TTHP Part II: Lao Hunan

As part of the pre-Thanksgiving festivities, our group of diners decided to try out Lao Hunan for a lunchtime meal. Thinking that there would be a tremendous line due to the dim sum nature of the hour (Sunday at noon), Cathy and JW arrived early and scoped out the joint. The location is hard to miss from the outside with a bright yellow awning adorned with a picture of Mao. There were multiple tables open and so they went across the street to HoyPolloi for some browsing (and to pick up a notebook for TTHP documenting purposes). Liz Lemon and Ryan also arrived most punctually at noon with Levitron not long behind them.

Pepper prep

The restaurant choice was partially made in the hopes of luring Jeff out for project contribution. See, he had been complaining of being under the weather and, as we all know, there is no better remedy than some deliciously spicy Hunanese cuisine to help sweat out the icks. Although he was unable to make it, the group would not be disappointed with the spice factor. Across from our lazy susan-equipped table, some servers were busy prepping gobs of peppers for the kitchen. This did not deter our diners and they began busily perusing the voluminous, picture-filled menu. Of note, there is a mix of regional cuisines in the menu including Hunanese and Szechuanese specialities and it was somewhat difficult to pick through these. While the servers, dressed eclectically in some military style uniforms (Mao era?), were very attentive, it took our diners a good bit of time in deciding which dishes to try. Once again, each diner picked a dish and then a few wild cards were added to round out the meal. As an added treat, an extra green bean dish was provided to the table; it was unclear whether this was a happy accident or at the insistence of the kitchen to ensure a better balance of vegetables to the meal (not unheard of in the Chinese restaurant).
Here's the line up:

112: Ginger green onion peanut (Ryan)

154: Potstickers (WC)

104: Chile pig ear (JW)

459: Hunan stir-fried beef tripe (Cathy)

557: Hunan shrimp (Ryan)

407: Griddle cooked tea tree mushroom (Liz Lemon)

523: Dry chili fish fillet (Levitron)

453: Cumin beef (WC)

The chili-filled aftermath

A "Back to Mao" time warp photo of our meal

Unfortunately, there is no solo picture for the surprise dish which was most likely the dried chili string beans Hunan style. In any case, the bonus dish was a most welcome addition. This table did have a lazy susan which provided an improved means of food delivery to each diners' plate. However, with the extra dish, it was very much overloaded and the group learned the importance of provide adequate clearance around the perimeter for ease of spinning. Ryan's curiosity was piqued by the peanut dish (no photo in the menu) which turned out to be a ginger candied peanut mixed with green onions. While the flavoring was somewhat subtle at first, the peanuts had a much more gingery flavor when eaten after tasting the rest of the dishes. A nice palate cleanser. Cathy was excited to have tripe and the rest of the group was open-minded enough to indulge her tastes. However, both the tripe and the fish dishes were somewhat salty. As you will see with the ratings below, this was not a deal breaker; in fact, Ryan and JW found this flavor profile to their liking. The cumin beef at Lao Hunan had a better depth of seasoning than the cumin lamb previously tried at Lao Beijing. Cathy felt that the potstickers here, if put head-to-head with the dumplings at Lao Beijing, were somewhat lacking in flavor and juiciness; Levitron felt that the wrapper was a little thick and bready.

The decor at Lao Hunan was also more modern and meshed well with the quirkiness of the servers' uniforms. Bright and sunny inside with yellow and orange accents and, of course, a modest flatscreen tv hanging in the corner. There was even a wall of famous people from Hunan for perusal as one waits for the spice level in the mouth to cool down. It was interesting to note that the spiciness from the Hunanese dishes did not linger nearly as much as the chili-oil spiciness of Szechuan cuisine. In most cases, it was easily relieved with a couple bites of rice, some water, or just a little bit of a taste bud time out.


Ryan: Favorite dish was the fish fillet. He did not like the sauce accompanying the shrimp. 
3 out of 5 chopsticks.
Liz Lemon: Favorite dish was the mushrooms, in part due to the fancy presentation complete with sterno underneath the pot.
3.5 out of 5 chopsticks.
Levitron: Favorite dish was the fish fillet.
4 out of 5 chopsticks.
JW: Favorites included the fish fillet and the peanuts.  
4 out of 5 chopsticks.
Cathy: Favorite dish, hands down, was the tripe. Also enjoyed the fish fillet, but felt it was overly salty. 
3 out of 5 chopsticks.

A successful outing with many leftovers to take home. The group will set out for part III post-Thanksgiving to try and keep this project on track.

TTHP Part I: Project Kick-off at Lao Beijing

A few Saturdays ago, our group of intrepid eaters embarked upon our first TTHP outing. Smash, Ethan, Liz Lemon, Ryan, JW, and Cathy converged upon Lao Beijing for the first in many dinners a la Hu.

JW and Cathy were first to arrive and, surveying the full dining room, steeled themselves for what would surely be a significant wait. But not out of the ordinary for going to dinner in Chinatown on a Saturday night. One waiter called out "how many" from across the bustling room. After Cathy indicated there would be a party of 6, the waiter then made the universal sign for "just wait awkwardly over there by the door." A few minutes later, the same waiter asked again how many and, magically, the number was still 6. He then shooed them upstairs. It was at that point which Cathy and Joe realized that the stairs in the corner do, in fact, lead someplace and that someplace was not nearly as crowded as the downstairs dining room. Hooray!

As they ascended, a waitress called down "how many" in Mandarin from the top of the stairs. Cathy, using her skills of multi-lingual communication, again indicated 6. Upstairs, there was a spacious eating area with multiple large topped tables that were perfect for parties of 8-10. Our group was placed at a table in a back room separate from the main area, complete with glass doors that could be closed for those occasional sub rosa dinnertime discussions and a flat screen tv that we assume could be turned on. Alas, the party was not seated at one of the tables with a lazy susan.

Hot tea (oolong) arrived and so did the rest of the TTHP pioneers. Some had arugula in tow and everyone had brought their appetites. The menu at Lao Beijing is quite voluminous, but luckily also includes many colored pictures. We settled on one dish picked per person plus a couple of wild cards, to be shared family style. The waitress insisted on speaking solely to Cathy in Chinese and, at one point, even expounded at length on the superior qualities of a certain dish involving "you tiao" at a sister Tony Hu restaurant. She then subsequently instructed our sub-par translator to explain what was said to the group. One disappointment of the evening was that the "you tiao" is only available at Lao Beijing during the brunching hours. This wasn't that surprising since "you tiao" are essentially savory fried dough sticks that are traditionally served taco-style within a rectangular shell of sesame flatbread for a distinctly Chinese carb-on-carb breakfast. Usually with a side of hot soy milk, sweet or salty. (Beijing style food can be very hearty, rather "meat-and-potatoes"-esque.)

The dishes that were enjoyed are documented below. By sheer luck, one dish that was ordered got lost in translation and was replaced by a second jellyfish dish, thus fully satisfying JW's Shedd Aquarium-inspired craving.

127: Pork and Chive Dumplings (WC)

B27: Shredded Duck Meat (C)

203: Jellyfish and Cucumber (JW)

C7: Stir-Fried Tofu Noodles (LL)

S19: Stewed Pumpkin with Prawns (R)

S27: Chopped String Bean and Shrimp (E)

A07: Cumin Lamb Satay (S)

Stir-Fried Jellyfish and Squid (WC)

Requisite Pile of Rice

Our group did note that the dishes with shrimp/prawns came with the shellfish pre-shelled (and decapitated) and wondered if this would have been the case if there had been fewer Caucasian types in the group. Liz Lemon's pick of the tofu noodles was not bad, but contained a significant amount of onions which was unexpected and generally frowned upon by her palate. The consensus was that folks liked having the private room, but Liz Lemon would have preferred having a lazy susan for ease of sharing. The server speaking solely in Mandarin with Cathy lent a certain level of authenticity to the exchange. Overall, the experience was on par with general group expectations.

Ryan: Favorites included the stewed pumpkin with prawns and the jellyfish with cucumber. He was the only one to double fist with some beer and thought the Tsing Tao was good.
3.5 out of 5 chopsticks.
Liz Lemon: Favorites included the stewed pumpkin with prawns and the green beans with shrimp. She also enjoyed the dumplings. She did not care for the stir-fried jellyfish with squid, but thought the jellyfish with cucumber was ok thus leaving her jellyfish views murky. Sadly, her fortune cookie did not contain a fortune so no lucky lottery numbers for her. This time.
3 out of 5 chopsticks.
Smash: Favorites included the green beans with shrimp, jellyfish with cucumber, and the stir-fried tofu noodles. She was disappointed with her choice, the cumin lamb, noting that it had a lack of depth of flavor.
3.5 out of 5 chopsticks. Good service. Average decor. Food between average and very good.
Ethan: Favorites included the green beans with shrimp and the shredded duck meat.
3 out of 5 chopsticks/stars/stickers.  Food, service, and setting was good, but not spectacular in any way.
JW: Favorites included the shredded duck and stewed pumpkin with shrimp. He did not care for the tofu noodles.
3 out of 5 chopsticks.
Cathy: Favorites included the dumplings (hot, juicy, and good thickness of the wrappers) and the shredded duck. She felt the cucumber and jellyfish dish here was slightly subpar, in part due to the ratio of cucumber to jellyfish, as well as the somewhat bland flavoring.
3 out of 5 chopsticks.

Overall, a successful outing. Looking forward to Part II. And, hopefully, the blog post will go up in a much more timely fashion if no additional bugs from the blogger app derail things.

TTHP: The Cast of Intrepid Eaters

Introducing the TTHP participants:

Smash
Smash thinks of herself as a tiny version of Brian Urlacher, ready to intercept and take down delicious food whenever it appears. For almost 30 years she's trained her tastebuds in California and Illinois, with a brief culinary excursion to Greece, and has developed a keen appreciation for the flavor enhancement of pepper and citrus. When not eating (a rare situation), Smash enjoys ultimate frisbee and dead languages. 
Her favorite Chinese dish is a deliciously steamed bean-paste bun.

Ethan
Ethan grew up with simple tastes and while that has evolved over time, it still forms the basis of his culinary inclinations. He finds hearty, savory foods to be most satisfying, though he does appreciate light, clean  flavors to begin the meal. Ethan feels that a restaurant's ambience is not critical as long as the food is served and nearby diners are quiet and a safe distance away.
Growing up in a town of 25,000 people with two Chinese restaurants, Ethan's favorite dish was fried rice. Now living in a city of 2.7 million people, there are a couple more Chinese restaurants and his favorite dish (so far) is moo shu pork.

Jeff
A native of the Chicagoland area, Jeff is a certified project manager, now splitting time consulting for IGO Carsharing and starting his own business. Globetrotting credentials include spending 8 years in China, 3 years in the rural south (Guilin) and 5 years in Beijing. Other interests include ultimate frisbee and the environment.
Having honed his palate during his years abroad, Jeff's favorite Chinese dishes include:

- GanBianSiJiDou (fired green beans with small black beans and lots of WeiJiao/numb pepper)

- SiChuan LianBanMian (Sichuan cold noodles)

- NanChaoRou (Uyghur dish of fired nan, beef, green peppers, and spices)

JW
Coming soon....

Liz Lemon

Though some may consider the name "Liz Lehman" to be slightly less identifiable than the mainstream moniker of Tina Fey, there is no doubt that the woman behind the Lehman surname carries the the same allure as any of our favorite modern day icons. As equally accomplished in doctoral herpetology as she is in basic knot and alpine rope management, Ms. Lehman is at ease in almost any setting; whether it's debating topical biology with fellow laureates or cooking moonshine in the Kentucky backcountry. Her current career as an educator of educators underscores her belief that "the children are [indeed] our future", and she is not shy pontificating her conviction that yellow curry with vegetables is "the tops". Liz currently resides in Chicago with with her boyfriend, who she often cites as her "inspiration in punctuality", and can most easily be reached for comment through the Android "Word Hero" message boards.

Ryan
A seasoned world traveler, Ryan currently resides in Chicago and works as a web systems architect. He is excited to embark on this project because "there's nothing to not like about Chinese food." Ryan's hobbies include photography, rock climbing, and trains. Ryan also enjoys coaching cats in the art of lounging.
His favorite Chinese dishes include all things seafood.

Cathy
Instigator of the Tony Hu Project, Cathy has now spent more time in Chicago than any of the other places she's otherwise lived in. When not kicking it on her exercise ball in her windowless cube of an "office", she can be found playing ultimate frisbee, baking treats, biking while cursing out the wind, or mongering cheese at farmer's markets. She also enjoys having drinks with Liz Lemon because what part of that doesn't sound fun?
Favorite Chinese dishes: Pan-fried chive and egg dumplings. Ginger scallion tripe.

Andrew
Coming soon...

Lisanne
Coming soon...

Levitron
Lauren AKA Lorraine Levitron is ready to use her robotic alter ego to dominate the Tony Hu Project. Levitron's mantra, "I'll try anything once," allows for an open mind during the Intrepid Eater's pursuit to take on Mr. Hu's cuisine. When she's not shouting to Cathy through a partition at work, Levitron practices guitar, experiments in the kitchen, and bikes all over Chi town.
Warning, anything in dumpling form will be devoured by this lady. 

TTHP: The Tony Hu Project

Finally, after almost 3 years, an update and brand new feature: The Tony Hu Project!

It is a well-known fact that Tony Hu is trying to take over Chicago, one delicious restaurant after another. It is a lesser-known fact that, though I am generally in favor of this propagation of deliciousness, I have never been to any Hu establishment apart from Lao Sze Chuan. That's right, in the non-contiguous span of 14 years, I have not yet partaken of the gastronomic offerings at any of the other acclaimed Houses of Hu. In order to remedy what is essentially a giant ancestral fail, I had to come up with a plan. But not just any old plan. Upon slightly more reflection, it became clear that Chinese food is far more delicious when shared with friends and family, due, in part, to the company, and also because more dishes can be shared. Thus, I enlisted the help of some intrepid eaters to embark upon a culinary fun-venture from henceforth known as "The Tony Hu Project" (TTHP for short).
This fun-venture is fairly simple: get a group of people together and eat at every Tony Hu restaurant in Chicago, culminating with a dinner at the yet to be opened location in River North.
So, for the next 4 months or so, we will endeavor to visit ~2 Tony Hu spots per month.
Of course, the news is that Mr. Hu keeps expanding his empire, so we will have to eat faster than he can acquire property....
I think my fellow TTHP members are up to the challenge.

Dumplings, ho!

Readjustmentation

It was a gray, windy, wet kind of day today, the kind you don't get in Denver (or at least hardly ever) and the kind that I have to learn to readjust to along with the gazillion other things going on.
But instead of being sad, it is better to reflect on nice, cozy, yummy things in life. Things like having a CSA box full of goodies to play with every week and time for playing in the kitchen.
Some of the highlights have been: homemade German chocolate cake, lemon bars and more lemon bars, pineapple coconut cookies, stuffed squash with curried wild rice pilaf, cherry ricotta muffins, triple ginger stout gingerbread, Japanese-style beef and squash stew, sweet potato gratin, and cabbage pie. Oh and ham cups with pesto and eggs. I didn't make all of the goodies, but did take some photos of a few things. The rest you will have to use your imagination. Plus I discovered that the trick to successful homemade hummus is an obsessive rinsing of the chickpeas to get rid of most of the skins. That also leads to the least amount of digestive discomfort, if you know what I mean.

Oh and I made a batch of banana oatmeal power cookies and brought some to work. They seemed to go over well. Can't wait for Christmas Cookie Bonanza!

28 Hours and 1000 Miles

Thoughts from a long drive in 1.5 days:

-A late lunch at Domo is good fortification for a trip.
-The best thing about Nebraska may have been entering Iowa and simultaneously finding the Pats game on AM.
-Less radio stations to choose from actually make listening to music easier.
-Nebraska is Native American for "The flat area of land West of the Mississippi and East of the Rockies."
-A car full of stuff (including a crate of binders, a tub of books and a KitchenAid Stand Mixer) will decrease your MPG by about 5.
-When your ass starts to ache, you are only halfway through your trip.
-When your ass starts to hurt, you are only 3/4 through your trip.
-When the driver asks for a butt massage, you better hope to be 98% through your trip.
-Moisture makes the grass green and the trees plentiful, but it also makes the windshield foggy.
-There are a lot of stars in Nebraska and not a lot in Chicago. The sky is actually pink all night.
-Waiting for Sonic is always worth it, but likely to incur vast amounts of brain freeze.

Recent Foodage

With the onslaught of harvesting tomatoes and squashes (squashii? squashae?) from Kerry's garden and then the sudden cold front that pushed through, I have been slaving away quite a bit in the kitchen. (Sorry, no food porn pics this time.)
The first question is, of course, what to do with 3 lbs of garden tomatoes (some from Iowa and some from Aurora CO) and 4 summer squash bigger than your arm? First you make tomato sauce and, if you are lazy, you make it without peeling the tomatoes and manage to slice your finger in the meanwhile. Toss in some turkey and beef meatballs and you have a nice go to sauce in your fridge for whatever pasta might be kickin' it on the shelf. You look at the squash and think, these are just going to have to wait...perhaps they will get smaller if I let them rest on the counter for a few days. (Note: They will not. In fact, they might just grow more. Just like difficult people, giant garden squash refuse to disappear if you ignore them.)
Saturday, I went for a late Summer/early Fall harvest dinner theme. Made the Turnip and Potato Soup from Vegetarian Cooking for Everybody. Basically saute leeks, potatoes, turnips and garlic, then cook down and puree. Toss in salt, pepper and cream. A good idea is to not drop and break your blender. Then I tackled the squash: cut it into rounds and either roasted half and slow-cooked the other half them on the stove. Seasoned with some lemon pepper and italian seasoning and tossed with some Feta. It's very sunny looking. Finally, made the Sauteed Brussels Sprouts with Lemon and Pistachios. Kept it pretty close, but subbed lime juice which was pretty nice matched with the pistachios. Rounded the meal out with a little bread with roasted garlic spread and smoked sea salt and a peach cobbler.
For the party, I cooked up some chocolate gemelli I picked up at the farmers' market, tossed with some raspberries and strawberries plus some homemade whipped cream for a dessert pasta salad. Also made a coconut rum cake by adapting the Little Lime Soaked Coconut Cakes from In The Sweet Kitchen. Followed the recipe for the cake, used low-fat coconut milk (which worked fine), added an egg for altitude and cooked in a square cake pan. Made the lime soaking syrup by dissolving the sugar and lime juice with rum rather than water and cooked it down to more of a thick syrupy glaze (careful not to burn!!). After the cake was done, drizzled with rum, glazed and then sprinkled toasted coconut over it and drizzle a little more glaze to help the coconut adhere. It's a nice contrast between a sweet cake and a limey tang.
Finally, Monday was a nice day for using the oven since it was freezing out (hail in the AM!). If you are going to spend money on heating the house, you might as well make it smell good and have a tasty meal, too. Made the Moroccan Roast Chicken (my favorite roast chicken recipe, possibly) and a quinoa pilaf with diced summer squash, onions and dill. A nice protein packed meal! Lots of leftover chicken that would be good for pita sandwiches, maybe with some hummus or baba ganoush.
That's all I have for now and with loads of leftovers, there may be a stoppage in cooking for a bit. Discovered that the soup reheats well with some manchego or drunken goat sprinkled over it...the nuttiness is a nice contrast against the sweetness and creaminess.