More 樂趣演奏用食物 Chinese Style!

The reason I was forced into enjoying my Mister Brisket turkey breast for breakfast was that Monday and Tuesday, I had lunch dates. As fate would have it, both meals were at Chinese Restaurants.

Monday's lunch at Hunan of Lyndhurst was lovely. I don't why it has been so long since I've been there (it is right down the street from my office), because the food and service are always delightful. Since their website appears to be "under construction" - they are in the Greens of Lyndhurst, 5670 Mayfield Road (440) 646-9100.


Chicken with Cashews


Beef with Garlic Sauce

Bob and Bernie each enjoyed their lunches. Lunch specials are served with the diner's choice of white rice or fried rice (except for noodle dishes).


Chicken with Black Pepper Sauce

Anna and I ordered the same (except that mine was la, or spicy). This is my "go to" dish at this restaurant. Black pepper sauce isnt offered at many Chinese Restaurants, and Hunan of Lyndhurst does a nice job with it. And when I asked for la - I got la - it was fabulously spicy, but the spice did not overwhelm the other flavors in the dish.



On Tuesday, I met my photographer friend at The Happy Buddha Cafe. I have written and posted photos from this wonderful place a few times before: first visit, second visit. She wanted to try the authentic Asian Noodle Soups and I was ready to tackle the Chinese menu posted on the restaurant website.

This is a simple, tiny place - about 5 tables in all. Shirley, who hails from Hong Kong but does not read characters, explained that her husband, Chef Gordon Liu, had written and posted this menu (which, to be fair, says it is "under construction") without her knowledge. With a little help from Chef, however, I decided to try the Tomato Niu Fan (Tomato, Eggs, Rice).


Vegetable Noodle Soup with Tofu and Mai Fun (Thin Rice Noodles)

Chris's soup was served with an extra bowl of broth, because the bowl was packed with so much goodness that Shirley was concerned there wouldn't be enough broth!





Chris enjoyed this immensely, and had quite a bit left to take home for dinner.


Tomato Niu Fan

This simple yet complex-tasting sauce was thick with, well, thickener (I don't know if it was cornstarch or another starch) - while normally this might lead to gloppiness - here it was a perfect vehicle for the delicate flavors of fresh tomato and gently cooked eggs, which infused the sauce with goodness. There was a little sweetness, balanced with a hearty dose of garlic and the sweet sharpness of fresh scallion, and accented by the tasty strips of stir-fried beef.







Chef Chiu will make any dish to order. While I was happy that all of the tables were full of customers, it was disappointing (to me) that every plate I saw come out of the kitchen was typical Chinese Lunch Special - the menu has plenty of options for those willing to try something new. Our food was simply fantastic - I can't wait to eat here again!

The next time someone at the office says "lets go out for Chinese Food" - be a little daring. Look for something on the menu you've never had before, or ask the server - "what is especially good today" - you may be pleasantly surprised. Even if you aren't wowed - it won't set you back a lot to play with some new food at your local Chinese Restaurant - and here in Cleveland, we are lucky to have so many places that will be delighted to help you play more with your Chinese Food!

Fun Playing With Soup at the Happy Buddha Again!

Last Thursday, I had a second opportunity to sample another take on Noodle Soup from The Happy Buddha Cafe in Cleveland Heights Ohio. I can't wait to get here with some friends and eat some other menu items! Since I knew Bob was making meat for dinner, I decided to try the Tofu with Flat Noodle Soup for lunch.


One of the Happy Buddhas at the Front of the House


La Jiang (Chili Sauce) - OMG Spicy!



I was delighted to learn that the "flat noodle" I ordered was not a rice noodle, but one of my absolute favorite wheat noodle styles - the pudgy "Yi Mein."



Now I've added a little La Jiang to the tops of the fresh, creamy tofu squares. It really perks them up!





And - I remembered just in time what Shirley had told me before - they'd happily use Chinese broccoli instead of American on request. And this was perfectly cooked - soft enough to fold and bite through, but not at all mushy or overcooked. Happy Buddha remains my favorite East Side location to play with Chinese Food!

Playing with Food From the Freezer

Friday 2/29 was our first day back from Florida. So naturally, it snowed most of the day. Though our fridge was pretty empty, neither of us really wanted to go out in the terrible weather. So, what to fix for dinner?

We had a small bag of those marvelous Grape Tomatoes that we brought back from Florida sitting on the counter.

A quick inventory of the produce drawer yielded half a head of celery cabbage that was in good shape, a large bag of garden carrots, and a bag of mostly bad cilantro. Moving on to the freezer, I realized that we still had a supply of kreplach (Jewish Chicken and Liver Dumplings) left over from Rosh Hashonah last September. I also pulled out a package of thin Chinese egg noodles that had been in the freezer too long, two bags of Turkey Stock we had made in December, and some frozen garden chilies. Add onion and garden garlic from the pantry - and we had a delightful, comforting meal, even though we really didn't have any food in the house.



















So after all of the eating out we had done for the past two weeks, we re-discovered the joy of playing with our own food to produce something wonderful.

Fun Playing With Chinese Noodle Soup

Ever since I first saw the movie Tampopo, I've been in love with Asian style noodle soup. During my first year after law school, I clerked for a Federal Magistrate Judge in the Southern District of New York, at the courthouse on Foley Square in downtown Manhattan - and I practically lived in New York's Chinatown. Most often, with time and budget constraints, I wound up at the noodle shops for lunch.

Fast forward to Cleveland Ohio in 2007. New Wong's noodles on Payne Avenue lost their lease and moved to a northeast suburb, where, I am told, the owners are unhappy that most of their patrons want only egg rolls and fried rice. There are other spots in Cleveland's Asiatown where one can get noodle soup (my favorite being Superior Pho), but it is out of the way for me, and if I get to Asiatown with a companion, we almost always order shareable dishes instead.

Fast forward to February 6, 2008. I am finally to get my head (or at least my eyes) examined, which which I am years, not months, overdue. I am also this close to running late, haven't had lunch yet, and am traveling down Green Road into Beachwood in pouring rain. I am craving Chinese Food and soup, but don't know of anyplace "on the way" to satisfy this craving.

Some instinct makes me turn left from South Green Road onto Cedar, and into the small strip mall now immediately on my right. I am thinking that there is a Mexican place in here that I haven't tried, and Jack's Deli if all else fails. I park and an old, dusty memory pops into my frontal lobe - there is a Chinese take out joint here. I wonder if they have tables? I wonder if it's at least edible? Hmmm - looks a little dumpy, let's see.

I enter the Happy Buddha cafe, and yes, there a a few simple tables. Shirley, a Hong Kong expat, who passed me earlier on the sidewalk as she made a delivery within the shopping center, enters the restaurant and apologizes for the delay. I say no problem, as I am peeking at the take-out menu and eyeing the interesting decor.



Note the happy Buddhas, with their cool blue lights! The photo doesn't show how they undulate - but it does create a funky feel!

Shirley seats me and goes to bring me tea. I look at the "lunch specials" - typical suburban Americanized Chinese fare, though a good value at $6-7 a plate, and served with fried rice and egg roll. Then - bestill my heart - a menu heading of "Soup", followed by a menu heading of "Noodle Soup". "Hong Kong Style Noodle Soup?" I asked. Yes is the answer. My choice of 4 types of noodles (not made in store, but who does these days?) and protein. I order chicken and smack my lips in anticipation.


Tea Service

Tea is brewed from a bag - Oolong. Shirley says Jasmine is also an option.

But the star of our show is:








And it tastes as good as it looks - rich broth, crispy vegetables, velvety chicken and delicious noodles.

Shirley brings me a bottle of Sriracha sauce, and asks if I would like Red Vinegar. I've never heard of putting Red Vinegar in soup, but I say, "of course I'll try it."





The vinegar actually plays very nicely off of the spicy hot sauce. I'm glad I tried it.


Shrimp Chips

Shirley brought these over after she served the soup - it made a good vehicle for my first taste of the vinegar!

We talked a little, and Shirley said that even though they don't have a Chinese Menu, they will make just about anything on request, and can "authenticize" the dishes, for example, by using Chinese broccoli instead of American, on request. Her husband Gordon Liu mans the kitchen, and his menu has a nice selection, including a Chow Fun (broad rice noodle) section, a Pan Fried Noodle section, and several types of E-Fu Noodles, as well as some nice "Chef's Specials" including Beef with Black Pepper Sauce - one of my favorites! Interestingly, Gordon is from Fujian and not Hong Kong, even though there is a bit of Hong Kong in the menu (must be Shirley's influence). Chef Liu also has Japanese culinary training, so there are Japanese elements on the menu also. They have been in business here for about one year, and I, for one, intend to be back.

There is nothing so fun as playing with noodles, and Happy Buddha offers several options for doing so in a simple, yet clean and comfortable little cafe!