Silicon Valley Eats: Chinese (3)

Ever-starved for good Chinese in West LA, we've been reveling in the bounty of the Bay area. Our latest discovery is Dynasty Seafood Restaurant, located adjacent to Cupertino Square mall. Unlike its counterparts where dragons, phoenixes, and tacky red lanterns assault you on arrival, the decor here is quite elegant, perfect for the wedding parties that are constantly booked here (word to the wise: forget Saturday dinner here, you'll be waiting forever or seated outside in the mall next to Macy's). The enormity of each of the main dining areas is staggering, and the corridor adjoining the two main halls houses several smaller private banquet rooms, great for other special occasions.

We ordered a set dinner for our party of six, which consisted of a variety of seafood and vegetable dishes. The highlight was the sea bass, one of their signature dishes, a generous fillet seared on both sides and layered with a light soy-based sauce, perfectly tender and flaky without a hint of dryness. I was particularly impressed by the freshness and quality of the vegetables whether they were the focus or the side. They were crispy and colorful, a nice change from the soggy kind that often serve as a bland bed beneath meat dishes. The service was a bit on the slow side that evening, and the waiter was gruff in manner, but we eventually got everything we needed. Our party was dismayed, however, that the rice came out last. Aside from the spotty service, I am looking forward to trying out the dim sum here soon!

While I'm on the theme of Chinese fine-dining banquet restaurants, I turn my attention to TaiPan which can be found on Waverley in downtown Palo Alto, a couple of doors down from Prolific Oven. TaiPan is a gorgeous, well-designed Chinese banquet space, perhaps one of the most elegant I've ever dined in, here in America. It has an intimate, lush, living room feel; beautiful paintings and ceramic arts serenely line the walls. The waitstaff serve with such ease they're almost invisible, entirely different from the clank and clatter often associated with Chinese restaurants.

For lunch, I tried a dish new to me, rice noodle with shredded duck and sour vegetable, purposely venturing into the unknown by choosing something that did not sound immediately appetizing. The risk was well worth it! The noodles were fine and glassy, with primary colors popping throughout the dish. I counted as many as ten different fresh vegetables and aromatics (green pepper, red pepper, three types of mushrooms, yellow onions, green onions, bean sprouts, garlic, ginger, and one pickled variety of mustard green, I believe, hence "sour vegetable"). I expected the duck to be the star here, but with its delicate flavoring and dark roasted scent, the duck blended harmoniously with the abundance of vegetables without getting lost in the crowd. Delicious. All tables are served two sauces on the side, a chili paste and soy sauce. Normally, I take very little account of these standard condiments, but the chili paste here was simply sensational. I imagined sun-dried chilis freshly ground with a mortar-and-pestle in the kitchen and drizzled with oil, a vibrant, subtly spicy concoction. I took it home with me - a first!