fivefivefive

Classier Chinese Restaurant for a Post Wedding Ceremony Meal

Hi all!

Just wanted to return to this thread, as a married man now. :)

We ended up changing plans a bit. One of my uncles flew in from Hong Kong just for our wedding and flew out the day after (crazy right?). As a result, we wanted to maximize our time with him and opened up our dinner to our entire extended family of 21 people.

Since most everyone was Cantonese, we decided to go with Silver Fountain. They offered a monster 10 course "family meal" for around $250 per table.

Especially for a banquet (where quality sometimes suffers), we were all pleasantly surprised that all dishes were really solid. My parents had eaten dim sum at New Fortune earlier in the day and completely panned the place as having overly oily, over cooked dishes. They were particularly happier with the dishes here, which ranged from duck to lobster to whole fish, all of which had varying (and sometimes surprising) flavors and cooking methods employed.

As for the setting, we were happy with it. There was not a private room, but we had the back two tables, which offered a casual, but "private enough" setting for the dinner. All in all, we were happy to have some good food with family members we don't get to see very often.

I appreciate all the tips. Hope at some point to return to try out some of the intriguing, but less group oriented places soon.

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New Fortune
16515 S Frederick Ave, Gaithersburg, MD 20877

Silver Fountain
13533 Connecticut Ave, Silver Spring, MD 20906

on Oct 20, 2011

Classier Chinese Restaurant for a Post Wedding Ceremony Meal

Thanks all for your suggestions. As a recap, here is the list of possible places.

Seven Seas
Tony Lin's
Silver Fountain in Aspen Hill
Pacifica Cafe
Asian Delight

My fiancee and I are planning our wedding remotely from Atlanta, but when we come up in the next few months to finalize some things with our vendors, we will try these out and let you know.

Thanks again!

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Tony Lin's Restaurant
12015 Rockville Pike Ste G, Rockville, MD 20852

Seven Seas
1776 E Jefferson St Ste 112, Rockville, MD 20852

Silver Fountain
13533 Connecticut Ave, Silver Spring, MD 20906

on Apr 03, 2011

Classier Chinese Restaurant for a Post Wedding Ceremony Meal

@Steve, thanks for clarifying on the restaurants I mentioned.

@DanielK, re New Fortune, if the regular menu is only ok, I'd prefer to go to a non-Chinese restaurant with solid food. And thanks for the recs for the other places. Would any of the recs change if we weren't just limited to Rockville?

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New Fortune
16515 S Frederick Ave, Gaithersburg, MD 20877

on Mar 30, 2011

Classier Chinese Restaurant for a Post Wedding Ceremony Meal

Thanks. When we come up to finish some of the other wedding planning stuff (currently in Atlanta), we'll try out Seven Seas. Any specific recommendations for dishes? A bunch of us like seafood, but it'd be good to have a mix of dishes.

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Seven Seas
1776 E Jefferson St Ste 112, Rockville, MD 20852

on Mar 30, 2011

Classier Chinese Restaurant for a Post Wedding Ceremony Meal

My fiancee and I will be having immediate-family only wedding ceremony in Rockville and are looking for a place to eat afterwards (total of 9 people including us).

My family is Cantonese and my fiancee's is from Anhui, so we'd be prefer to eat at a Chinese restaurant with authentic dishes. We're not looking for a full banquet style, but want a place that we wouldn't feel strange coming in somewhat dressed up (obviously nixing hole-in-the-walls). Oh, and we want to stay away from Sichuan places, since some of us are sensitive to spicy dishes.

I've seen Grace Garden, Joe's Noodle House and Hong Kong Palace mentioned a few times on the boards. Could someone tell me what the atmosphere is like?

And if there really isn't anything Chinese that fits the bill, would you have other recommendations? Know that we are planning a larger reception the following day, so we're not looking for a blow-out meal (~sub $40 pp) and were considering something along the lines of 8407, Dino or Palena.

Thanks in advance!

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Hong Kong Palace
6387 Leesburg Pike, Falls Church, VA 22044

Grace Garden
1690 Annapolis Rd, Odenton, MD

Joe's Noodle House
1488 Rockville Pike Ste C, Rockville, MD 20852

on Mar 29, 2011

New Yorker Looking for quintessential Atlanta cheap eats

Foulshotz, I would go with ethnic for what you are looking for. The Buford highway area may be fun to drive around, but I've given a few favorites all around the town.

L1000000 taco truck (http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/584685) - $1 tacos. Not in the Buford highway area, but very satisfying nonetheless.

Hankook Taqueria - Korean Tacos - Not as cheap as L1000000, but definitely a different spin on tacos

Costa Del Sol - Good salvadoran

Tasty China - Pretty fantastic Sichuan Chinese food and now apparently also Gu's Bistro (http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/756531)

And a few comments on some of the other suggestions:

The Varsity - an institution from what I gather from locals, but I did not really find it all that thrilling from a food perspective.

Figo - All due respect to jboeke, but I think you can find better pasta places in NY.

Dim sum - skip the dim sum here. You can *definitely* have better dimsum in Flushing, if not one of the other NY Chinatowns.

on Jan 08, 2011

Gu's Bistro- Buford Hwy- amazing Szechuan!

C&C, thanks for the heads up; it is on my to-try-out list. Sichuan food always seems to leave me good buddies with the bathroom the day after, but both I and my fiance enjoy love good Sichuan food while eating it.

on Jan 07, 2011

Ken’s Seafood Restaurant – Pretty Decent But Not Great Cantonese Food in Philadelphia

Lau, I moved away from Philly a year ago now, but when I did live there, I preferred Shiao lan kung (小榄公) over both Tai Lake and Ken's Seafood. The execution just seemed to be a lot stronger than that of the other two.

Btw, thanks for your posts; I've read a number of them when making trips to NY.

on Jan 07, 2011

fivefivefive in Philadelphia

Worthwhile Chinese food in the Boston Area?

I've since moved to yet another town, Atlanta, so you should really just poke through the Chowhound boards of Philly to get the most recent data. My favorites were: Nanzhou Hand-drawn Noodles for their hand-drawn noodles, Four Rivers for decent Sichuan, Sang Kee Duck for a decent wonton noodle soup and Shiao Lan Kung for decent Cantonese. I thought Tai Lake was passable and thought dimsum in Phily was pretty mediocre. The absolutely phenomenal was more in reference to the other cities mentioned above, but that's not to dump on Philly (there's some truly enjoyable dining to be had there).

on Sep 17, 2010

Where can I find Bungeoppang/Taiyaki/Hotteok?

Raou, I'm not sure if you're still looking, but yesterday, I just saw bungeoppang in the Super H-Mart in Duluth (there's a small booth in the far back, left corner [on the opposite side of the food court]). I didn't try them, so couldn't tell you how they were, but they offered red bean and chocolate filling.

Would Korean bakeries have these? I don't recall seeing them there, but White Windmill Bakery or Mozart Bakery might be the other places I would think to look.

on Jul 31, 2010

Midweek organic farmers market?

Funny, I just started looking for farmer's markets that specifically were not midweek. In any case, I came across this listing of local markets, which might be useful: http://www.pickyourown.org/GAfarmersmarkets.htm

on Jul 18, 2010

Ramen or Chinese Noodle shops in Atlanta?

biskuit and stacystacy13, thanks for the suggestions and the link. I'll be sure to try out those three when I get the chance.

on Feb 04, 2010

Ramen or Chinese Noodle shops in Atlanta?

Pho Hoa at 5150 Buford Highway Northeast in Doraville is the one I'm referring to. It's in a plaza, where there is a Ranch 99 Chinese supermarket. Sorry if I wasn't clear before.

Re Korean soups, I appreciate the suggestion, but I must say I'm looking specifically for Chinese noodle and Japanese ramen places. I'm a fan of jigae's and other Korean dishes and I realize there's a decently large Korean population in Atlanta, but I'm Chinese and Chinese noodle and Japanese Ramen noodle soups were always comfort food for me.

on Feb 04, 2010

Ramen or Chinese Noodle shops in Atlanta?

ferihan, thanks for the suggestions! I'm pretty sure I will be making at least bi-weekly trips to hit up the Buford Highway Intl Market, so perhaps on some of those trips, I'll head north to Duluth to give those a shot.

Re Pho Hoa, are you referring to the Pho Hoa restaurant in the Ranch 99 plaza? If so, do you have particular dish recs? My fiance and I stopped by a Pho Hoa in the Ranch 99 plaza and weren't that impressed with one of their pho's and bun's.

on Jan 31, 2010

Ramen or Chinese Noodle shops in Atlanta?

Are there any decent ramen shops or Chinese noodle shops in the Atlanta area? For ramen, I'm thinking something like Santa Ramen in San Mateo or Ippudo in New York. Or for Chinese noodle shops, something like Nanzhou Hand-drawn noodles in Philly or your standard Cantonese wonton noodle shop. The chilly weather always makes me crave a good noodle soup...

on Jan 29, 2010

Atlanta Taco Truck-Taco L 1000000

I know this is a year-old thread, but I just wanted to thank gyp7318 for the heads-up on this place & theBigSMY for directions. My fiance and I tried this out a few weeks ago and really enjoyed it. The torta pastor was only okay, but the taco cabesa and taco lengua were damn satisfying (and cheap too). I'm sure I'll be returning to try out more of their menu. Thanks again!

on Jan 20, 2010

Philly visitor logistics

I'll cover my experience w/ public transport and walking below, since I'm sans car here in Philly. But just as an fyi, Google Maps does directions by public transportation and walking. Click on "Get directions" and there's a drop-down, listing car, public transportation, and walking.

As cwdonald mentioned, you're a couple of easily walkable blocks away from Chinatown (10th & Arch). I'd recommend Nanzhou Hand-drawn Noodle House, Sangkee Peking Duck & Four Rivers for Chinese. I've also heard Shiao Lan Kung is good, but have yet to go. Others common recs in Chinatown would also be: Rangoon (Burmese), Sakura (Chinese & sushi strangely enough) and dimsum garden (Xiao Long Bao).

Italian Market - For me, it's about a 20 minute walk from RTM and like ncara mentioned, it's a nice walk during the day. During the night, well I've definitely walked back home to Center City, but the streets are pretty sparse with people in that area and in between, so I'd probably cab it back if you're there at night. Just as an fyi, besides Dibruno's and Pat's/Geno's, there are some pretty solid Mexican restaurants: Taqueria Veracruzana, Lalupe, Taqueria de Poble and some decent Vietnamese: Cafe Nhuy, Pho 75 (better than the Chinatown location, IMO) and I've heard Cafe Diem (Vietnamese) and Cafe de Laos (Laotian) are good as well.

Center City and Old City are where I'm presuming you're thinking of the mid - upscale dining. Both areas are safe enough to walk around, night or day. The only note I'd make are the streets between RTM and Old City (4th -> 12th) don't have as many people walking about at night. You can easily get on the 21/42/9 buses on Chestnut/Walnut or some of the buses on Market or just cab it.

A few other areas that are further and may be of interest are: South Philly for Italian and Hardena (Indonesian) and the Koreatown area (20 minute drive up north). I was rather nervous in both neighborhoods during the evening, but I've only been to each of these areas twice (when I had access to a car), so I don't know whether my fears were founded or not.

As for Middle Eastern, I'm sure you've probably come across Zahav, upscale Middle Eastern in Old City, which is great. As for lower end Middle Eastern and Thai, I haven't tried anything yet worth recommending to a visitor.

Hope you enjoy Philly!

on Dec 04, 2009

Worthwhile Chinese food in the Boston Area?

Just wanted to update and give a thanks for all of your recs. Due to time/logistical constraints, the only place that I (and family) got the chance to try out was Peach Farm and I thought it served some quality Cantonese dishes. I wasn't quite a fan of the garlic frog legs that were recommended somewhere else on the boards, but the lobster, steamed fish and dau miu were fresh and executed as well as you could ask for.

Anyways, my gf will be starting work in the Boston area sometime next year, so I'm sure I will get a chance to try out some of your other recs in the near future. Thanks again!

on Dec 03, 2009

Worthwhile Chinese food in the Boston Area?

Thanks MBACF for your kind comment and your response above. It's really nice to have a comparison between Philly and Boston, since my mind has been so Philly oriented recently.

Btw, I'm so sad to hear about the closing of the daipaidong in Chinatown. I also grew up in Mass and the daipaidong was one of the places that my family used to visit throughout the years.

on Nov 22, 2009

Worthwhile Chinese food in the Boston Area?

Thanks lipoff, sorry I didn't have time to reply before, but this was kind of what i was looking for. Will do my best to try out some of your suggestions.

on Nov 21, 2009

Worthwhile Chinese food in the Boston Area?

Luther & Hargau, I'm very open. I have a Cantonese background, but when it comes to other regions, I'll generally stick to recommendations from others and have generally enjoyed them. I think my most recent memorable dining experiences for Chinese have been: hot oil dumplings at White Bear (Flushing), various Xi'an dishes at Xian Famous Foods (Flushing), pork bone soup at Wenzhou ZhuJi (Flushing), and just outstanding dimsum at Koi Palace (San Fran area).

If you do give restaurant recs, even for places I've tried before, I'd love to hear your top picks for dishes. Cheers!

on Nov 21, 2009

Philadelphia Chinatown [split from Boston]

tdaaa & kobuta, I've actually never tried Suzanna Foo, but in Philly Chinatown, a few faves are Nanzhou Hand-Drawn Noodle House (Northern style hand drawn noodles), Sangkee Peking Duck (a quite solid roast duck wonton noodle soup), Four Rivers (Szechuan dishes) and Heung Fa Chun (for their quick-style but delish Dou hua). Dimsum in Philly and the bakeries leave a bit to be desired, but there are some gems for lower-end restaurants.

on Nov 21, 2009

Worthwhile Chinese food in the Boston Area?

I moved away from the Boston area 3 years ago and am in town for a visit.

Since moving away, I've had some great to absolutely phenomenal Chinese meals in Flushing New York, Philly, LA and SF. And I'm wondering whether there are any places in the Boston area that might compare.

To give some more info, before leaving, I tried a number of Chinese places in the area: Qingdao Garden (Cambridge), Chili Garden (Medford), Shangri La (Belmont), Beijing Star (Waltham), Zoe's (Somerville), Taiwan Cafe, Victoria's, China Pearl, and fairly recently, Hei La Moon & Hong Kong Eatery. To put it lightly, with maybe a possible exception of the dumplings at Beijing Star, nothing really sticks out in my mind as being all that memorable.

So did I miss any place while I was here? Have any new places opened up since I left? Or does Boston come up short wrt Chinese food and I should concentrate on other cuisines?

I'd also be curious to know if there are any places in Quincy worthwhile going to, which had a growing Chinese population when I left.

Thanks in advance! I look forward to what you have to say.

on Nov 20, 2009

Favorite Philly Lunch Trucks?

Huh, really? Man, two years at Penn and I can't believe I missed trying Don Memo's. I read comments on yelp, saying that the lines are pretty long - is that true? Also, are the tortillas freshly made?

on Sep 14, 2009

Chocolate milk in Philly?

Thanks for all the replies. All of the recs are actually pretty convenient, so I may end up trying out a whole bunch of these... ahem in the name of research.

on Sep 14, 2009

Bars in Philly that can handle a group of 25-30 people on a Friday night?

Hmm, I was hoping someone more knowledgeable about that particular area and with large groups in bars would pipe up, since i'm not sure how helpful these recs are going to be.

These are all south of the Free Library 6-7 blocks, so stop now if that's a deal-breaker.

Elephant & Castle, 1800 Market St - A friend held a group social here (for ~50) and ended up getting a private room, but I seem to recall that the pub itself was fairly large. I can't quite recall whether it was just the restaurant section that made it seem large though. Of the three, this is probably the most family-friendly atmosphere.

The next two have a more modern bar atmosphere, geared towards the younger urbanites, but they definitely have the capacity:

Noche, 19th & Chestnut - They allow for private and semi-private parties, but on a Friday night, this might get pretty loud.

Continental, 18th & Chestnut - This is a restaurant yes, but they have a nice roofdeck, a part of which is indoors and has a fireplace and couches.

Sorry I couldn't be more helpful, but I've never been to the bars north of Market St. If no one else responds, it might be useful to look at Yelp reviews of bars in the art museum district.

on Sep 13, 2009

Favorite Philly Lunch Trucks?

Ahh, food trucks are such a guilty pleasure. I like:

Denise's Soul Food. 30th, between Chestnut & Market (near Bolt Bus stop) - fried or jerk chicken, candied yams. Pricier than most trucks and takes some time, but pretty huge portions.

Hemo's. Spruce, btwn 36th & 37th - Chicken sandwich w/ Hemo sauce. Apparently, beloved by UPenn students.

Chinese truck. Alley ~ 3716 Walnut, left of UPenn Pottruck Gym - I like their ma po tofu and beef tendon on rice. Strangely, I found yue kee to be overly salty for my tastes, but some of my former Asian classmates really liked them.

on Sep 12, 2009

Chocolate milk in Philly?

I recently stumbled upon some articles saying that drinking chocolate milk is a good post-exercise recovery drink and I wanted to try it out (research I don't mind doing :P).

But that got me curious though, are there any recs for chocolate milk in Center City beyond just the standard Nesquik/Hershey's stuff? Maybe at RTM? or even DiBruno's or Trader Joes?

I've seen recs for Cocio chocolate milk (http://www.cociousa.com) elsewhere, but looking on their website, it doesn't seem like any stores in Philly sell the stuff. Thanks!

on Sep 12, 2009