Someone wrote: : Whenever I go to Washington, DC, I never pass up the opportunity to go to Tony : Chen's, over at China Town. The last time I went there, I was with 5 of my : friends who had never been to that restaurant. I recommended the place, so we : agreed to go there. Surprisingly, though, none of them liked it. I argued : that it was the way they chose the spices (you can pick the spices such : as cooking wine, garlic sauce, etc. before having the chef cook the food in : front of you), but they totally hated the restaurant. : Does anybody else like this restaurant? Or is it just me? Tony Cheng's is actually made up of three restaurants, I believe, and all are authentic from my experiences having lived in Hong Kong and Taiwan, and having traveled to Mainland China several times. The Mongolian BBQ is authentic and very good, but it is kind of informal dining. Much like comparing a cookout and a sitdown formal dinner. It probably didn't have the variety of flavors your friends were expecting. The Mongolian BBQ, like everything else a matter of taste, and probably not what you would want to do day in and day out, but I agree with you. it is very good. My favorite Chinese restaurants are Peking Gourmet near Bailey's Crossroads on Route 7; Mark's Duck House in Eden Center (7 Corners); Oriental Regency at Tysons near Moore's Cadillac; Taipei Tokyo Cafe at Nicholson Lane and Rockville Pike; Fortune Restaurant near Bailey's Crossroads and Rte 7 and Hunan Lion II in the Galleria at Tysons II. Each has its strong points and range from inexpensive to expensive, and each has its outstanding dishes. I am always exploring new restaurants and am looking for a restaurant that serves a good, better make that excellent, shui zhu niu, Beijing style. Anyway, your taste buds are not out of line.
Washington, DC
Tony Chen Mongolian BBQ, Washington DC
Andre S. wrote: >Whenever I go to Washington, DC, I never pass up the opportunity to go to Tony >Chen's, over at China Town. The last time I went there, I was with 5 of my >friends who had never been to that restaurant. I recommended the place, so we >agreed to go there. Surprisingly, though, none of them liked it. I argued >that it was the way they chose the spices I wasn't wild about Tony Cheng's, myself. It's fun to watch them cook your food, but the food is nothing special. It's OK, just not great. I consider myself pretty good at spicing things (my husband calls me the "Queen of Sauces and Spices", but what does he know ;-), so I don't think it was the way I chose my ingredients. Maybe it was those buns -- they seemed kind of greasy to me. We have a friend who loves that place, though, so my memories of it are good overall...and I hear the seafood place upstairs (Tony Cheng's Seafood Restaurant?) is good. If you go to the BBQ part, at least take a hike upstairs to look at the fish tanks. They're not all *that* exciting, but they do add to that Tony Cheng experience. :-) Chris