Mao's Kitchen

What other way is there to eat Chinese food if not in a communist fashion? Mao's Kitchen boldly declares their red roots serving up Chinese comfort food in Hollywood and Venice Beach. So far, I've only been to the location on Melrose and it's very stark with white walls, sparse Chinese art, and a video installation playing near the front door. There is also a side patio, but I'm yet to come here in good enough weather to sit outside. It is, however, a great place to come with friends and you'll often find groups of friends enjoying some drink and conversation over large plates of food. The food is definitely different than what you'll find at most other Chinese places, with things like peasant's onion pancake, sesame & yam beef, and model citizen soup. Another thing that sets this place apart from your run-of-the-mill fast food Chinese is the prices. Most dishes are $9+, unless of course you opt for the $1 salad (house salad). I've tried the hot & sour soup, which I have to say I didn't really enjoy that much since it had tomatoes in it, something I'm not used to in this variety of soup. I've also tried the sweet & sour pork and the chicken chow mein, which I have to admit was pretty good. Every time I come I am always curious to try the peasant onion pancake and the curry rice-stick, but I am yet to try either. Something to know before you go would be that Mao's is BYOB, but I don't believe there is any corkage fee. Due to location, the clientele can at times be interesting. The last time we were here there was some really weird guy that had a sex toy on the floor in the bathroom when Chase went in there. Truly bizarre. On the bright side, they do have their own parking lot and it's usually pretty easy to get a spot in there.

http://www.maoskitchen.com/

88 Chinese & Sushi

Now, now, I know what you are thinking, "a Chinese place with sushi can't be good," but I tell you it is. It's not very often that Chase and I have a hankering for Chinese food, but recently we were on a search for the best Chinese food in our area. We'd gotten a flyer for 88 and thought we'd give it a try and it didn't disappoint. On the menu is an assortment of dim sum, sushi, and the usual American-Chinese favorites. We started with the cream cheese wontons, which come six to an order and are not to be missed! Chase ordered the Chinese and sushi dinner with sweet & sour pork. The dinner came with an egg roll, a piece of shrimp tempura, hot & sour soup, fried rice, and a sushi roll. Everything but the sushi comes together for $9.99 and then you pay an extra couple of bucks for the sushi roll, depending on the roll you choose. Chase was gracious enough to let me pick, so I went for the standard spicy tuna roll. I got the crispy walnut shrimp. Everything was superb! I had only tried honey walnut shrimp once before and thought it was good, but this was even better. Chase also tried the Thai tea, which he seemed pretty happy with. Overall it was a great take-out experience and I can't wait to enjoy it again!

http://losangeles.menupages.com/restaurantdetails.asp?areaId=35&restaurantId=26929

Yang Chow

If you watch NBC's Chuck, you've probably seen the sizzling shrimp episode. I believe that is based on Yang Chow's Slippery Shrimp, possibly one of the best Chinese dishes around. Located in Chinatown, this authentic Chinese restaurant is a great value, but definitely order family style. There are lots of options, as is typical of Chinese restaurants, so get a few dishes and share. Once seated, the table is provided with a pot of hot green tea. Beyond that, we always like to start with the spring rolls and the hot & sour soup. There are about 8 different soups to chose from and they come in orders for 2 or for 4 people, but it really serves about twice as many people as it's supposed to. Next we devour a dish of the slippery shrimp, which is always quick to go! For the entrees we always switch it up. We are yet to find an entree dish that we absolutely love and must get every time. So far we have tried the beef & broccoli, lemon chicken, beef with green peppers, and the house special chicken (upon our last waiter's recommendation). We were not disappointed with any of them, but also haven't found the one entree we always have to have. There's usually enough food left to take home for a snack or meal and it generally costs less than $20/person. Also, it should be noted that they serve really decently priced alcoholic beverages here. Bottled beers for just $3, that's a deal you won't find too often in LA.

http://www.yangchow.com/index.html