Hunan House

Hunan House is still going strong. Stopped in and enjoyed another lofty meal. August standouts included Brine Rice Noodles, Braised Fish Head with Pickled Chilies, Smoked Duck Hunan Style and Smoked Bamboo with Chili.

Two new dishes were delivered: Tofu with Preserved Egg and Kiss of Hot Peppers. Kiss of Hot Peppers consisted of sliced pork tongue with red and green peppers. The tofu dish was...+READ Hunan House is still going strong. Stopped in and enjoyed another lofty meal. August standouts included Brine Rice Noodles, Braised Fish Head with Pickled Chilies, Smoked Duck Hunan Style and Smoked Bamboo with Chili.

Two new dishes were delivered: Tofu with Preserved Egg and Kiss of Hot Peppers. Kiss of Hot Peppers consisted of sliced pork tongue with red and green peppers. The tofu dish was excellent while the pork tongue was slightly chewy.

Braised Pork, Mao’s Style though while delicious, was not braised in the usual red-cooked manner. Sautéed Green Peppers (Tiger Peppers actually) were cut, last time I had them here they were cooked whole. I might prefer them whole. Oh well. They were finished off.

The rear area upstairs in the back (with 4-5 tables) is ideal for a more private setting.

Slideshow:

https://picasaweb.google.com/100446449829763315847/HunanHouseFlushing?authkey=Gv1sRgCNTzjvmNtsOoxAE#slideshow/5667916210580949122-COLLAPSE / REPLY (98 Replies) (by scoopG, created October 27, 2011)

Seven people had an excellent dinner here last night. The restaurant was almost empty when we arrived at 6:30 and when we left two hours later, only a few tables were filled. I hope this is not an indication that they are struggling.

These are the dishes we ordered, and all of them, except for the sliced fish, were worth ordering again, in my opinion:


APPETIZERS:

Spicy bamboo shoots...+READ Seven people had an excellent dinner here last night. The restaurant was almost empty when we arrived at 6:30 and when we left two hours later, only a few tables were filled. I hope this is not an indication that they are struggling.

These are the dishes we ordered, and all of them, except for the sliced fish, were worth ordering again, in my opinion:


APPETIZERS:

Spicy bamboo shoots (not on menu)--terrific; good amount of heat

Ox Tongue and Tripe--also excellent

Bean Curd and Celery (cold version of a dish listed under vegetables; special
request). Probably my favorite dish of the night; great spicy/smokey flavor. Loved it!

Pickled cabbage, Hunan Style--vinegary; good (This dish used to be complimentary here; the only comp last night were a few boiled peanuts)

Scallion Pancakes, for the spice averse--very good; not at all greasy

MAINS:

White Chili with Preserved Beef--excellent as always; chewy texture; signature dish here. Questions were raised regarding the use of dried meat in Hunan cuisine.

Braised Pork Mao's Style--also essential; wonderful; bay leaves and star anise among the flavorings

Lamb with Cumin--also excellent if not quite at the level of the Little Pepper version.

Napa Cabbage with Fermented Soy Beans--very good, but we actually had ordered Shanghai bok choy, which this place does exceptionally well. I think they excell with vegetables, if my visits are any indication

Eggplant Pork Casserole--another of my favorites--buttery texture; some heat. I loved this dish.

Eggplant with Duck Eggs--long, slender Asian eggplant sliced open and topped with an interesting blend that included what we thought were preserved eggs. More oily than the other dishes but very good. No heat.

Liu Yang City Peppers--roasted green chili peppers in mildly hot sauce. Very good but not unusual. Not much char. By this time we were stuffed! There was actually much of this dish left over so I would not place it with the favorites of our table.

Spicy Sliced fish, Hunan Style. Flounder--lightly fried and sauced with a red oil base.
I found this disappointing. For the record, the restaurant will go across the street to the supermarket and select a fresh fish from the tanks upon request. They will give the prices in advance. This might be a good option, but the first fish mentioned when discussing the possibility was tilapia and we did not want this. The table next to us was devouring hard-shell crabs--keep this in mind for next time.

Shredded Pork with Dry Bean Curd--Ordered late in the meal for the lone, spice-shunning diner who appeared to be hungry after the feast. Very good; worth ordering. Not greasy as are some renditions at nearby restaurants. (Little Pepper, this means you!)

With about 2 beers per person, our bill for 7 diners totalled $189 after tax but before tip. I recommend checking the bill because we were charged for one dish we did not order (DId anyone see a plate of boneless duck feet?)

We will return!



TIP: At the next table, enthusiastic diners were tucking into a platter of Suan Tai Chao La Rou--Smokey Pork with Garlic Sprouts. These were actually garlic scapes and the dish might be worth a special trip while the scapes are in season.-COLLAPSE / REPLY (98 Replies) (by erica, created June 23, 2010)

Happy to report this is still a wonderful restaurant. Was there for Sunday lunch with a group of 11 fellow Hunan food fanciers, and partook of the following:
Braised Pork, Mao’s Style (the bowl of this was almost empty when it got to me, I scarcely got a bite!)
Pumpkin Cakes - like the ones at the Dongbei places but crisper and less greasy, nice
Beef with Cumin Flavor - lighter cumin flavor...+READ Happy to report this is still a wonderful restaurant. Was there for Sunday lunch with a group of 11 fellow Hunan food fanciers, and partook of the following:
Braised Pork, Mao’s Style (the bowl of this was almost empty when it got to me, I scarcely got a bite!)
Pumpkin Cakes - like the ones at the Dongbei places but crisper and less greasy, nice
Beef with Cumin Flavor - lighter cumin flavor than I've had in most such preparations, but delicious nonetheless
Hunan noodles (not sure of menu description but they were the thickish wheat noodles, stirfried with beef and preserved doufu)
Pao cai = Pickled Cabbage Hunan Style (I just can't get enough of this. It must be the most delicious thing there is to eat with the fewest calories in the entire world. Didn't notice the subtler spice flavors I noticed the first time there but still. yum.)
Spicy husband-wife lung slices (but seemed to be braised shin, not lung or tongue) = Ox Tongue and Tripe with Spicy Peppery Sauce (this was great, I even liked the tripe which I am not all that keen on normally)
Lazi ji = Chicken with Hot Red Pepper (nice version of this, dry, crisp)
Duck with white chilis = White Pepper Smoked Duck with Dried Turnips (delicious - the white chilis are quite unusual. Same size and shape as usual red dried chilis but you can eat them, they're not terribly spicy.)
Note with the above 2 dishes we asked for fowl on the bone - at least the parts I came up with were bonier than they were fleshy. Would wimp out next time and ask for boneless.
Potatoes w hot pepper = Shredded Potato with Vinegar Sauce (barely-cooked long pottao shreds with a tart sauce and hot green chilis. The best of its kind I've had. Satisfies those "why can't I eat the raw potato, mommy" cravings of yore.)
Taro soup with greens (I found this blah but it was a soothing counterpoint to the spicy stuff.)
Fish w duo jiao = Braised Fish with Pickled Chili Sauce (I adore this dish. We had a whole fish so there would be more meat to share around, but bad me snuck one side of the forehead meat, the best part.)
Eel w cucumbers - the small thin Chinese cucmbers cut in strips and cooked with strips of eel in a brownish sauce. One of the less successful dishes in my opinion, the eel was a bit rubbery. Cusumbers and sauce were tasty though.)
Steamed eggplants w salted duck egg - utterly delicious. The salted duck egg yokl was cut in small dice and steamed on top of whole Chinese eggplants along with some chopped red pepper. The very personification of umami.
Stir Fried Cauliflower (with bacon!) - what's not to like? Spicy, salty, tasty. Cauliflower barely tender, just the way I like it.
Sauteed Hollow Steam Vegetable (kong xin cai) with Spicy Sauce - you can have this with the leaves or the stems, we had the stems, which were cut in 1/4 in pieces. Another great veg dish.
All of this came to $23.00 per person. $23.00 per person!!! With a good tip. It pays to go with a gang.
After this blowout, we went shopping at the Great Wall across the street, felt a little hungry (there had been 12 of us at table, after all!) and went back for more pickled veg, the tea-smoked duck (brilliant rendition, deeply smoky and crisp) and the Slippery Tofu (2" squares 1/2 in thick of fresh doufu in a thin bright-red chili sauce with scallions). Delicious and provided leftovers for weekday lunches.
if you love spicy Chinese food (hell, if you love food period) and are within striking distance of this place, you owe it to yourself to get to the Hunan House on Northern Blvd.-COLLAPSE / REPLY (98 Replies) (by buttertart, created March 23, 2010)

Yeah, that's another Hunan House (looks like neighborhood Chinese-American).
I've added the good one to the map. REPLY (8 Replies) (by Joe MacBu, created March 19, 2010)

»Hunan House - Chinese New Year

I celebrated Chinese New Year with family and non-Chinese friends last night at Hunan House and I must say that it was one of the most fantastic meals I have had and they brought their A-game for their first Chinese New Year.

I have had worries about Hunan House down-sliding and perhaps CNY is not the ideal reference because I assume they would try harder on the biggest holiday of the year.......+READ I celebrated Chinese New Year with family and non-Chinese friends last night at Hunan House and I must say that it was one of the most fantastic meals I have had and they brought their A-game for their first Chinese New Year.

I have had worries about Hunan House down-sliding and perhaps CNY is not the ideal reference because I assume they would try harder on the biggest holiday of the year.... but with that being said, the kitchen has never been better.

We ordered:

Pumpkin cakes - crisp, greaseless, rough breaded pumpkin, served piping hot and with subtle sweetness. The pumpkin was smooth and silky.

Hunan fried noodle - Well executed, but not memorable.

Water cooked beef - pungent with chili oil, peppercorns, chinese parsley and generous, tender strips of meat.

Cumin lamb - Lightly crisped at the edges, the lamb was aromatic and peppery, crowd pleasing.

Hunan chili chicken - The best iteration they have produced. The chicken was covered with fragrant, wok seared sesame and ginger, dry sauteed, crispy yet juicy with cumin kick.

Lotus pork - The pork was cut with extra care and meltingly soft, with heady lotus leaf flavor and aroma that infused the meat and rice flour.

Whole steamed fish - The ginger and scallion sauce was phenomenal and the fish exceedingly fresh and tender.

Hunan smoked duck - The duck was a bit fatty but if you are a fan of duck fat, it is absolutely not to be missed. A little duck fat mixed with rice is manna. The skin was crisp and infused with spices and the meat was exceedingly moist and lacked any trace of gaminess.

Chinese cabbage with fermented soy beans - The cabbage was flecked with chilis and the fermented soy beans were extra flavorful.

Dao Miao with garlic - They took care to remove any parts that were older. The shoots were crisp and tender and a huge hit.

Lastly they served complimentary dessert, Red Bean soup. The soup was room temperature when it should be hot and had no ginger flavor. It was however just the right sweetness, which is to say, naturally sweetened by the beans themselves.

My only other quibble is that the noodle should have been served last per tradition. And the pumpkin cakes first. The dishes came out in random order.

I am HAPPY to note that all the dishes came out hot (temperature-wise) aside from the bean soup. I am also happy to note that I have never seen the restaurant busier, it was bustling right up until closing (which is when we finished our huge feast).-COLLAPSE / REPLY (2 Replies) (by Pookipichu, created February 14, 2010)

»Hunan House....still good

Just had a really good dinner at Hunan House on Northern.

Cold pickled cabbage, cucumbers with scallion sauce, lamb with cumin, dan dan noodles, smoky pork with leek, and a knock out dish of green sauteed hot peppers with black beans.

My only gripe was that with the exception of the peppers the other hot food was just not (temperature) hot enough.

The smoky pork was interesting, kind of...+READ Just had a really good dinner at Hunan House on Northern.

Cold pickled cabbage, cucumbers with scallion sauce, lamb with cumin, dan dan noodles, smoky pork with leek, and a knock out dish of green sauteed hot peppers with black beans.

My only gripe was that with the exception of the peppers the other hot food was just not (temperature) hot enough.

The smoky pork was interesting, kind of like a hard rind bacon sauteed with leeks.-COLLAPSE / REPLY (10 Replies) (by ernie0716, created January 26, 2010)