Jump to content

  • Welcome to the eG Forums, a service of the eGullet Society for Culinary Arts & Letters. The Society is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization dedicated to the advancement of the culinary arts. These advertising-free forums are provided free of charge through donations from Society members. Anyone may read the forums, but to post you must create a free account.

Szechuan Hunan on 18th and Rittenhouse

brescd01

By brescd01
in Pennsylvania: Dining

 Share

Recommended Posts

brescd01

brescd01

Posted
  • Topic Starter
Posted (edited)

Sorry, delirium from the intoxication...20th street....must go to ER......must get charcoaled.....seriously, to turn this from a mean-spirited thread to something educational, is there any edible Chinese food OUTSIDE Chinatown?

Edited by brescd01 (log)
Link to comment
Share on other sites
philadining

philadining

Posted
Posted

That could be a valid topic on its own: decent Chinese outside of Chinatown. But I'm sure there are some decent neighborhood places, and I actually kind of like the Pagoda Noodle Cafe next to the Ritz Old City Theater, between Front and Second, on "Sansom Walkway." I'm sure there are more...

"Philadelphia’s premier soup dumpling blogger" - Foobooz

philadining.com

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Andrew Fenton

Andrew Fenton

Posted
Posted

Eek! Sorry you had such a terrible experience. I've never eaten at S/H myself, but it's interesting that it is, or is at least rumored to be, Craig LaBan's favored takeout spot.

Pagoda is indeed pretty good: there's a connection between that restaurant and Sang Kee, which no doubt helps up the quality. But I don't know of any truly excellent Chinese in the city outside of Chinatown.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
KatieLoeb

KatieLoeb

Posted
Posted

Golden Empress Garden, 610 South 5th Street is pretty reliable for take out. I live so close by that I've never sat and eaten in, but I've certainly seen folks in the dining room. Extensive vegetarian selection as well as the usual suspects. Fresh and well made. Reasonably priced. Delivery is quite reliable as well. Service (from what I've observed) is a notch above the typical Chinese-American take out joint. Owner is very nice.

Give these guys a try. Can't be any worse than your near poisoning experience... :raz:

Katie M. Loeb
Booze Muse, Spiritual Advisor

Author: Shake, Stir, Pour:Fresh Homegrown Cocktails

Cheers!
Bartendrix,Intoxicologist, Beverage Consultant, Philadelphia, PA
Captain Liberty of the Good Varietals, Aphrodite of Alcohol

Link to comment
Share on other sites
brescd01

brescd01

Posted
  • Topic Starter
Posted

Holy mole you are right, that is LeBan's favorite! And I have never disagreed with the man on ethnic options, never!

But I am not sure you are appreciating the horror, the awfulness, the inhumanity, of what I ate, I have not eaten such execrable Chinese food since Lee Ann Chin in Twin Cities (a laughably bad but ever popular chain of Chinese restaurants there).

Of course, one wonders whether the restaurant might have done better with Chinese American favorites like General Tso's or egg fu yung.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Lisa1349

Lisa1349

Posted
Posted

I adore Square on Square on Chestnut and 20th. Mango chicken, and chicken with japanese eggplant is fantastic. I nominate them for best wontons.

Lisa K

Lavender Sky

"No one wants black olives, sliced 2 years ago, on a sandwich, you savages!" - Jim Norton, referring to the Subway chain.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
sockii

sockii

Posted
Posted
I didn't know take-out Chinese could be this bad. I had soft shelled crabs and szechuan style bean curd. Really awful. Really.

Yes, it really is that bad. At least nowadays. There was a time when they made a terrific Chili Shrimp, but then it got hit-or-miss, and now it's simply a miss.

Square on Square is definitely a step above for the neighborhood. Jade Garden on 2200 block of South can be good but avoid the slow times of the day--best when busy and everything is getting a quick turnover. I remember really liking JoJo Place when it first opened (at 2000 Chestnut), but admit I haven't tried these in a long time and these places can change quickly, so who knows. For the most part I've just sworn off take-out Chinese in this city as it so rarely agrees with me after the fact... :wacko:

sockii

__________________

| South Jersey Foodie |

Link to comment
Share on other sites
  • 3 weeks later...
James Colabelli

James Colabelli

Posted
Posted (edited)

Hmm... I don't really write alot on this here board, but I must really disagree with what I've read in this discussion. S/H is a really great thing to have in the neighborhood (for me it's ony 2 blocks away). I'm there at least once a week, on Sunday afternoons with some wine.

It's not "great" Chinese by any stretch of the imagination. But is is very very good.

But, you need to use some intelligence or at least common sense. Let's draw an analogy: If you're at a diner, is it smarter to orer a burger or the strip steak? Most diners produce a decent burger, but would you ever expect a decent steak at a diner for 14.95 or whatever it is? Of course not. Same at a place like S/H.

Use common sense. Dishes based on lamb, chicken, beef, are safe bets. Soft Shelled crabs? Are you kidding? An extremely perishable, seasonal delicacy? Dangerous order at best, in terms of quality. Order shrimp instead. Shrimp freeze well (99% of all "fresh shrimp" were frozen at some point) and survive over/under cooking decently. Hard to mess up. Lobster? Unless the place has a tank, it's probably gonna be frozen, and frozen lobster is terrible, as we all know. Don't risk it.

Granted, if a restaurant can't do a dish well, they shouldn't offer it, but c'mon, this is a neighborhood Chinese place where 2 people get a big dinner for under 30 bucks.

By the by - the scallion pancake there is always killer, and the owner, Mr.Tang, is a really nice guy, and you always get extremely polite service.

Edited by James Colabelli (log)
Link to comment
Share on other sites
brescd01

brescd01

Posted
  • Topic Starter
Posted

Hmmm, we're going to have to agree to disagree on that one: soft shell crabs are not that exotic, and don't forget I got the Mao Po Tofu as well, and that was even worse, and that is as routine as General Tso's. But I am glad they don't make you sick....

Link to comment
Share on other sites
James Colabelli

James Colabelli

Posted
Posted

Well, I know they're not exotic (soft shells), but they are highly perishable and only best when they're tip-top in condition and prepared by someone who really knows what they're doing, which is the main point of my post.

But, I'm sorry you had a bad meal there! Really, for dependable versions of all the tried and true Chinese-American dishes, I have always found them to be very dependable. I'd give them another go. The General Tso's there is perfectly fine, at least in my opinion, in the many times I have had it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
brescd01

brescd01

Posted
  • Topic Starter
Posted (edited)

I am talking fantasy here (I mean the one that DOESN'T involve playing doctor and chearleaders) but there should be some squad that goes around and beats up Chinese restaurant owners to make them unify their Chinese and English menus into one, bilingual menu with ALL their dishes. I just enjoyed two kick-ass Chinese meals (one at Rising Tide) and one at the Taiwanese place at 10th and Arch (the name escapes me), but what a wrestling match to get "what they are eating!"

Edited by brescd01 (log)
Link to comment
Share on other sites
Andrew Fenton

Andrew Fenton

Posted
Posted

See, that's why I'm starting the girl on Chinese lessons right quick. I figure, by the time she's three or so, she'll be able to order for me. (What else is the point of having kids?)

More to the point, I hope you'll post about what you had and liked at your recent meals. I've never been to that Taiwanese place: what's good there?

Link to comment
Share on other sites
mrbigjas

mrbigjas

Posted
Posted
See, that's why I'm starting the girl on Chinese lessons right quick.  I figure, by the time she's three or so, she'll be able to order for me.  (What else is the point of having kids?)

More to the point, I hope you'll post about what you had and liked at your recent meals.  I've never been to that Taiwanese place: what's good there?

totally -- maybe you can revive this thread right here where we talk about what restaurant is good at what dish...

Link to comment
Share on other sites
 Share
Go to topic listing
×
×
  • Create New...