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(February 23, 2007)
Pao's restaurant was once the king of the downtown dining enigmas. It
was a restaurant that was completely invisible from the street. Totally
set within an office building, one had to literally know that it was
there. Drive-by discovery was virtually impossible. And you know what?
It was packed every lunch and dinner. They lost their lease in the late
90's tech boom and had to move out to Lakeway on Lohman's Crossing near
where yours truly lives. Man, are we glad they did.
Steve Pao is a master of many styles of Chinese
cooking. He's got one menu for the gringos and the other for those who
appreciate authentic mainland cuisine. Trust me, either choice will
be rewarding.
I adore a number of the appetizers at Pao's. The
Shrimp lettuce wraps are succulent and terrific for the low-carb crowd.
This appetizer is like having your cake and eating it. And the Vegetarian
Dumplings [get them fried] are just flat out beautiful. The dumplings
little sparkle with flavor and the firey soy sauce is the perfect complement.
And you absolutely have to try the Scallion Cakes. These are sinfully
delicious and reminiscent of something you'd find in San Franciso's
Chinatown. When they are hot, they are unbelievable! I love cucumbers
and I love the Spicy Cucumber appetizer. This is lip-pursing, piquant,
perfection with an engaging texture. Hard to pass up on this one.
On the entrée side, one perennial choice
for me is always the Shredded Pork with Dry Bean Curd. I just love the
flavors of this dish. The pork is moist and the bean curds are very
tender and the sauce is spectacular. Watching carbs? You don't need
the white rice with this dish. It works on its own. And the Sea Bass
which we had the other night will flat-out blow you away. The fish is
topped with a crispy soy blend that tastes almost like bacon with a
hint of green beans. The sauce is luscious, almost a broth, and it's
wonderful. Another treat is the authentic Tan Tan Noodles. This is another
Chinatown San Francisco specialty and it will leave you gasping with
delight. The noodles, cucumbers, peanuts and the rich sauce is simply
over the top with flavor. And another recommendation is the Mongolian
Beef. The key to this dish is the impeccable marinade that leaves the
beef achingly tender. The flavor are lush but strikingly singular at
the same time. I'll tell you what, Steve Pao can flat out cook!
Pao's is open for lunch and dinner and is literally
the only Chinese restaurant in the Lakeway/Barton Creek West area. Thank
the heavens the food is so darned good. They also have Fortune Cookies
that teach you Chinese. I mean what more can you want Tai Zi?
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