CHINESE FARE WITH A BONUS.Byline: Larry Lipson Daily News Restaurant Critic What Baja Fresh Baja Fresh is a restaurant chain of Fresh Mex restaurants founded in Newbury Park, California, United States in 1990 by Jim and Linda Magglos. Categorized as a "fast-casual" restaurant, the quality and preparation time of its food is between that of a fast-food restaurant and a Mexican Grills are to Mexican food, Pick Up Stix is to Chinese. This slick Chinese-style fast-food outlet of the Orange County-based Pick Up Stix restaurant chain offers healthy, contemporary fare that's been catching on fast. And it's finally come to the San Fernando Valley San Fernando Valley Valley, southern California, U.S. Northwest of central Los Angeles, the valley is bounded by the San Gabriel, Santa Susana, and Santa Monica mountains and the Simi Hills. with an eatery in Granada Hills. The place is bright, airy and clean in a compact, efficient way, featuring metal chairs and Formica table-tops. Like other fast-food restaurants, you place your order and pay at the counter, where you can watch the cooks with their woks. You're given a placard to place on the table so the waiter can find you your orders, which are served in cartons. However, there are a limited number of tables inside the store (plus several more on an outside patio) and at peak business hours BUSINESS HOURS. The time of the day during which business is transacted. In respect to the time of presentment and demand of bills and notes, business hours generally range through the whole day down to the hours of rest in the evening, except when the paper is payable it a bank or by a there is often a waiting period until a table empties. The food? First of all, you have to like broccoli and water chestnuts to appreciate the food here. These two vegetables seem to show up in most dishes, and they're served crunchy fresh. The hot and sour soup Hot and sour soup can refer to soups from several Asian culinary traditions. In all cases the soup contains ingredients to make it both spicy and sour. North America United States In American Chinese cuisine hot and sour soup is almost vegetarian. ($4.95 and $6.95) is not a bad mixture, but a peculiar one compared to traditional Chinese hot and sour soups. Yes, there is some vinegar in it as well as the needed tofu tofu Soft, bland, custardlike food product made from soybeans. Believed to date from China's Han dynasty (206 BC–AD 220), tofu is today an important source of protein in the cuisines of East and Southeast Asia. , and, strangely, shrimp, too. But despite the menu indication that it's spicy hot because it's listed in red lettering, the peppery pep·per·y adj. 1. Of, containing, or resembling pepper; sharp or pungent in flavor. 2. Vigorously sharp-tempered: a peppery sales clerk. 3. qualities are hardly, if at all, discernible. So, you have to ask for some hot sauce to add to it. Better is the wonton soup ($4.55 and $6.55), also with shrimp, a few puffy wontons and featuring those not-so-elusive broccoli and water chestnuts, plus mushrooms, carrots and white chicken breast meat. Appetizers range from mediocre to passable pass·a·ble adj. 1. That can be passed, traversed, or crossed; navigable: a passable road. 2. Acceptable for general circulation: passable currency. 3. - funny foil-wrapped chicken called pyramids, fairly good vegetable egg rolls, crispy fried shrimp, pasty pork dumplings called Chinese raviolis and unusual cream cheese wontons. They range from $2.95 to $5.25 per order, varying in number, of course. None, though, are really outstanding. You can try all at once via a handy combo plate ($4.55) holding a single sample of each. Chicken is the safest of the three entree category opportunities (chicken, beef or shrimp). Best is the lemon twisted chicken ($6.95) with plenty of chopped, fresh lemon and moist white chicken meat as well as those old friends, broccoli and water chestnuts. The house special chicken reads better on the menu - ``tender diced chicken in a caramelized sauce of white wine, garlic and soy, finished with green onions and a dash of white pepper'' - but isn't because the smaller pieces of chicken end up overcome by all the other stuff. A tasty dish, though, is the chicken teriyaki ter·i·ya·ki n. A Japanese dish of grilled or broiled slices of marinated meat or shellfish. [Japanese : teri, glaze + yaki, to broil.] Noun 1. bowl ($4.25), this with broccoli again, but no water chestnuts, carrots instead, all atop steamed rice. Didn't like the house special beef ($7.55) much. The thinnish slices had suffered from overcooking, becoming black and flavorless. On the other hand, the Szechwan beef ($7.25) had tenderness and enough fiery, peppery heat to justify being called Szechwan, along with lots of onions, both green and white, also celery and carrots. An impressive dish. Things to pass on: The attempt at a sushi-style California roll ($2.95 or $4.95), and the attempt at an apple roll ($2.95) dessert item made in egg roll fashion with a sprinkling of cinnamon. Neither works well. But Pick Up Stix is efficient, convenient and makes straightforward Chinese food fairly well with a bonus. It's light, lean and cooked without MSG MSG: see glutamic acid. ... and served in pretty red boxes. THE FACTS The restaurant: Pick Up Stix. Where: 18101 Chatsworth St., Granada Hills. Phone: (818) 366-1688. When: Open for lunch, dinner and snacks - dine-in or takeout - from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily, to 9:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Recommended items: Cream cheese wontons, chicken teriyaki bowl, wonton soup, Szechwan beef, lemon twisted chicken, chow mein. Children's menu: Mini chicken teriyaki bowl with skinless chicken, broccoli and carrots on steamed rice with teriyaki sauce ($2.29) or ninja nuggets Nuggets can refer to several branches of interest:
How much: Starters (appetizers, salads, soups) from $3 to $7, sides (noodles noo·dle 1 n. A narrow, ribbonlike strip of dried dough, usually made of flour, eggs, and water. [German Nudel. , rice and vegetables) from $1.25 to $6, main courses from $4.25 to $8.55, dessert $3. Special lunch items. No alcohol. All major credit cards except Diners Club. Our rating: Three Stars for food. CAPTION(S): Photo Photo: Jennifer Acosta and Jason Moss serve up a few of the specialty dishes available at Pick Up Stix in Granada Hills. Terri Thuente/Daily News |
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