-
If you are looking to add some spice, no discussion of Las Vegas Chinese should be without Dong Ting Spring (Hunan) and Yun Nan Garden (diverse, with some particular Szechuan influences), right next to each other on Schiff (about a block west of Spring Mountain, running parallel). You will find very little English spoken at either venue, which may actually be a good thing - there is an authenticity about the places that brings its own charm.
›11 Replies-
re: QAW
Interesting how a number of Las Vegas Chinese restaurants, like these two, are branches of San Gabriel Valley operations. Nothing unusual about that per se, but you'd expect the larger, better known LA area restaurants to branch out, instead of these narrower niche operations.
-
re: Chandavkl
We may see a bit more of this in the years ahead, across the Asian spectrum, with places like Bosa 1 (Vietnamese) a good recent example - that name is a direct reference to the "Little Saigon" area on Bolsa Boulevard in Orange County. From what we have been told it has been a matter of the "Chinatown" area of Las Vegas developing enough to have a built-in target audience, so that places like Dong Ting Spring, and Yu Nan Garden, which are not going to have much tourist appeal, can service a particular demand.
It has been fascinating to watch the area along Spring Mountain grow. That first strip mall (Chinatown Plaza) may have even appeared tacky when it opened, but it really did plant a seed - if you start at the corner of Valley View and Spring Mountain, and go all the way to Rainbow (the new Korean-influenced Greenland Supermarket), the number of businesses across the board that have opened over the past decade has been tremendous, and not just restaurants. That is providing the support base for further expansion on the culinary front, and sooner or later we will see some attempts at elevating the overall restaurant levels (while it has been a joy to watch the development of this area, the plain truth is still that there is lot of of good food, but not much creating that "great" sensation).
-
re: QAW
Actually a better example is Pho Bolsa, which now has branches in New York, Boston and Toronto among others. (Who'd ever think those cities would have a restaurant named after a street in Westminster, CA?) I remember over 15 years ago hearing about the upcoming Chinatown planned for Las Vegas, actually driving by the vacant site, and skeptically wondering to myself whether it would ever get off the ground. Originally it was mostly just branches of L.A. places--1 6 8 Shanghai, Sam Woo, D D's Cafe, Plum Tree Inn and Kim Tar, I believe. Now it is nice to see local operations pop up on Spring Mountain too.
-----
Kim Tar Restaurant
4215 Spring Mountain Rd Ste B202, Las Vegas, NV 89102-
re: Chandavkl
Any theories on why some of the earlier "stars" were Shanghai restaurants and yet this cuisine seems to have fallen off? The menu was a bit of a minefield, but I ate some sensational food at Kim Tar, in particular.
-----
Kim Tar Restaurant
4215 Spring Mountain Rd Ste B202, Las Vegas, NV 89102-
-
-
re: Wonginator
5960 Spring Mountain, past the SF Market and past Cathay House. Went there once when it opened about 5 years ago and it wasn't bad, though at this point I don't remember what I had. The recently opened H K Star is supposedly sort of a spinoff of KJ Kitchen. One of my friends who splits time between LA and Las Vegas says KJ Kitchen is his favorite Chinese restaurant in Vegtas.
-----
Cathay House Restaurant
5300 Spring Mountain Rd, Las Vegas, NV 89146 -
-
-
re: Wonginator
Thanks for the scoop on KJ Kitchen. Just went and it was awesome. My company wasn't all that adventurous, but everything we had was fabulous! Potsticker appetizer, pork with asparagus, Mongolian beef, barbecued duck, and mixed Chinese veggies. All were totally delicious. $45 before tip for 4 peeps. They all raved, too.
-
re: HelenMS
Your welcome! Heading back to LV in a couple of weeks and looking forward to my next KJ Kitchen dinner- If you're still there, try the incredible dim sum lunch (served every day) at Orchids Gardens- very large place, incredible assortment of excellent dim sum!!
-----
Orchids Garden
5485 W Sahara Ave, Las Vegas, NV 89146
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
All of the places I used to go to for Shanghai food in LV are no longer open. But New Shanghai is still open, I believe. What about 168 Shanghai (only ate there once and didn't like it)
›5 Replies-
re: Dave Feldman
Partly because of this thread, I went to New Shanghai tonight. I assume that they have separate Chinese and English menus, as mine was all in English. And the menu is desperately in need of a new translator. The problem was not so much in outright mistakes or misspellings, but a lack of sufficient description in the names of the dishes. This is one case where Chinese transliterations would have made it much easier for "gringos" to decipher what was what.
Another reason we went there is that my friend likes the dumplings there. He knew the waiter well, and I inquired whether they served XLB. There was no reference to XLB or soup dumplings at all, but it turned out that the dish my friend liked, listed as "steamed dumplings," were XLB, if not in the classic shape. They weren't thrilling but like pizza, a decent XLB is better than none. The rest of our dishes were up and down. The salt & pepper shrimp featured non-stellar shellfish, but the garlic and salt schmutz was delectable. The frog in "spicy" sauce was overly sweet but tasty. The shredded pork in Chinese cabbage was wan but edible.
To me, the highlight of the meal was our waiter, who my friend called "Peter." He is gruff and sardonic and sly. it's a little like being served by Peter Sellers, and just as funny. He and my friend have a bantering relationship, and he seems to like taking it as much as dishing it out.
Only after we left was I told that the waiter's name wasn't really Peter. He was named "Peter" because it reminded him and his significant other of the waiters at Peter Luger's in Brooklyn. Good call. "Peter," who informed us he is half-Japanese and half Chinese, has the ill-concealed sweetness of the good Jewish deli waiter.
-
-
For Cantonese-style food, two of my favs are Joyful House and Food Express.
For dim sum, my top 2 choices are Chang's of Hong Kong and Ping Pang Pong. Ping Pang Pong is inside the Gold Coast casino, west of the Strip, so you might exclude it from your choices, but it has remained my top choice for quality dim sum in Vegas.
-----
Chang's Hong Kong Cuisine
4670 S Decatur Blvd, Las Vegas, NV 89103Ping Pang Pong
4000 W Flamingo Rd, Las Vegas, NV 89103Joyful House Chinese Cuisine
4601 Spring Mountain Rd, Las Vegas, NV 89102Food Express Chinese Restaurant
2003 S Decatur Blvd Ste B, Las Vegas, NV 89102›9 Replies-
-
re: sockster
Dim sum is typically a morning-to-lunch occasion, usually running from 10am-3pm, so I wouldn't expect to order it during dinner time.
XLB is a Shanghainese dish, and I don't know if there are any Shanghainese restaurants in Vegas. Perhaps someone else can chime in if they've run across them in Vegas somewhere.
-
re: Wonginator
Went ot Orchids Garden for lunch today. It was packed but I was quiickly seated. Wonderful selection of Dim Sum. Quite good too. One of the hostesses brought be over these stuffed crabs which were out of this world. My new DS fav in LV!!
-----
Orchids Garden
5485 W Sahara Ave, Las Vegas, NV 89146-
re: sockster
Sockster, glad to hear you enjoyed Orchids Garden. I've been there a few time, and I've had mixed experiences, sometime good, sometimes just average. It's been a couple of years since I've been there, so I might check it out again on my next visit.
-----
Orchids Garden
5485 W Sahara Ave, Las Vegas, NV 89146
-
-
-
re: sockster
shamu613
Jun 6, 2010 01:43 AM
Here's a detailed discussion about dim sum: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/6492...
XLB is available at both China Mama and Wendy's Noodle Cafe across the street from China Mama.
-----
China Mama
3420 S Jones Blvd, Las Vegas, NV 89146 -
-
-
-
-
-
