Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, January 10, 1992 TAG: 9201100031
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: E-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: DOLORES KOSTELNI
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
EACH DISH IS UNIQUE AT CHENGDU
With the recent opening of Chengdu Pavilion, a new standard of seriousness has entered the local Chinese restaurant scene. Chengdu Pavilion distinguishes itself by emphasizing authentically prepared foods.Each dish is singular, with specialized sauces appearing only once and in that particular dish alone. A parade of dishes will yield as many different sauces as there are dishes.
On entering, greetings are usually extended by the manager, who carefully unfolds the story of Chengdu Pavilion with explanations about why the food is different and what can be expected from it. He even offers menu suggestions if you are perplexed.
Master Chef Cao Chuan and his staff of "unexcelled chefs" are from Chengdu, the capital city of the Sichuan province (formerly Szechuan). All of the seasonings and spices they use are imported from there, too.
Although Sichuan-style food is known to be hot and spicy, it is internationally famous among gourmets for its seven basic levels of flavor: sour, pungent, hot, sweet, bitter, aromatic and salty.
During cooking, a Sichuan-trained chef seasons each dish in a predetermined pattern so that each spice combines with the others perfectly, and flavors become compound.
All dishes are required to be cooked to order. Very hot temperatures and short cooking time mean dishes are completed without a pause, and seasonings are altered by request.
Although I feel that the weekday lunch buffet does not do justice to the chef's culinary talents, it remains a tasty, bona fide bargain at $4.50. It's an all-you-can-eat assortment of two soups and 10 entrees, including some bright, nicely cooked fresh vegetables.
Instead of the buffet, I ordered from the menu. On two occasions, I tried Poet Li-Bai's chicken ($7.25) and didn't care for it any more the second time. It's a plain, unattractive dish consisting of small, dark meat pieces poached in a spicy hot, brown gravy. A crescent of bright green florets and a mound of fried rice surround the chicken on either side.
Nor did I care for the Shanghai-style egg rolls (two for $1.50). Because these are slender cylinders with a spare amount of filling, the dough is rolled over on itself too many times causing it to be more of a fried dough roll instead of an egg roll.
But dinner is quite something else. For starters, enjoy the nicely balanced hot-and-sour soup ($1.25) or the wonderfully warming shredded pork with turnip soup ($1.25). Dumplings in spicy sauce ($2.25) feature petite half-moons of light noodle dough plumped with a zesty filling.
Perfectly delicious and beautifully presented entrees are served in abundant portions. Many of the house specialties are technically classified as banquet dishes, which means dishes for festive occasions.
One of these, lobster in Chengdu sauce ($16.95), fills the eye with beauty and dazzles the palate with flavor. The entire dish is a delicate feast: Pieces of pink-streaked lobster and its shell are arranged on a fragrant, mushroom-studded pale sauce so it appears as if the lobster is frolicking in a frothy sea.
Another specialty dish, pork with jingle bells ($8.95), delights with its lyrical name and entices the appetite with its steamy fragrances. The jingle begins when sizzling sliced pork with mushrooms, snow peas and water chestnuts are poured over crispy dumplings on a serving dish.
Homestyle Sichuan boiled beef ($7.25) features long, thin pieces of meat and skinny strands of greens simmered in a sauce hotter than a day at the equator. Although this is a two-asterisk dish, which denotes a very hot and spicy preparation, it is a good example of properly prepared, highly seasoned Sichuanese food: hot but not burning, spicy but not blazing.
Rainbow chicken ($6.95) looks like a palette of colors. Pieces of chicken breast and an assortment of colorful, crisply cooked vegetables all cloaked with a gentle sauce.
Of the two desserts listed, I tried the fried honey banana ($2.95). Little, velvety clouds of lightly fried banana pieces draped in golden honey and dusted with toasted sesame seeds. Delicious.
Chengdu Pavilion is an unique addition to our restaurant community. Besides providing us with much good eating, its properly handled and correctly prepared foods serve to educate and enrich our palates.
Dining Out's evaluations of restaurant accessibility to the handicapped are conducted by the Center for Independence for the Disabled, a non-profit organization.
CHENGDU PAVILION\ Southwest Plaza\ 2050 Electric Road\ 989-4519
HOURS: Monday-Thursday, 11:30 a.m.-10 p.m.; Friday, 11:30 a.m.-10:30 p.m.; Saturday, 4:30-10:30 p.m.; Sunday, 11:30 a.m.-9:30 p.m. (Buffet: 11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m.)
CREDIT CARDS: MasterCard, Visa, American Express.
BEVERAGES: Soft drinks, full service bar.
PRICE RANGE: Lunch, $4.50-$20.95; dinner, $6.50-$20.95.
RESERVATIONS? Yes.
NON-SMOKING SECTION? Yes.
HANDICAPPED ACCESSIBLE? Yes.
Doris Kosteini has extensive experience in the food industry, having worked as a restaurant consultant, manager and chef.