RECOMMEND/REVIEW :TAI PEI SHADYSIDE

 Last Sunday evening four of us had dinner at Tai Pei in Shadyside and I
 would like to recommend the place to others on the group.  We had one of
 the best eat-at-the-restaurant Chinese meals I've had since moving to
 Pittsburgh.

 We were asked if we wanted smoking or non and were seated in the Non-smoking
 section.  I did not detect a whiff of smoke all night (though whether this
 was beacuse no one in the restaurant was smoking I can not say).  We were
 given menus and a wine list and left to order.

 Before I talk about the food I'd like to make two small digressions.

       1. The wine list was just average.  It had some white, some red,
           some blush, and the obligatory plum wine.  I generally find
           beer a better accompaniment to chinese food so that's what
          we went with--although one member of our group did have
           the only Sake they serve and was pleased.

       2. Have you ever noticed that all chinese restaurant menus are
          so similar that they all could be run up by one company?
          Restaurant owners must just pick the format they want and
          the dishes they want to serve from some kind of master menu
          and then the supplier runs them up.

          However, Tai Pei offers a laminated, hand-written menu of
          "Simon's Specials" and I decided for our group that the
          best course of action might be to order from that menu.
          We did, and the dishes described below come from that
          special menu except as noted.

 Two of us began with soup.  I had a Hot and sour Fish Soup that was not
 hot (could have used a shot of chili oil) but was delightfully citrus
 laden and with fresh (not smelly) firm, fish, scallion slivers and
 cilantro (chinese corriander!) leaves on top.  The other soup was
 the regular Hot and Sour from the regular menu.  It was good H & S
 soup and not at all gummy as some of them can become when laden with
 too much egg white or corn starch.  Mustard, Plum sauce, and fried
 noodles were included with the soups.

 We moved on to steamed seafood dumplings which were excellent. One could
 actually recognize bits of shrimp and scallop inside them.  And the
 Hunan Vegetable cake!  This was a crisply fried vegetable and bean cake
 (several thin layers--a bit like phyllo) that was then wrapped in
 a pancake with scallions and Hosin sauce (much like Peking duck). It
 was described by one member of our party as "absolutely first rate, top
 notch" and we all agreed.

 Entrees included:

       Castle Chicken:  served in a hot pot!  Redolent of chinese spices
       and garlic (with several unblemished whole cloves that had stewed
       in the mixture to great effect as a reward) with plenty of chicken.

       Salt and pepper shrimp.  Large butterflied shrimp, lighgtly battered
       and fried with garlic, lots of scallions, ginger and wonderful
       citrus flavor in the dish.  colors were wonderful.

       Tea-Smoked Duck.  Nice job of tea-smoking.  Very enjoyable
       if you like that sort of thing (wonderful mahagony skin with
       covering moist breast meat especially)

       Tai Pei Rice Noodles (from the regular menu) rice sticks with
       shrimp, oyster mushrooms, etc.  A more tradtional chinese
       restaurant noodle dish but quite good with a shot of chili
       oil (we had to ask for this).

 Oranges and fortune cookies for dessert.

 Service was very good.  I can't tell you how many people served our table
 but no one seemed to think it was some one else's job.  They all chipped
 in.  And watching one wait person assemble the Hunan vegetable cakes
 at our table was a treat.

 And how can you not like a restaurant where you fortune says "You'll be
 hungry soon, order a takeout now."  :-)

 Four of us ate for just over $100 bucks including a tip and we feel that
 it was well worth it. (This includes six Tsing Dao beers and two sake's)

 Tea was not automtically served to us (perhaps because we ordered drinks).
 We had to ask for chop sticks,and no soy sauce or anything else was on the
 table.  (We didn't need the soy and they were happy to provide whatever
 else we wanted).

 The decor is very pleasant as well.  Including projections of bamboo leaves
 etc. in color lights on the wall.

 In short, a great meal.