Page 11 - Boca Exposure - November '23

Boca Exposure, Page 11
Dining Out: It’s A Mix Wok On This Silk Road!

By Alan Serinsky of Bocaire First Impressions: Back in my youthful days I used to in translation since the chicken in this case was cooked
Country Club. Hungry Al’s venture to Chinatown in NYC. Directly below the North beyond “crispy.” The only taste we encountered was the
love for food started very side of the Brooklyn Bridge was a Chinese restaurant I sweet honey soy sauce hiding the true focus of the dish.
young. Never satisfied with would frequently visit for only one item on their menu, The strong-handling of the Sesame Beef ($36) also fell
his Mom’s dishes, he started the “Cold Sesame Noodles with Sea Cucumbers.” It was subject to the demise of overcooking, as did the chicken.
to cook his way through her unbeatable in taste and unmatched to this day. So when I The only saving grace of this dish was the sauce coating
“Betty Crocker Cookbook.” noticed this dish on the menu my heart raced, my stomach that was full of flavor and the mixture of soy sauce, rice
During the years to follow churned, and my mind was driven to hold this item to my wine and sesame oil was spot on.
he spent many hours working high standards. We did venture into the vegetarian column of the
in restaurants, both as server and cook, attending cooking I have tried countless of times to duplicate this recipe menu with Vegetable Mu Shu ($22). The wok-fired
classes and traveling the world in an effort to expand at home with little to minor success. Thankfully, the chef vegetables of mushrooms, onions, peppers, scallions
his palette. As a professional writer, Hungry Al offers his at the Red Pine has saved me the effort. His version of and the traditional added egg blended very well with the
perspective on current food trends and guides you through Chilled Sesame Noodles ($14) was deja vu. The cold- brushed hoisin sauce on mu shu pancakes. Good standard
your local restaurant options. coated sesame egg noodles brought back memories of dish.
the heat and savory peanut flavored sauce contrasted with Note: Like all Chinese menus there are plenty to
Red Pine Restaurant and Lounge slivers of chilled cucumbers, refreshing my palate. choose from, including Noodles & Rice, Dim Sum, Soups,
1 Town Center Road, Boca Raton, FL 33486 Also, one of our favs was their version of Chinese and even Roasted Peking Duck.
(561) 826-7595 Eggrolls ($16 for 2) and worth a visit even if it’s just for
redpineboca.com Happy Hour. These mega homespun rolls are jam-packed Check Please: So our review of this Boca Raton
with all kinds of goodies, not just the predictable shreds newcomer was like a yin and yang moment for us. We
Food For Thought: Like many of you I’m from New of cabbage. enjoyed the deviation from the normal American menu,
York, upstate technically. I can still remember my Dad but like a defeated Mongol warrior I longed for the
during my early years as a child taking the family to Straight From The Wok: When eating Chinese food, memories of my youthful taste buds.
our small Hudson River town’s only Chinese restaurant. the one thing we all probably partake in is the collective Sadly, no one offered us a fortune cookie. Therefore,
Located on the main street, Broadway, it was up a flight experience of sharing. We decided to stay the course and I will offer my fortune for Red Pine Chinese Restaurant:
of stairs and seated only about 40 diners. The imagery follow the great wall with an evening of passing the plate. “You will conquer obstacles to achieve success.”
is still fresh in my mind. Budget aluminum tables and Like most dumplings, or in this case “buns,” the inner Hopefully, Red Pine
chairs, linoleum floor, typical Chinese dimmed lanterns ingredients tend to lose their integrity when it comes to will get better with
strung from the ceiling, generational family staff bustling flavor. The Shrimp/Lobster Bao Buns ($30) we shared more miles on the
around and the scent of five spices resonating from the held truth to this philosophy in its preparation. But usually rickshaw, but for now
high-heated woks. Pure ecstasy. any dish that has the word “lobster” in its description will we can only offer two
Oh, do I long for those days, when Chinese food was warrant a price tag well over $20 a plate. and a half golden fortune cookies.
part of our regular dining-out destination and a great After much deliberation our group decided to try
break from those predictable homecooked meals during General Tso Chicken ($29), since it’s always a staple not
the weekdays. to be missed. The consensus of the table was favorable Your ad
I’ve been in Florida for over three decades and have and we all enjoyed these tender white meat nuggets of
yet to relive those memories. Yes, I’ve traveled to Silver chicken that were probably coated with corn flour then could be here!
Pond in Lauderdale Lakes, and I’ve reminisced the almost flashed fried in the wok. Thankfully, the sweet and sour Call
forgotten Uncle Tai’s, but neither of them has met my sauce was well-balanced as it evenly coated the protein.
youthful recollections. To our good fortune the broccoli was perfectly cooked. 561-746-3244
So, once again, I ventured out to a new Asian-themed Staying within the poultry section of the menu we
newbie in Boca Raton called Red Pine Restaurant in hope also experimented with their version of Crispy Garlic to find out how!
of finding a happy Buddha of culinary delight. Chicken ($32). Advertised as organic chicken, it was lost