Myers and Chang - disappointing

[chefematician]

I went to Myers and Chang Sunday night after a long day in the sun. It was too hot to cook and their dollar oyster special was tempting. DC and I started with 2 dozen. Oysters were fine, not the amazing specimens one would find at ICOB, but not bad either. They were served with a Thai basil mignonette. We had never been to M&C and I was interested in other parts of the menu so we ordered a few dishes to share. We got...

Pork and Chive Dumplings - This was probably the best dish of the night, great sear, plump dumplings with generous pork filling, a little on the salty side.

Tiger's Tears - Holy salt lick! This dish was labeled as being spicy but was very mild and the overwhelming flavor was one of SALT. It was pretty much all I could taste. I can see how this dish has the potential to be really amazing if seasoned properly though, as the components of the dish were all appealing to me.

Hakka Eggplant - Not bad, not too salty at least, but a syrupy sweet glaze coated what could have been beautiful Chinese eggplant. It was pretty one dimensional as far as flavor goes, even with the addition of the Thai basil.

Surf and Turf Shanghai Noodles - Flat, flat, flat! Just nothing much happening with this dish. I wanted vibrant, bright flavors that pop but this too was over-salted and just lacking in the depth of flavor department. Beef was cooked fine, shrimp was overcooked.

Brown Rice - It's brown rice from a rice cooker.

Just so you know, I'm not usually prone to finding food too salty. I cook a lot and I'm not afraid of seasoning my food, but this was just too much. It was almost as if the person preparing our food had a cold that was dulling their taste buds so they couldn't taste how salty the food was. All in all, just a big let down. M&C had been on my lists of places to try for a while but nothing about the experience made me eager to return.

[Jolyon Helterman]

I eat there a few times every month. It's some of my favorite food in the city. Assertive, vivid flavors (highly salted food doesn't bother me), almost an "appetizer mentality," flavorwise, for every dish.

Dishes that never disappoint me:
Wok Charred Udon Noodles with Chicken and Bok Choy
Pork and Chive Dumplings
Sriracha wings (not the official name...?)
Tea-Smoked Ribs
Spicy Silky Tofu
Chicken Rapini Stirfry
Wok Roasted Mussels with lemongrass
Whatever the Chinese greens are that day

It's funny: I absolutely adore the hakka eggplant, but the other day I raved about it to the people sitting next to us at the counter, they ordered it, and then clearly had one bite and decided not to finish it. Oops. It's one of my favorites, anyway.

Two things that always disappoint me: I've never had the crispy whole fish *not* drastically overcooked, and the cantonese lacquered pork is always both too lean and too chewy somehow (maybe the thick slicing?).

I think the front-of-the-house is great, too.

@Gabatta: I've taken to using that ordering approach sometimes as well. ;)

[MC Slim JB]

Do you mean the coal-black wings? I love that eggplant dish, too, and have had the same experience recommending it to someone else.

We're considering begging them to put the kimchee pancakes and bacon/egg banh mi on the dinner menu (they're served for weekend dim sum only). I'm not always wild about the lunch banh mi.

http://mcslimjb.blogspot.com/

[ebaba]

I love the nirvana chicken banh mi. Try it if you haven't already.

[opinionatedchef]

As I know you know that the head chef at M+C has recently left for Market, I hope to hear reports re the quality here since the departure. I have my fingers crossed that the fine food continues.

[jeninma]

I've been to M&C several times but have not eaten the dishes you mention so I can't rebut them specifically but I will say that we have found it totally satisfying every time so I am really surprised by you're comment of being disappointed.

The tea smokes spare ribs are scrumptious and the Dan Dan noodles are delish as are the chicken and waffles and the sesame snap peas.

I would give it a second try.

[sdwr98]

Just to add datapoints - my wife and I have been to M&C 4 times in the last year and have always had a very positive experience from both a food and a service standpoint. Oversalting, well, that's a matter of taste. It's Asian-style food, which to me always seems a little on the saltier side, but I really enjoy it.

Favorites of ours include the tiger's tears, wok-charred udon noodles, miso-glazed carrots (which are *awesome*), and the pork belly buns.

[Jolyon Helterman]

Oh right: I forgot about those amazing carrots! Wowza!

[Mike5966]

Been creeping on this thread for a few days now and have been to M+C three times in the last few weeks... This is primarily because I live two blocks from it and when struck with a craving for Chinatown, I had trouble motivating myself to make the 25 minute walk across the highway in the sweltering heat.

I used to be a M+C naysayer but recently I have been pleasantly surprised with a few things I've ordered, namely the tea-smoked spareribs which are as good as they ever were, and both the clams in black bean sauce as well as the razor clams. The clams in black bean sauce are done with butter and cilantro and make for a really nice flavor, so good I felt compelled to compliment the chef across the bar after my first bite. It's definitely not Chinatown clams with black bean sauce, but it's good nonetheless. Meanwhile the razor clams were also delicious, tender, succulent, with a nice "salsa" of sorts over the top, and the whole thing served over watercress with a vinaigrette. Also had a side of the "mixed greens" were zucchini and Chinese long beans stir-fried over the wok. They had just the right amout of salt for me. I have not had the oversalting problem over 10+ visits over the last few years.

[opinionatedchef]

mike, sooo glad you reminded me about those razor clams. I had razors for the first time at Isl Crk Oyst Bar 2 wks ago, and loved their somewhat crunchy texture and flavor. Another CH (thnk you) mentioned them at M+C> I pulled up the menu and> quickly forgot! So now maybe your post will get me over there soon!th you.

[libertywharf]

Thanks, I saw Billy Costa's review and wasn't buying it. I am a Flour fan, so sorry to see this one isn't making the grade.

[bear]

I think it's one of those places that you have to try yourself, since people either seem to love it or find it lacking. Not much middle ground. My family of four went for the first time a few weeks ago and had a great time, except for the scarceness of our server for drink refills, etc. Fun vibe, everyone was very friendly, and the food was delicious. Despite the service issue, all four of us agreed that we would return. You'd need to try it for yourself to decide.

[opinionatedchef]

Unless you have found a reviewer who shares your taste 100% ( after their many reviews and your duplicate experiences of those places), you might want to allow for some flexibility in your pre-judgement of a restaurant. It's so easy to use the 'search' feature on CH to quickly pull up recent discussions of a restaurant with an interesting range of comments.

[viperlush]

I would still go and try it. We found the service and the vibe of the restaurant to be great. Between the 4 of us we ordered about 6 or 7 dishes and enjoyed all of them. The only issue we had with our meal was the extreme thirst. I wish I could remember exactly what we ordered to see what could have caused it. I wouldn't hesitate to go back.

[MC Slim JB]

Hits from a recent "dim sum" brunch: bacon and egg banh mi; kimchi pancake; pork belly bao; BBQ pork bao; fresh rolls. Haven't run into an oversalted dish in many visits.

http://mcslimjb.blogspot.com/

[Gabatta]

I've also never had an oversalting problem at MC.

My one beef with them is that they throw the food out of the kitchen pretty fast and don't do a good job spacing multiple courses. We have taken to ordering in 2-3 waves there. They don't always appreciate this, but I don't appreciate having 7 courses for 2 people arrive all at once.

[opinionatedchef]

Very good thinking. I do that at La Verdad Taqueria cafe, another place where the food (tacos for me) comes out very quickly. Fish tacos are so much better when they're hot!

-----
La Verdad
1 Lansdowne St, Boston, MA 02215

[robertlf]

Same experience here - disappointed and underwhelmed.

[ebaba]

I'll counter this to say simply yes, I have had one or two dishes that were overly salty in the past (over a dozen visits) but nothing that would make me say M+C is a big fat disappointment. It's reliably delicious, assertively flavored food, and has never been flat, one dimensional, or a dud. Service has always been perfectly fine, certainly more friendly than anything else.
I hate to see reviews like this when I know they mischaracterize a place I like very much and know to be better.

[opinionatedchef]

ebaba, word for word, I'm with you. But I will say to OP that I am not in the camp of 'every dish is a winner'. We have been disappointed by a number of dishes there (your hakka eggplant included, along with the too ridiculously overpriced pork belly buns) so we have learned not to order them. But there are a number of really winning dishes there and those we return for: shiitake omelet w/ oyster sauce, wok charred udon, tea smoked spare ribs......(see my review below):

http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/770441

We have also been ecstatic with our servers each of our visits. Wanted to clone every one. So I’m so surprised, and sorry, that you got a dud.

I do think the business is run in a way that is ‘we want the customer to be happy’. I hope you will try it again, and if the salty thing is repeated, send the food back and get it redone or replaced w/ another dish. It’s cooked so fast, you should not have to wait a long time for the re-do.

I know how disappointing it is to go into a 'well-touted' place and be major unimpressed. Some times it's bad luck or an off night; sometimes it's the dishes one orders (I must admit, I do research alot before trying a new place); sometimes it's that your taste is very different from those raving a place. But i do hope you will go again , order some of the CH fav things, and have some really super food and service.

[retrofabulousity]

I had a similarly underwhelming visit recently...

[cristinh]

I had a bad experience at M&C, too, but my issue was with the terrible service. Our server was very rude, even for Boston standards. The food was fine, nothing special. Definitely won't be back.

www.thefourseasonings.com

[chefematician]

Our service was nothing to write home about. I didn't mention it in my initial review because I wanted to keep it only about the food. However, the server we had (a young woman) seemed impatient and just not interested in giving good service. It was our first time there so I wanted to ask questions but every time I asked a question I felt like I was annoying her. I gave up and started asking the patrons seated next to me questions about the menu instead.

[teezeetoo]

went twice back in the early months after it opened. couldn't understand the fuss. have had better food and more interesting "asian fusion" at a dozen other places. decided it was simply the "chic" of the month and highly overrated. haven't returned. go to mulan and have eggplant and basil. now that's a great dish.

[chefematician]

Thanks for the tip about Mulan. I love a great eggplant and basil dish.

[veggielover]

I am salt sensitive and didn't find the salt overwhelming last month when we had our first visit to this restaurant. We had an entirely different experience and enjoyed every dish including the asian inspired beef tacos, the noodles with charred cabbage/vegetables, the rest I can't remember. We would definitely go back there again!

[viperlush]

We found the same issue with the food being too salty during our spring visit. It wasn't an inedible amount, but it was enough that all four of us were chugging water during the meal and later that night. Aside from the salt issue we enjoyed our meal and the service was great.