Disagree. CC location is busy but chaotic with atrocious service. Hot dishes arrive cold, rice never arrives, it’s just a Chinese fire drill Keystone Cops joke right now. I hope it improves because I actually like many of their dishes when the experience isn’t marred by the amateurish execution.
I order those two dishes at just about every Sichuan place I visit. The Lazi Ji (chicken with hot peppers) could be spicier but is still in line with what I’ve tasted elsewhere. Milder than some, spicier than others. I also appreciate it’s an authentic dry-fried preparation.
The oversalted Mapo Tofu is a fair criticism. I have noticed they sometimes don’t dilute the bean paste enough. However, the cube size complaint strikes me as a nitpick. The cubes are on par with what I’ve had elsewhere. Larger than some, smaller than others.
The service is admittedly spotty, but the food is very legit. I’ve never had any dishes arrive cold but I usually get it to go.
While I don’t necessarily disagree with this (nor really agree with this), it doesn’t necessarily make the food at Dongpo all that good.
To use a phrase you coined, this is like finding the tallest midget at the circus. Yes, you might have found the tallest one, but he’s still a midget.
Yes, but Mrs. Chandavkl likes it, and there are probably fewer than 10 Chinese restaurants in the Los Angeles metropolitan area that she likes.
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while i am not as versed in chinese food as ipse, i thought the century city dongpo
pretty darn tasty; more refined, perhaps, than your sgv choices, but still delicious.
while your sgv sichuan favourites have tastier, funkier and cheaper food, the elders
rarely felt like taking the big ol drive out there.
dongpo served its purpose for us as a place for (occasionally large-ish) family gatherings where the
quality was high enough to enjoy the food as well as the occasion.
never had service issues, although maybe they weren’t the fastest.
bonus points for being able to hork down a ballast point or two during the meal.
p.s. i am hard pressed to think of a “nearby” chinese food restaurant that was up
to the tastiness of dongpo. although i have not been to pine and crane.
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In the land of the blind the one eyed man is king.
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Assuming that eye works.
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fair enough. always wanted to try it, but have not been there.
But this place is just about average height.
I’ve always gotten the impression ipse doesn’t like Sichuan food very much. But perhaps I’m mistaken.
My eyes work just fine, as do my taste buds. And I eat a lot of Sichuan food.
I’m no optometrist but if he had one eye and it didn’t work wouldn’t he be blind? Sorry for this odd tangent.
Anybody know when Dongo is opening in Irvine? We went to Sichuan Impressions in Tustin the other day. The food was ok. Not as spicy and flavorful as Chengdu Taste. Pretty crowded for lunch though.
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Odd is one word for it.
as someone living in the SFV, I’m going to put good money saying that donpo kitchen will be the best (possibly only?) sichuan in the area.
now they just need to get on grubhub/doordash/postmates.
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Looking over MD’s menu, I see some overlap or some (vaguely) similar dishes to Newport. I guess those would be fair to compare? How do the same/similar dishes compare between the two?
I never really considered Newport to be a place for Szechwan dishes. Any suggestions/secrets?
Actually, no.
thanks but
Northridge
Didn’t mean to imply (much less say) that New Port was Sichuan. I only mentioned New Port because @linus said he was looking for “nearby chinese” and mentioned Pine & Crane as a possibility, which can be considered Sichuanese as easily as Trump can be with the Dali Lama.
Well parking makes it impractical for anyone except a park visitor to eat there. The most proximate parking is $40, then $30 for a little further out and $18 for general parking. I saved a few bucks by parking short term in one of the hotel parking lots.
yes, ipse is correct. i meant chinese food in general.
that’s why they need to get on that doordash/grubhub/postmates wagon.