ENTER THE DRAGON.Byline: Larry Lipson Restaurant Critic IF THE MENU and food served at the new Dragon St. in North Hollywood seems vaguely familiar to you, as it did to me, then you must have sampled the Chinese fare at Dragon X in Studio City, as have I. It turns out they're under the same ownership. Should we expect to see Dragon Express or Dragon Palace in the future? At this point, it makes no difference. The simple fact is that Dragon food in the East 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. is darn good Chinese food. Nothing remarkably innovative. Nothing earth-shaking. Just very well-executed versions of popular Chinese dishes The following is a list of dishes that are part of Chinese cuisine. Typical dishes Savory dishes
And usually of generous portioning. Take Dragon St.'s steamed dumplings ($4.95), for example. They're the thin-skinned fluffier type, not cumbersome leaden things. Not only do the meat fillings have good taste, there are actually 10 per order. Yes, 10. Not six, not eight, but 10. And similarly, the half order of one of 10 Dragon St. soups provides enough for two. One night recently, it was the delicious chicken and corn recipe ($3.95), another time the intriguing minced beef soup ($3.95). The kitchen uses sole as its primary fish. And when it describes its fish as tender, it means it. The sole works very well with black bean black bean see castanospermum australe, erythrophleumchlorostachys. sauce as a house specialty ($12.95) served sizzling siz·zle intr.v. siz·zled, siz·zling, siz·zles 1. To make the hissing sound characteristic of frying fat. 2. To seethe with anger or indignation. 3. with onions, zucchini and bell pepper. The numerous shrimp options confirm that the Dragon St. kitchen knows how to deliver both seafood and fish plates that have good crunch, decent taste and always enough moisture retention. Nothing worse than overcooked, dried-out food. You won't find anything that way here. Even the Singapore-style, very thin rice noodles Rice noodles are noodles that are made from rice. Their principal ingredients are rice flour and water. However, sometimes other ingredients such as tapioca or corn starch are also added in order to improve the transparency or increase the gelatinous and chewy texture of the ($7.95) that have a tendency to be drier than other noodles noo·dle 1 n. A narrow, ribbonlike strip of dried dough, usually made of flour, eggs, and water. [German Nudel. , here come forth with just the right degree of wetness, plenty of flavor from a light curry sauce Noun 1. curry sauce - allemande sauce with curry powder and coconut milk instead of stock sauce - flavorful relish or dressing or topping served as an accompaniment to food , egg, bean sprouts and celery, and a reasonable sprinkling of small, crunchy shrimp. A very satisfying dish. No doubt that the chef here dips his chicken in egg before cooking it. Of the several chicken dishes, I like the simplicity and good flavors of the jade chicken specialty ($9.50) where the lovely cream-colored chicken breast pieces have been sauteed gently in white wine and perched on a thick bed of delicately seasoned and broth-moistened spinach. If you want a touch of spiciness, there's always the ma po-style soft 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. ($4.95 and $6.95), which means like grandma used to cook it, with some green peas, tiny diced carrots and a 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. brown sauce. Dragon St., a corner building with rounded windows, has an inside street lamp to show that its name isn't for naught. And though its kitchen has a Shanghai chef, it points to its pan-Asian personality with such items as Thai tea ($2 and $3.50) and Japanese edamame Edamame is a preparation of immature soybeans in the pod commonly found in China and Japan. The pods are boiled in water together with condiments such as salt, and served whole. (steamed soybeans, $4.95) on its bill of fare. Meanwhile, traditionalists will welcome dishes like moo goo gai pan moo goo gai pan n. A Cantonese dish of chicken, mushrooms, vegetables, and spices sautéed together. [Chinese (Cantonese) m ($5.95 and $8.55) and pork chop Pork Chop An arrangement on the floor of the NYSE whereby clerks cover the booth of a floor broker and accept orders, phone calls, and associated tasks. Notes: The clerks in charge of maintaining the booths are directly compensated by the floor brokers who own them. suey ($5.95 and $8.55). And the health-conscious will appreciate the half-dozen special steamed offerings ($6.95 to $9.50), each available with one of at least six different sauces. If you skip the rice and noodles here, you've got plenty of low- and no- carb possibilities. Never mind it being the year of the monkey. In the East Valley, it could be the decade of the dragon. Larry Lipson, (818) 713-3668 larry.lipson(at)dailynews.com DRAGON ST. Food: Three stars - Service: Three stars Where: 5001 Lankershim Blvd., North Hollywood. Hours: Open for lunch, dinner and snacks from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily. Recommended items: Vegetable egg rolls, steamed dumplings, beef soup, chicken and corn soup, jade chicken, sizzling fish in black bean sauce, ma po tofu, Singapore rice noodles. How much: Starters from $1.95 to $7.50, main courses from $5.95 to $13.95. No alcohol (beer and wine license pending). Major credit cards accepted. Reservations: Helpful. Call (818) 505-5055. CAPTION(S): photo Photo: Walnut Shrimp is skillfully prepared and generously portioned at Dragon St. in North Hollywood. Evan Yee/Staff Photographer |
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