69133 Sun May 08 11:13:49 -0700 2005 20 2 Los Angeles Area 0 376496 I live in Studio City/Sherman Oaks and there really isn't any good Chinese, decent but not amazing. If you want to try something amazing go to Yang Chows in Woodland Hills area and get the Slippery Shrimp or their downtown location. I also like Twin Dragon on Pico & La Cienga for their Tangerine Chicken, just no lucky in my area where I live, to bad.. Enjoy, Stuart Sun May 08 11:13:49 -0700 2005 0 Stuart 1 376497 Yang Chow is good, but A&W Seafood at Reseda and Prarie, right next to CSUN, is incredibly good Chinese in the Valley. I've never tried Mandarin Deli, but other hounds rave about it. Sun May 08 11:22:07 -0700 2005 376496 0 Jess 2 376504 Where is Mandarin Deli located? Sun May 08 11:42:53 -0700 2005 376497 0 Stuart 3 376524 9301 Reseda Bl. Sun May 08 13:25:36 -0700 2005 376504 0 Chandavkl 4 376576 Mandarin Deli is excellent! I know of a Taiwan transplant who lives in the Westside and travels over the 405 to eat at Mandarin Deli! By far, our favorite Chinese place to eat. Granted, if you are looking for Cantonese or Szechuan food, this is not it, as Mandarin Deli does Northern Chinese food. But do it well they do! Sun May 08 22:51:13 -0700 2005 376524 0 daantaat 1 376517 Two of the best in the Valley are in your back yard, meaning Kung Pao in Studio City and Bamboo in Sherman Oaks. Still do not get Yang Chow at all, save the slippery shrimp dish. Sun May 08 13:05:08 -0700 2005 376496 0 carter 2 376519 I guess I need to agree with the OP on this one. I find the Sherman Oaks Chinese pretty weak. The Sherman Oaks Kung Pao very pedestrian. I hear the Studio City one is better, but that would not take much. Bamboo is okay, but I find it overpriced for what it is. It's also not very authentic. However, if the OP likes Twin Dragon, he or she is probably not too concerned about authenticity. Sun May 08 13:21:57 -0700 2005 376517 0 Jess 2 376523 Bamboo is just way overpriced for Chinese food. Sure, its o.k. but they rape you with their prices. Now Kung Pao Bistro is nice with their 1/2 servings if you want to enjoy more for your meal yet the food really doesn't stand out for me, even something basic like orange chicken. Please share your thoughts? Stuart Sun May 08 13:23:44 -0700 2005 376517 0 Stuart 3 376529 Interestingly enough, the Orange Chicken or similar dishes with beef, etc. are justification to go to Panda Express or similar. Not what I like in Chinese food, nor are appetizers in general. Kung Pao Studio City (Sherman Oaks is a totally different owner and operation, even though similar menu and name) has very good soups, especially the soup of the sea and wor wonton, along with most of the main dishes, including Hunan Lamb, Mango chicken, and any shrimp or scallop dish where the quality and quantity of the seafood is huge and taste is very good. Keep in mind that no Valley Chinese restaurant is aiming for total traditional back home preparation, as they leave that to their bretheren in the 626 area code. Sun May 08 13:32:50 -0700 2005 376523 0 carter 4 376533 And 323 Area Code. Link: http://www.indefatigable-indolence.org Sun May 08 13:50:08 -0700 2005 376529 0 Chino Wayne 5 376538 What may the indolent one have in mind in the 323 that my lazy brain has not remembered? Sun May 08 14:36:32 -0700 2005 376533 0 carter 6 376551 Well if you must ask, I guess I will try and eek out answer, how about a big chunk of Monterey Park to start? (Laying back down now.) Link: http://www.indefatigable-indolence.org Sun May 08 16:50:13 -0700 2005 376538 0 Chino Wayne 7 376552 Have to say I thought it was all 626. Sun May 08 17:03:02 -0700 2005 376551 0 carter 4 376535 I will say I'm a big fan of their cold peanut butter noodles, very good! Calamari isn't bad there either... Sun May 08 13:57:50 -0700 2005 376529 0 Stuart 1 376526 Nothing in the Valley is truly good on an absolute scale. You might try the Sam Woo at 6450 Sepulveda, next to the 99 Ranch Market. Sun May 08 13:27:48 -0700 2005 376496 0 Chandavkl 1 376559 Topics like BEST anything are really problematic. I like Mandarin Deli, A&W, Vegetable Delight in the SFV. I don't like Bamboo because they try to do too much, too manystyles, although there are a few good dishes. They serve xlb now under a strange name and they're not that good. At bamboo, stick to yuecai, cantonese stir-fried and steamed fish type dishes etc. The problem for my recommendations are that the OP and I have very different tastes. I think Twin Dragon and YangChow are just awful. seriously awful I would much rather hop on the 134 and go east and south on the 5 and be in Monterey Park or Alhambra in under half an hour from Studio City (if it's rush hour take a friend and ride the carpool lane) than head out to either. This is an issue of taste and what we expect from Chinese food. I'm not sure the OP wouldlike A&W or Mandarin Deli. The jellyfish salad is great at Mandarin Deli, the dumplings (jiaozi) are fine and homey. Dim Sum is decent at A&W, some of the dishes at Vegetable delight are as good as at Happy Family Vegetarian. But these are all very different approaches than you'll find at Kung Pao Bistro or even at Bamboo. So it would help me if even in the topic line people would say something like, seeking valley restaurant like Twin Dragon on Pico. China Islamic is nothing like Twin Dragon. But they both have their fans, and probably, people who like the one won't like the other all that much. In Tarzana, Mandarin Tiger might be ok for what you want. In Sherman Oaks, Studio City, you've got bamboo, kung pao, I think there's a chin chin, etc. ALso, consider if you're new to the area - http://www.lapublichealth.org/rating put in 91604 and either check surrounding zips or not. You might get some ideas of places to explore that you can share with us. Sun May 08 19:09:28 -0700 2005 376496 0 Jerome 2 376569 We actually ate at Twin Dragon and Yang Chow in the 1970s. We thought they were pretty good since they were probably the zenith of Chinese food in Los Angeles at that time. Those places have pretty much frozen in town, being surpassed by the new waves of Chinese food in the last 25 to 30 years. Sun May 08 20:20:02 -0700 2005 376559 0 Chandavkl 3 376572 I think you hit the nail on the head. Twin Dragon was the zenith of Chinese in the 1970s. (Anyone remember the branch on Ventura on the hill near Winnetka?) That rumaki was out of this world! As for Cantonese versus Szechwaun, what did that mean? Chinese was Chinese. At the same time, though, many of us thought spaghetti with red sauce was the height of Italian cuisine; French food consisted of escargot and chocolate souffle only; and fondue was a top-of-the-line culinary experience. Thanfully, in the past 30+ years, we've been introduced to a wide variety of foods and have managed to expand our culinary horizons. Places like Twin Dragon are quaint reminders of old Los Angeles, but hardly represent the best of Chinese food. Sun May 08 21:25:40 -0700 2005 376569 0 Jess 2 376633 Yes, Mandarin Deli and A & W. And at times, Yang Chow. I've had several great and several so-so meals there. I can't think of anything else in the valley. Still looking for sublime eggplant north of the 134. The pan-fried dumplings, cucumber salad, and family beef soup noodle at Mandarin Deli are favorites. Mon May 09 22:35:25 -0700 2005 376559 0 NeNePie 3 376639 Try Shenwa Shanghai Bistro in Tarzana (Ventura Blvd between Tampa & Corbin). I had a fantastic filet & shrimp dish there. The shrimp actually tasted like shrimp (unlike the slippery shrimp at Yang Chow, who knows what's in the middle of all that glop?) and the filet was excellent too. I liked it better than Kung Pao Bistro. Tue May 10 00:10:32 -0700 2005 376633 0 markn 1 376582 Depends what you're looking for. If you're looking for the usual Chinese-American fare, orange chicken, kung pao, garlic pork, chow fun and the like, China Lites on Laurel Canyon and Chandler is pretty good and very cheap for huge portions. And actually, believe it or not, Golan Kosher on Victory and Ethel has pretty good Chinese-American food (no pork or seafood, obviously). If you're looking for "real" Chinese food, well, frankly Chinatown and the SGV are only a half hour away. :-P I'll have to try Mandarin Deli, but frankly it will take me longer to get there than it will to get to Monterey Park. Mon May 09 00:06:01 -0700 2005 376496 0 Das Ubergeek