Hunan Lion has been at its Tysons location for as long as my wife and I can remember, and we've lived in the Tysons area for almost 20 years. The restaurant looks high-end, with tablecloths, suited waiters and so on, but it welcomes eaters wearing shorts and flip-flops and t-shirts. Not much about food has changed over the years, and the food advertised on the menu is pretty generic stuff. If you want something that is not on the menu, however, feel free to ask the waiter if they can make it for you. Last night, for example, in addition to the spicy scallops, Peking duck and shark fin soup, which were on the menu, I ordered jellyfish and fried salty and spicy whole shrimp (shell on).
I have never been wowed with the quality of food here, but it has always satisfactorily fulfilled any Chinese food craving I might have had. Last night's dinner (which was a lot for three people), including two beers and tip, came out to just under $120.
Showing posts with label Peking duck. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Peking duck. Show all posts
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
Thursday, June 19, 2008
Citrus Garden Orlando
So, here I am, biding my time until my son finishes his SeaWorld camp. I had my free beef stew at the Residence Inn as a snack, but I still needed dinner. I decided to try a Chinese place called Citrus Garden. It was a couple of doors down of the infamous Tokyo Sushi.
Bottom Line -- not worth going out of your way to eat here, if you know your Chinese food. (I was not able to go with my family to Beijing, but the food I had in Hong Kong and Taipei was out of this world.) This reminds me of a story. When I was in law school, I onced lived in a group home of about 6 other people. One summer a young couple (18-20?) moved in for a month or so. Out of the core 7 or so people who lived in the house, 3 of them happened to be Asian American, me included. Well, this young couple, I guess, felt compelled to say how much they liked Chinese food. They recommended a particular take-out place because the joint cooked their veggies soft. The rest of the house kind of looked at each other, understanding that these kids were still too young to know how veggies should be cooked.
Any way, I had a half Peking duck, thinking I wouldn't have to put up with the possibility of overcooked vegetables. I got my wish, but I instead got overcooked duck. On the bright side, I thought their rice was one of the best I had in a Chinese restaurant. Most Chinese places serve their rice a bit chewy, with no moisture. I prefer Korean and Japanese rice, which is served moist, but not too sticky. Citrus Garden's rice came very close to the kind that I like.
Bottom Line -- not worth going out of your way to eat here, if you know your Chinese food. (I was not able to go with my family to Beijing, but the food I had in Hong Kong and Taipei was out of this world.) This reminds me of a story. When I was in law school, I onced lived in a group home of about 6 other people. One summer a young couple (18-20?) moved in for a month or so. Out of the core 7 or so people who lived in the house, 3 of them happened to be Asian American, me included. Well, this young couple, I guess, felt compelled to say how much they liked Chinese food. They recommended a particular take-out place because the joint cooked their veggies soft. The rest of the house kind of looked at each other, understanding that these kids were still too young to know how veggies should be cooked.
Any way, I had a half Peking duck, thinking I wouldn't have to put up with the possibility of overcooked vegetables. I got my wish, but I instead got overcooked duck. On the bright side, I thought their rice was one of the best I had in a Chinese restaurant. Most Chinese places serve their rice a bit chewy, with no moisture. I prefer Korean and Japanese rice, which is served moist, but not too sticky. Citrus Garden's rice came very close to the kind that I like.
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