most of the WSGV stuffâs been mentioned already (i think as a consequence of the most recent sinosoul post) though no oneâs followed up on xiang in the same building as ocean star. hunan (xiang) cuisine hasnât gotten all that much attention in the SGV that i can recall.
i really did like shanghai bistro, enough so that its passing has prompted me to prioritize revisiting some of my favorite places vs. trying new places going forward.
I know there are a lot of those âskewer and beerâ places popping up, but I havenât made it out to one yet and havenât heard about a standout that I can remember. Are any of them particularly noteworthy/essential? And is the thing to get just a bunch of skewers and a pitcher of beer? Because that sounds pretty good. Thanks!
Thanks David, it was quite a long slog, making the rounds all in one day. I think I was so tired, it came through in the writing.
Yep, but Iâm writing an update based on what hasnât been reported at Eater LA since the previous edition. Some months Iâll scoop Tony, some months heâll scoop me. Thatâs just how it works. Thereâs going to be a lot of redundancy.
The state of Hunan in the SGV has been odd. Youâve got four long-standing restaurants + one more thatâs been there a reasonably long while (especially by SGV standards). The last Hunan place that opened in the WSGV lasted four or five months, and the last Hunan opening in the ESGV was one of the quickest open nâ shuts ever. I went in and talked with the owner and his son as they were readying for opening. IOW, work was still going on and theyâd printed up laminated menus. I went back a month later and it was already gone and in the process of becoming another restaurant!
But, yeah, Hunan hasnât had much notice for a while. I think some of thatâs down to Hunan Mao still being considered the (b)est (TM-TonyC).
which seems to be about every four weeks or so. i get it; the observation was meant to be entirely factual and devoid of judgement but thatâs not always obvious.
is hunan style still around? liked our one meal there some years ago.
Unfortunately, no. That was one of my favorites too. Hunan Style was run by the brother of the Hunan Seafood owner (the latter of which has continued on as Hunan Mao).
Burned to the ground, I believe.
literally? what rose from the ashes?
Nothing. Fire was years ago and I donât think anythingâs been built.
they were the home of the dish with the greatest name of all time: âthe great scraps of fatâ. and the great scraps of fat were great indeed.
Typical of the SGV, the two of you are talking about two different restaurants that were run by the same family. Hunanâs Restaurant (Alhambra) burned down and the same family opened Hunanâs/Hunan Style in 2009 in San Gabrielâs Sunny Plaza. Chandavkl will have the full rundown, but there have been at least 3 or 4 places in the space in Sunny Plaza since Hunan Style closed.
First in was a remarkably short-lived spicy shrimp place, 2188 Spicy Shrimp. The Anhui-place, China Taste, and the beer & hot pot place Ba Ba were the last two. FWIW, I noticed a sign in the window that it was closed for âredecorateâ until February 19, but the interior was completely gutted.
Actually the place that burned in Alhambra had a schizophrenic dual name, one on the exterior of the building and another on the menu. Indeed there is one remaining Internet link showing Hunan Style at the Alhambra address.
the one we ate at was in san gabriel. you can see a picture of the exterior in the first pic in the link above.
Yep. Thatâs the one I was referring to as well. 529 W. Valley in San Gabriel, in Sunny Plaza. Finally remembered the name of the first place that replaced it: 2188 Spicy Shrimp.
Hunanâs/Hunan Style in Sunny Plaza was opened by folks connected to the previous Alhambra restaurant that burned down. It was either the owner of the current Hunan Mao (ex-Hunan Seafood) or owned or managed by his brother. Iâve never been completely clear on the details, despite a waitress at Hunan Seafood saying that to someone I was dining with.
I havenât seen many reports on Xiang. Thatâs a shame, because itâs probably my current favorite restaurant in SGV. It has legit, high quality Hunan cuisine with a great menu. Quality wise, itâs at least as good as Chengdu Taste.
Another very good place i havenât seen mentioned, but that seems to be doing better than Xiang, is Lake Spring Shanghai Restaurant on Garvey. I donât think Shanghainese has caught on with many Americans though.
Actually the Shanghai ship came and sailed off decades ago. Since diplomatic relations between the US and China were not restored until around 1979, non-Cantonese migration from Mainland China to the US didnât begin until the 1980s, and initially much of that was from Shanghai as the Mainland regions that have provided heavy migration to the US in the 21st century were economically backwater back then. Consequently we started to see real Shanghai style restaurants open up in the San Gabriel Valley in the mid-to-late 1980s. And indeed the aforementioned Lake Spring made a big splash when it opened up in the early 1990s, and if I recall correctly, itâs pork pump dish became the talk of the town. But that was over 25 years ago and in the interim Lake Spring was surpassed by new and better Shanghai restaurants, while Shanghai restaurants were surpassed by other Mainland regional cuisines, first Sichuan and Beijing, and now all the others that have shown up. Indeed I was stunned about five years ago driving along Garvey and seeing Lake Spring is still there. But it certainly is not considered to be in the top tier of Shanghai style food any more.