The 8 Cuisines of China in Boston?

[gini]

I am looking to hit up 8 restaurants, each representative of one of the eight cuisines of China. Here are the 8 cuisines:
Sichuan/Chuan
Hunan/Xiang
Guangdong/Cantonese
Shandong
Jiangsu
Zhejiang
Fujian
Anhui

Can you help me match the restaurants? Thanks!

[dianalim]

Thanks for the post; I am excited to pilfer the others' suggestions! Since I was just about to post a review of my first trip to Qingdao Garden, I figured I'd do it here. I highly recommend, as many others here do; the Northern Delicacies/Specials menu is definitely where the good stuff is--the middle of the menu is just basic American Chinese fare, though the Ginger Scallion Lo Mein, if you just need some simple noodles, was very tasty. Just one comment on service...it was a busy night, and they told us that, so we drove out instead of getting delivery, and were happy to wait 30-40 mins. but when i got back it still wasn't ready, and she didn't tell me *until i asked* that they expected it to be another 20 mins! i know they were slammed and it won't keep me from going back, but just a heads up that it might take awhile if they're busy, and stay vigilant :-)

We had: 2 kinds of dumplings, leek and spinach. both delicious (i loved the dipping sauce) though i wish the dough had been a bit more delicate. but since people have expressed that they've been in a slump with them lately, i thought i'd mention that they're definitely a must.

jellyfish with cucumber salad - not quiiiite as good as the strip mall chinese place i went to in san diego a few months ago (i'll try to remember the name someday), but the only time i've seen it in boston and very, very good.

cumin lamb - divine. so much cilantro, such tender lamb, a very wonderful dish. perhaps better than at the aforementioned strip mall.

peking-style eggplant - this absolutely stole the show for me. so soft and sweet. unbelievable, though the mr. complained that it was a bit oily. i didn't really agree.

[twitchology]

Does anyone else besides Zoe's do good Hunan? I am enticed by the varieties of spicy chicken and would appreciate being steered to a dish and a place to obtain it :)

[gini]

Here's the list right now:

Sichuan/Chuan: Sichuan Gourmet

Hunan/Xiang: Zoe's, maybe

Guangdong/Cantonese: HKE, Peach Farm, Jumbo, the other one

Shandong: Fuloon; Qingdao; Wang's?

Jiangsu: New Shanghai; Wing's?

Zhejiang: Sichuan Garden

Fujian: Potluck (northern though it is); Taiwanese places for some southern stuff, though I still haven't seen Buddha jumping over the wall. Best Little Restuarant also has some dishes.

Anhui: ...

[limster]

I don't think Sichuan Garden is on the Zhejiang category. Shanghainese food tends to incorporate dishes from both Jiangsu (Su/sometimes called Huai for Huaiyang cuisine, iirc) and Zhejiang (Zhe); New Shanghai and Wing's should fall into both.

I've seen abbreviated versions of Buddha Jump Over the Wall at various Cantonese places in Chinatown, but have never seen the real rendition, which is essentially a one-dish banquet, where different ingredients are served as a course. since each ingredient is a luxury ingredient, the real deal would likely be very expensive. I wouldn't be surprised if a proper version would cost $500-$1K per person; the sharksfin course alone would be about $100 or even more per person, ditto for the abalone.

Best Little Restaurant had a number of Teochew dishes, which can be similar to the Southern Fujian dishes in some areas, but they fall under the Cantonese (Yue) umbrella. I can't seem to remember any Fujian (Min) dishes there, but it's been a while.

[gini]

Thanks for the categorizing, limster! I put Sichuan Garden in the Zhejiang category simply for their version of the west lake fish, but you're right, I should stick New Shanhai and Wing's in there.

Hey, I'd still like to see Buddha Jump Over the Wall somewhere!

[The Chowhound Team]

We split the general queries about the characteristics and dishes of the different cuisines to its own separate thread on General Topics, so that you'll get a more comprehensive answer from a larger audience of chowhounds. The link is here: http://www.chowhound.com/topics/543751

[tamerlanenj]

sichuan - FuLoon in Malden Center or Sichuan Garden in Brookline.

[limster]

Fuloon also has a bunch of Shandong/Lu dishes, which seemed to be the primary training of the chef.

[lergnom]

Or Chilli Garden in Medford Sq, which I ate at last weekend and was back to being excellent.

[Ralphie_in_Boston]

All of the above, plus Japanese, Thai, and Polynesian: the Kowloon!

hahahaha carry on!

[Matt H]

Shandong- Qingdao Garden

[Prav]

Fujian - Potluck Cafe, 7 Knapp St, Chinatown

[limster]

Potluck's more Northern Fujian (Fuzhou), they don't really have much of the southern Fujian stuff, but there are dishes here and there served at Taiwanese places that are essentially Southern Fujian.

[9lives]

http://flickr.com/photos/61246842@N00...

Lim did most of the ordering here and I'm guessing we hit a lot of the Fuzhou dishes.

[tatamagouche]

Holy crap, I'm sorry I missed that meal!

Gini, a worthy goal.