafood etc) and what go best according to your tests. Like in Spokane and here, there are guides which I find help you taste the food and make for better Mongolian fare. Without that you have a mishmash of flavors that don't meld. If they don't integrate well it means your meal does not taste as good as it would be. In both this KC place and Spokane everything was fresh and had the guidance of what condiments to add. While I love to cook and make my own recipes, I found these Mongolian's the best I have visited. It might be why this place is packed quite often. It does have a good location but it is possibly the extra touch that brings out the best in the food. If you see a Chinese restaurants without the "cheat sheets" you might be a little disappointed. But at this place (and Spokane) they were mighty tasty. Try it but use the cheat sheets!

China Buffet - it is my chinese "fix" why? good buffet

 I like this buffet for the food which quite good and. When my appetite hungers and I want some Sweet & Sour Soup and am lusting for some Asian fare, I usually go with my "chinese fix" by coming here.
Its reasonably priced, its not too far away for me, the food is consistently good. Meaning that the food, at least that which I ate on the buffet, has good flavor, tenderness and has the flavors.
I get to sample some Chinese fare I don't ordinarily make, like the hot and sour soup, which I should try to make myself. This one is not bad with just the right sour and a little heat. The wonton soup is a little mild but the silky wontons, which I like very much, are soft, supple and light.
I don't bother with salad and other non chinese fare most of the time. I head for the appetizers like the crunchy and meaty chinese wings (seems like a little Chinese spice in them), the crab rangoon (good).
For 2 extra dollars you can have all you want of the thin crab legs (which is a good price).

China Cafe just has very unspectacular buffet/food

I tried it once when it first opened. I can't say anything that I really liked about any of the dishes. Nothing really stood out for me at all. The entree/dishes were truly unspectacular. Not a very large buffet either. Nothing was really spicy or flavorful.

Aspara Palace : Best Asian food I have found in Providence

I grew up in Providence, went to URI and now live near Kansas City. When I return to visit, I hunt for Thai or Asian fare. Some places were okay or mediocore/poor (including Gourmet House). Then walking by I finally noticed this place just south. I have been coming back and forth to Providence and did not know about this great place which was just around the corner from us! I found it rivals any Asian restaurant that I have eaten in different parts of the US. This restaurant is not to be missed. I checked out this place before inviting my friends from Mass. The chicken dish (forgot which one was excellent). I liked the look of the place. Their menu is extensive. I was glad I picked this place . The food is awesome. My cousin who comes here all the time walked in as we were there and she never told me about this place ( they come here all the time). The service is great. The menu is extensive and there are specials. They even let you bring your own wine. The salmon green curry soup was superb and had the right amount of spiciness and had lots of salmon chunks. My friends suggested Peking Duck (which I never had before and I love duck). They responded that it was as good they said as is made in Beijing where they have been several times. The rest of the meals and appetizers all were great and we had a great time. Even my mother who is not a Chinese/ Asian eater, raved about it. You can bet I will be back here when I come to Providence. If you like Thai or Asian or etc you need to try this place. You will be hooked as I am . It is that good!

China Buffet- some hits, some misses but some tasty entrees and more

 The newly opened restaurant, China Buffet, doesn’t have a fancy name. I’ve seen this restaurant before and ducked into once but never ate as it did not look interesting. However when I saw the place boasted about having the largest buffet in the Kansas City area (a re-opening?), I thought I would check out whether this buffet lives up to its billing and how good the food was.

Entering the building, I could hear soft nice music. The serving area was smaller then I thought it would be. One area had the tables with the food but surely it did not look like the biggest buffet around. Maybe its a PR move and in a way it is. I looked at the menu and the big seafood part of the buffet (crab legs and more ) were for the night. Plus items are changed frequently so all the items are not there for lunch or dinner but these are still counted So the sum of the parts might equal the largest buffet. No matter tasting the food is the real public relations test.

There were quite a lot of dishes. But the largest moniker titling probably includes the dessert items, condiments, and items listed. I started with hot and sour soup. It had a nice distinctive flavor but not too spicy or sweet/sour but it did have a distinctive heat spiciness which i liked and was different. I am not an egg drop soup “fan” but I felt it was one of the best ones I have ever tasted. Thicker then usual it was nice and yellow with a very silky taste. I also liked the softwonton noodles soup. Wonton means “ swallowing the cloud} . Like a thin skin ravioli, it is made with a trailed noodle which floats in the soup liked “trailing clouds. You know I like something when I have to find a little information about its history.

I decided to do a tapas- like approach and savor the main dishes I wanted (I skipped several Pork dishes). The best were: coconut shrimp (white soft delectable balls of shrimp with a curious white coating); crab rangoon ( typical but good fried correctly); three different fresh tasting types of sushi (with green wasabi paste and pickled reddish ginger ). The rice pudding was creamy and excellent (for all I know it comes out of can/jar), The I spied some green like long items near the sushi and tasted it. Looked stringy but it was soft with little strands of carrots with a slight salty spicy taste. I asked even though I surmised) is was seed weed. It was sweeter and really good then I had tastedpreviouslyy at a restaurant in Overland Park that no longer exists.


The items that I sampled but were not as good and were okay were 3 types of egg rolls (meat, vegetable and another) which were fried but did not taste that great; chicken and broccoli; special chicken (not so special!); Marley chicken was not that spicy or have any particular specific flavor (I’ve had this at other restaurants and it has better flavor there); honey chicken chicken (too sweet and I have better at other places); egg food young ( did not have a good onion and egg flavor that I expected as other buffets); mushroom chicken did not have a meaty- buttery type taste I usually get from entrees like this); beef on stick ( little stringy); chicken wings (not spicy and did not have much flavor.

To top it off I sampled strawberry cheesecake ice cream I sampled had a lot of flavor (Baskin & Robbins like).

There were also different dishes that were not Chinese/. Asian meant to be part of the buffet that I did not touch like the regular salad bar items, baked potatoes
The soup were winners It has a big menu so you can also try other dishes not on the buffets. There are house specialties, all day comb specials. While it might not have been the largest set of items at the time, I visited, there was much that was good.

All in all for me, and possibly others, to come back to a restaurant, there are several factors . The price for lunch was right ($7.25). I thought the soups were special. Several has different textures, colors but above all tasted different then the normal and were a “level above” what I deem “average”. For overall consistency-wise, I prefer two places all you can eat places in Lawrence and Olathe.But I like a place that pulls a few surprises, has different flavors and has a " different take on foods " that I have not tasted before. I could see coming back here and seeing whether there are some entrees I missed.

The scenary is spectacular but the Asian food is average

I was in the Yellowstone Area BK (before kids more then 24 years ago). In 2003, I flew into Salt Lake City, went to Idaho and then traveled by auto to the Grand Tetons / Yellowstone area . It had been a long beautiful day already with a lot of spectacular country and achieving a lot of good shooting for my project of videotaping and photographing the grandeur and sights of those National Parks / Monuments. I still had to eat. So after I checked into my hotel room for 3 days, I went walking. I was in the mood for something different not burger or beef this time but Asian and I did not want to drive farther or spend a lot of time figuring out researching the restaurants here . I did not think I would find "Nirvana" here but would I fine some decent Asian fare? The menu and the place were small.Still it had seafood, chicken, beef and other dishes. Many were of the "boring" Chinese/ Asian variety that are not my style. I went with the House Special Sesame Chicken as it was labeled "hot". It was fine, nothing spectacular, at least I had something to eat. I can say I had some Asian fare in Yellowstone. Not at spectacular as the scenery but okay.

Jin Shan: this is a great buffet- you will not be disappointed here for many reasons

Once of our favorite buffets for several reasons. Of course you can order off the menu but we prefer, always, to try the buffet which features well prepared and tasty Chinese, Japanese and Sushi and more. The price is right to dive into the buffet and start with the hot and sour (great tasting with sourness to it) or egg drop soup (not bad either with a little extra flavor). The buffet selection is enormous and my kids in particular, like going here when I come to Lawrence to meet them (they are living in New York City). . My kids love sushi and they introduced me to sushi. I know of no other place to get sushi reasonably priced, well made and fresh. (You can watch as they make it). Different kinds, set out but I particularly like the fried sushi which I think is the best as it very unusual and crunchy plus I life the flavor. But I like all of them. Little soy sauce and some green "wasabi" condiment and you are good to go Here is where I come if I am in Lawrence and want sushi. I mean for the price why would I go anyplace and then after your sushi "fix" there is so much more. else. They have unusual dishes like good roasted chicken or duck, nice and moist Asian salmon, several types of crab dishes and mussels. The crunchy and meaty chicken wings are great. The fried noodles and Chinese rice are good too. The tried and true broccoli and beef, is always good as well as many other Chinese dishes (chicken, beef, pork, seafood, vegetable). I really like the flavor and the "spin" that their chefs here put on even the common dishes. There are also frog legs, mussels, shrimp of different kinds (boiled, in shell, steamed, in combination dishes) and much more. You have to come here to believe the kinds it offers and all consistently excellent and piping hot. There is also ice cream dessert, puddings and more to finish off your meals. The staff is courteous and polite. It might be a little out of your way ( couple miles from the main drags in Lawrence but its on the way coming in or going out to Kansas City on Highway 10) but it is worth it at a very reasonable price for lunch or dinner. When I am stormchasing and come back through Lawrence from Topeka, I usually stop here too. So wether you are chasing, riding around Lawrence and have never tried this place, you are really missing out! For sushi, the Asian fare, the price, the tastes and different types of dishes from the unusual too, you can't beat it.

Mongolian food: some I like - this one in Lawrence well the regular buffet is better

I have been to Mongolian buffets in Washington state, Kansas City, Olathe, KS and now here . That's how they rate their performance in order so here goes.
The one in Washington state had fresh salmon on the buffet so it was the best Mongolian. Kansas City one is not bad. I like the fact that they display different types of sauces that go with their name, the ingredients and what best it goes with. If you don't have the right combination of sauce with the whole " hodge-podge" you put together, the meal is not going to taste all that good. And so it is here. The Mongolian part is not that great. What they had for sushi in the back did not look that great and there was little variety. The rest of the entrees are plentiful and tasty but none of them really stood out in my mind. So that is why when I am in Lawrence and want to go for Asian food, I usually go down the road East near the outskirts to the Japanese - Asian fare restaurant.

New face lift but the food inside Peking Taste is still very good

 We have gone here many times before the places new "face lift". It was an affordable place to get good Chinese/ Asian food. The buffet is not the biggest in the world but what they have is very tasty and there are quite few dishes to try anyway. The hot and sour soup is quite good with that little extra sour " note" to it. The tiny shrimp in mild tomato sauce is addictive. The rest of the buffet from beef, chicken, noodles and more is always good and well prepared. The price has risen since the place's "newface liftt". For the price it is still affordable. But if you want more entrees on the the buffet, there are a few more in town to try that might be better suited but it all is a matter of taste.

Panda is a cute animal and this restaurant is quite nice too

Panda is one of my favorite restaurants in Lawrence. It does not have the ordinary Chinese / Asian fare so it is "right up my alley". It does not have the biggest buffets but for me it has one of the tastiest buffets and Asian type fare. It has more authentic dishes on the buffet compared to its sister restaurant on 23rd street to the south. (They are both good). We have been here many times with my wife and children mostly on Sundays for brunch. The food has always been excellent. Their menu is impressively long and the items for the buffet come from entrees that are usually given during regular meals. You won't see Kung Pao chicken usually on the buffet which is great because that means there is more room for less fried stuff. They sometimes change things around but their are always exquisite noodles, dumplings, steamed buns, and other entrees.You can change the regular meals for spiciness so they can be modified to your taste. For the buffet the only thing I might do however is a little soy sauce. The hot and sour soup, I think my favorite hot and sour soup I have ever tasted , is very unusual as it has a little yellow white color instead of the ordinary brownish color and has a very nice too sour like taste with nice aroma finish.The chicken, beef and fish dishes are all excellent. There is sometimes duck on the buffet which is not greasy and succulent. Also one option we have not tried is the Super Seafood buffet on Friday and Saturday nights. I think this a great find. The buffet is one you should check it out.

China Star Super Buffet

We have been several times with kids and friends. But I am not a fan of this place at all. It's food is BORING. Yeah there is lots of food (hey its a buffet!) but there is little spice and flavor on most of the dishes.One of two tasty dishes but that's it. It's like a Perkins Chinese- looks good but no flavor (except Perkins does have real good pies). Its been in business for awhile so people go here for some reason. But its not for me and I will never go here again.

Red Snapper in Kansas City: did it have the snap?

I chose Red Snapper for my gourmet group to dine. I've never been here but some of the group had been. I looked at then menu at the restaurant with the year. The reviews on the forums I read were pretty good and the menu had multi ethnic Asian dishes. We will be going to China in July 2009 to see the total eclipse of that year. No doubt we will sample many Asian dishes during next July tour, as we have samples in Kansas City and in various parts of the US but I thought it was time to looking around for Asian fare around home.

The inside of the restaurant has nice Asian colored tons but it was so dark I had to read the menu with my red light. I liked the atmosphere and the place was full. It was not too noisy so we could hear each other well in our little corner. I like that the kitchen was open so you can watch what is going on for the most part.

The menu had pricier Asian specials but we tried the lunch specials which were reasonable at about $8.00 apiece. The waiter and waitresses had thought smart looking Asian black aprons. The waiter was very personable and answered questions about the food.

The specials included smoked salmon Rangoon which was a nice different spin on Crab Rangoon. It has good taste and I could taste the salmon but not much "smoke'. Also with the lunch special there were soup. If you did not want pork or seafood in your soup, hot drop is the option. We tried the Egg Drop soup although there was sweet and sour, shrimp wonton soup , Thai Thom Yum seafood soup and snow white seafood soup. My wife thought it was one of the better egg drop soups but I could not really taste a lot of egg that might .

The entrees were nicely plated and had lots of food on the plate. My wife and another women tried the special Crispy Red Snapper dish. It was lightly fried on the outside and was flaky and tasted good. I tried a bit of it and it was good and flaky. I think it could have had some condiments with it or something with it to spice it up.

I had heard the black bean chicken was good so I gave it a go. There were a few little black beans among the chicken with a light black bean very light brown sauce. I thought it was okay but did not have the "zip" a slightly sour black bean taste that I expected.

One of the women tried the Mandarin chicken which was mild as well while another had the Fried Noodles. She liked it a lot and looked like a very good dish.

We will come here again sometime. Although not listed per entree, there are other Thai, Korean, Chinese and other Asian type fare. Possible the Korean Sweet and Sour Red Snapper. The Peking duck comes as two breasts and I could see my wife and I sharing that and an appetizer. There is lots to try here.

After thinking the dishes over, I did some searching. This restaurant is owned by people that used to own the Peking restaurant in Westport (which I never ate at). My dish was light , was not spicy. Peking cuisine is said to had subtle seasonings use. They have quite a variety of items on the menu but I am not sold yet whether this place is "great" yet because I thought everyones' dishes were good. I did not hear anyone say it was some of the best they have had. There is a lot to offer anyone who wants to eat a good Asian meal. But how good? I will have to wait until we go back someday. And I will think what to get next time to see how good the asian fare is ?

I found that Mandarin chooses from all regions. Shanghai hails from many Chinese cooking styles. Central (Honan) and . Western provinces include the Szechuan and Hunan and have more spicy type dishes .

We will be mostly near Beijing and Shanghai so I will have to explore what I might be in for in the way of Chinese food next July in and around the total eclipse. I have been to many Asian restaurants over the years and this certainly is a nice place to eat. But how good is this place? My judgement needs another opinion .

Today, October 25th, is World Pasta Day.

All over the world, people are eating their favorite pasta dishes.

Here is more about Chinese Noodles
The wide variety of Chinese/Asian noodles includes everything from standard egg noodles to rice vermicelli that puffs up when deep-fried. Learn more about the different types of Chinese noodles including photographs, and try several recipes.
http://chinesefood.about.com/od/chinesecookingbasics/a/chinesenoodles.htm?nl=1

Tannahs Olathe good fusion food

We've been here several times with friends and by ourselves and it has always been consistently good. We have eaten here before it changes its name to this current one and 3 times since. The menu has quite a few items from starters, to vegetarian, beef, chicken, fish, seafood, noodles and more. If you want Chinese food there is enough of that influence to get you come. However the real reason to come is for different Oriental food different food from the hum drum Chinese restaurants. There is a lunch menu every day of the week from a pretty good selection that you can pick from with 18 offerings. (also can have one of two soups, spring roll or crab rangoon ), There are more but pricier offerings with the diet type nner menu that have duck, pork , beef and other dishes. Sweet corn velvet soup had a nice sweet /sour good taste to it. The spring rolls were flavorful. We shared several dishes which has plenty of flavor : the mongolian beef, silk spicy chicken and honey garlic chicken. They came mixed with vegetables. Several of the designated entrees are labeled either spicy or not. These spicy dishes had a little zing but we could have told them to kick up the heat if we wanted . Previously I had tried the sriracha beef with garlic, onions and snow peas and it was awesome ( I am a big fan of sriracha sauce paste). The molten chocaolte cake was very good eventhoug a little pricey. There is also a kids menu, wifi hotspot to use your computer and there is music outside on Saturday evenings in the summer with some good music. Most prices for entrees start around $9 and go up from there so the lunch deals are good. The ambiance is good with nice Asian decore. There are quite a few different types of alcoholic drinks to choose from although we have no tried them. Try this place from something different.

I need to try Chino Bandido

Next time I am near Pheonix,AZ, I need to try this funky Chinese, Asian , Fusion restaurant called Chino Bandido which has gotten raver reviews by many. I've been to some interesting fusion restaurants like the Carlos Okelly chain in Lawrence, KS that my advisor took me to after I got my doctorate (the food is very so-so and not all that great).Another one that I went to in Estes Park, CO many years ago was a another fusion but the steaks were outstanding so much so I got that entree two nights in a row!
Wonder how Chinese, Mexican, and Jamaican get together on a menu then try here. The comments here say it all.
http://www.yelp.com/biz/chino-bandido-chandler
The menu is varied and unsual and seems to suit many customers from mild to spicy too.
I would have a hard time choosing
http://www.chinobandido.com/order.html

sample menu entrees
1. CARNITAS: Mild, slow-cooked shredded pork sautéed with onion, tomato and cilantro
2. CHILE RELLENO: Fresh Anaheim Chile stuffed with two kinds of cheese, crispy breaded exterior
3. CHINESE BAR-B-Q PORK: Sliced, sweet roast pork
4. EGG FOO YUNG: Fresh egg ommelet with bean sprouts, white and green onions, green peas and bar-b-q pork. (Vegetarian also available) Served with creamy mushroom-chicken gravy.
5. GRINGO CHICKEN: Grilled chicken breast with chopped tomatoes, green onions in a butter-garlic sauce
6. HENGRENADE CHICKEN: Grilled, skinless chicken with smoky, spicy flavor, milder than Jerk Chicken.
7. JADE RED CHICKEN: Lightly coated, deep-fried chicken glazed with slightly spicy sweet sauce. Different and habit-forming.
8. JENRED PORK: Lightly coated, deep-fried pork glazed with slightly spicy sweet sauce
9. JERK CHICKEN: Grilled, skinless chicken that has been marinated with seasonings and some of the hottest peppers in the world. Spicy peppers, but with no after-effects!
10. EMERALD CHICKEN: Tender grilled, skinless chicken breast served with fresh ginger/green onion sauce. For the tenderfoot or the old master.
11. TERIYAKI CHICKEN: Grilled, skinless chicken breast basted with our own teriyaki sauce.
12. VEGGIES: Fresh lettuce, tomatoes, onions, broccoli, with minced serrano peppers and grated cheese on top
13. POLLO DIABLO: Lightly coated, deep-fried chicken with garlic, onions, and red hot peppers. NOT for the tenderfoot. If you’re from Iowa, you probably can’t handle it!
14. MACHACA: Shredded beef with garlic, onion, tomato and cilantro.

CUBAN BLACK BEANS: Spicy refried-style black beans made with olive oil.
REFRIED BEANS: Mild refried-style pinto beans made with vegetable shortening.
PLAIN FRIED RICE: Chinese-style fried rice with green onions and seasonings.
PORK FRIED RICE: Chinese-style fried rice with chopped bar-b-q pork, green onions and seasonings.
CHICKEN FRIED RICE: Chinese-style fried rice with chopped chicken breast, green onions and seasonings.
JERK FRIED RICE: Chinese-style fried rice with chopped jerk chicken and green onions.
SNICKERDOODLE: Fresh-baked daily cinnamon-sugar cookie served with each meal. Also sold by the dozen(s)!
VOLCANO: Chocolate-Fudge version of SNICKERDOODLE, sold every other weekend (Saturdays and Sundays).

RICE BOWL: Any single item 1-14 above with steamed rice is $5.95; with fried rice, add $.75.
QUESADILLAS: Any single item 1-14 above in a folded cheese crisp is $4.50.
BURRITO: Any single item 1-14 above rolled in a fresh tortilla is $3.50.
COMBO: Any two items on menu(including quesadillas and burritos) with steamed rice is $7.25; with fried rice add $.75.

Fortune cookies: do you know where they come from ?

Interesting facts and information about where Fotune cookies come from and more.
New York Times article by Jennifer Lee.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/16/dining/16fort.html?_r=1&em&ex=1200632400&en=e&oref=slogin