TTHP Part I: Project Kick-off at Lao Beijing
A few Saturdays ago, our group of intrepid eaters
embarked upon our first TTHP outing. Smash, Ethan, Liz Lemon, Ryan, JW, and
Cathy converged upon Lao Beijing for the first in many dinners a la Hu.
JW and Cathy were first to arrive and, surveying the full dining room, steeled themselves for what would surely be a significant wait. But not out of the ordinary for going to dinner in Chinatown on a Saturday night. One waiter called out "how many" from across the bustling room. After Cathy indicated there would be a party of 6, the waiter then made the universal sign for "just wait awkwardly over there by the door." A few minutes later, the same waiter asked again how many and, magically, the number was still 6. He then shooed them upstairs. It was at that point which Cathy and Joe realized that the stairs in the corner do, in fact, lead someplace and that someplace was not nearly as crowded as the downstairs dining room. Hooray!
As they ascended, a waitress called down "how many" in Mandarin from the top of the stairs. Cathy, using her skills of multi-lingual communication, again indicated 6. Upstairs, there was a spacious eating area with multiple large topped tables that were perfect for parties of 8-10. Our group was placed at a table in a back room separate from the main area, complete with glass doors that could be closed for those occasional sub rosa dinnertime discussions and a flat screen tv that we assume could be turned on. Alas, the party was not seated at one of the tables with a lazy susan.
Hot tea (oolong) arrived and so did the rest of the TTHP pioneers. Some had arugula in tow and everyone had brought their appetites. The menu at Lao Beijing is quite voluminous, but luckily also includes many colored pictures. We settled on one dish picked per person plus a couple of wild cards, to be shared family style. The waitress insisted on speaking solely to Cathy in Chinese and, at one point, even expounded at length on the superior qualities of a certain dish involving "you tiao" at a sister Tony Hu restaurant. She then subsequently instructed our sub-par translator to explain what was said to the group. One disappointment of the evening was that the "you tiao" is only available at Lao Beijing during the brunching hours. This wasn't that surprising since "you tiao" are essentially savory fried dough sticks that are traditionally served taco-style within a rectangular shell of sesame flatbread for a distinctly Chinese carb-on-carb breakfast. Usually with a side of hot soy milk, sweet or salty. (Beijing style food can be very hearty, rather "meat-and-potatoes"-esque.)
The dishes that were enjoyed are documented below. By sheer luck, one dish that was ordered got lost in translation and was replaced by a second jellyfish dish, thus fully satisfying JW's Shedd Aquarium-inspired craving.
JW and Cathy were first to arrive and, surveying the full dining room, steeled themselves for what would surely be a significant wait. But not out of the ordinary for going to dinner in Chinatown on a Saturday night. One waiter called out "how many" from across the bustling room. After Cathy indicated there would be a party of 6, the waiter then made the universal sign for "just wait awkwardly over there by the door." A few minutes later, the same waiter asked again how many and, magically, the number was still 6. He then shooed them upstairs. It was at that point which Cathy and Joe realized that the stairs in the corner do, in fact, lead someplace and that someplace was not nearly as crowded as the downstairs dining room. Hooray!
As they ascended, a waitress called down "how many" in Mandarin from the top of the stairs. Cathy, using her skills of multi-lingual communication, again indicated 6. Upstairs, there was a spacious eating area with multiple large topped tables that were perfect for parties of 8-10. Our group was placed at a table in a back room separate from the main area, complete with glass doors that could be closed for those occasional sub rosa dinnertime discussions and a flat screen tv that we assume could be turned on. Alas, the party was not seated at one of the tables with a lazy susan.
Hot tea (oolong) arrived and so did the rest of the TTHP pioneers. Some had arugula in tow and everyone had brought their appetites. The menu at Lao Beijing is quite voluminous, but luckily also includes many colored pictures. We settled on one dish picked per person plus a couple of wild cards, to be shared family style. The waitress insisted on speaking solely to Cathy in Chinese and, at one point, even expounded at length on the superior qualities of a certain dish involving "you tiao" at a sister Tony Hu restaurant. She then subsequently instructed our sub-par translator to explain what was said to the group. One disappointment of the evening was that the "you tiao" is only available at Lao Beijing during the brunching hours. This wasn't that surprising since "you tiao" are essentially savory fried dough sticks that are traditionally served taco-style within a rectangular shell of sesame flatbread for a distinctly Chinese carb-on-carb breakfast. Usually with a side of hot soy milk, sweet or salty. (Beijing style food can be very hearty, rather "meat-and-potatoes"-esque.)
The dishes that were enjoyed are documented below. By sheer luck, one dish that was ordered got lost in translation and was replaced by a second jellyfish dish, thus fully satisfying JW's Shedd Aquarium-inspired craving.
 |
| 127: Pork and Chive Dumplings (WC) |
 |
| B27: Shredded Duck Meat (C) |
 |
| 203: Jellyfish and Cucumber (JW) |
 |
| C7: Stir-Fried Tofu Noodles (LL) |
 |
| S19: Stewed Pumpkin with Prawns (R) |
 |
| S27: Chopped String Bean and Shrimp (E) |
 |
| A07: Cumin Lamb Satay (S) |
 |
| Stir-Fried Jellyfish and Squid (WC) |
 |
| Requisite Pile of Rice |
Our group did note that the dishes
with shrimp/prawns came with the
shellfish pre-shelled (and decapitated) and wondered if this would have
been the case
if there had been fewer Caucasian types in the group. Liz Lemon's pick
of
the tofu noodles was not bad, but contained a significant amount of
onions which was unexpected and generally frowned upon by her palate.
The consensus was that folks liked having the private
room, but Liz Lemon would have preferred having a lazy susan for ease
of sharing. The server speaking solely in Mandarin with Cathy lent a
certain level of authenticity to the exchange. Overall, the experience
was on par with general group
expectations.
Ryan: Favorites included the stewed pumpkin with prawns and the jellyfish with cucumber. He was the only one to double fist with some beer and thought the Tsing Tao was good.
3.5 out of 5 chopsticks.
Liz Lemon: Favorites included the stewed pumpkin with prawns and the green beans with shrimp. She also enjoyed the dumplings. She did not care for the stir-fried jellyfish with squid, but thought the jellyfish with cucumber was ok thus leaving her jellyfish views murky. Sadly, her fortune cookie did not contain a fortune so no lucky lottery numbers for her. This time.
3 out of 5 chopsticks.
Smash: Favorites included the green beans with shrimp, jellyfish with cucumber, and the stir-fried tofu noodles. She was disappointed with her choice, the cumin lamb, noting that it had a lack of depth of flavor.
3.5 out of 5 chopsticks. Good service. Average decor. Food between average and very good.
Ethan: Favorites included the green beans with shrimp and the shredded duck meat.
3 out of 5 chopsticks/stars/stickers. Food, service, and setting was good, but not spectacular in any way.
JW: Favorites included the shredded duck and stewed pumpkin with shrimp. He did not care for the tofu noodles.
3 out of 5 chopsticks.
Cathy: Favorites included the dumplings (hot, juicy, and good thickness of the wrappers) and the shredded duck. She felt the cucumber and jellyfish dish here was slightly subpar, in part due to the ratio of cucumber to jellyfish, as well as the somewhat bland flavoring.
3 out of 5 chopsticks.
Overall, a successful outing. Looking forward to Part II. And, hopefully, the blog post will go up in a much more timely fashion if no additional bugs from the blogger app derail things.
Ryan: Favorites included the stewed pumpkin with prawns and the jellyfish with cucumber. He was the only one to double fist with some beer and thought the Tsing Tao was good.
3.5 out of 5 chopsticks.
Liz Lemon: Favorites included the stewed pumpkin with prawns and the green beans with shrimp. She also enjoyed the dumplings. She did not care for the stir-fried jellyfish with squid, but thought the jellyfish with cucumber was ok thus leaving her jellyfish views murky. Sadly, her fortune cookie did not contain a fortune so no lucky lottery numbers for her. This time.
3 out of 5 chopsticks.
Smash: Favorites included the green beans with shrimp, jellyfish with cucumber, and the stir-fried tofu noodles. She was disappointed with her choice, the cumin lamb, noting that it had a lack of depth of flavor.
3.5 out of 5 chopsticks. Good service. Average decor. Food between average and very good.
Ethan: Favorites included the green beans with shrimp and the shredded duck meat.
3 out of 5 chopsticks/stars/stickers. Food, service, and setting was good, but not spectacular in any way.
JW: Favorites included the shredded duck and stewed pumpkin with shrimp. He did not care for the tofu noodles.
3 out of 5 chopsticks.
Cathy: Favorites included the dumplings (hot, juicy, and good thickness of the wrappers) and the shredded duck. She felt the cucumber and jellyfish dish here was slightly subpar, in part due to the ratio of cucumber to jellyfish, as well as the somewhat bland flavoring.
3 out of 5 chopsticks.
Overall, a successful outing. Looking forward to Part II. And, hopefully, the blog post will go up in a much more timely fashion if no additional bugs from the blogger app derail things.
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