Taking in the Scene at Yang Chow, L.A.

During our L.A. trip we squeezed in a few restaurants between all the wedding activities. One was the wonderful and very authentic Chung King. Less authentic but equally wonderful is the probably the best known Chinese restaurant in L.A. — Yang Chow in downtown L.A.'s Chinatown. Yang Chow is justifiably famous for their delectable Slippery Shrimp (pictured above), and while you're there you might also get to do a bit of celebrity-spotting: governmental (it's close to city hall) and Hollywood celebrities have been known to show up. (We didn't see any, but we're not the most talented celebrity-spotters around.) They serve up some very tasty Americanized Szechuan dishes. They also serve alcohol (beer, wine, etc.), but they also allow you to bring your own wine with a $3.50 corking fee.

We showed up without reservations (not generally recommended) and had to wait for about 30 minutes, so we strolled up and down Chinatown. It was night and most of the stores were closed, but with good company the time passed quickly enough. The restaurant was full and everyone looked to be having a good time. We threaded our way to our table. It was a bit of a squeeze, but not too bad.

I had to order the Dry Sautéed String Beans with Minced Pork just to see the contrast with Chung King. Yang Chow's string beans didn't have the more exotic ingredients like pickled leaf, but it was a well-executed Americanized version. Chung King's version was more intense and complex, but I would order this again happily.

The shredded beef in the Hot Spicy Beef Shreds was tender, and the carrots and celery were julienned in nice long pieces, making them easy to grab with chopsticks.

I rarely order sweet and sour dishes on my own, but I'm always happy to sample them when ordered as part of a group. Another well-executed Americanized dish. Deep fried coating was thick, but not overly doughy or tough.

Satay Sauce Three Ingredients, a Malaysian-style dish, was tasty and a nice contrast to the other dishes.

And this brings me to the famous Slippery Shrimp. Fabulous! Scrumptious! A little sweet, a little spicy, a little crisp, a little slippery (though the name comes from what it's like while being prepared), and a lot delicious. You can order it spicy, but we kept it fairly tame so everyone at the table could enjoy it. (For shrimp avoiders: there is also a slippery chicken version.)

I take a lot of joy in finding ethnic restaurants that are authentic as can be found in the States and tend to steer away from Americanized places when given a choice, but I can honestly say that this was a delicious meal and I'd be happy to return. Besides, you don't go to Yang Chow for truly authentic Chinese food. You don't go there for cheap Americanized Chinese food. You go there for good food, and because it's a cultural institution, an L.A. landmark. And you go there for their amazing slippery shrimp!

Yang Chow
Chinatown, Downtown Los Angeles
819 N. Broadway
Los Angeles, CA 90012
TEL: (213) 625 - 0811

Sunday through Thursday: 11:30AM to 9:45PM
Friday and Saturday: 11:30AM to 10:45PM

Comments

[Cooking Chat]

I've never seen beans that look so good!

[chanit]

yummy !
Happy new year to you !