I grew up in New England. There, even though the population didn’t seem very diverse, there was always a good Chinese restaurant somewhere nearby. It might not look like much, and not every restaurant measured up (I remember one in Cambridge, MA that delivered a thing of soy sauce with a dead roach drowned in it), but there was always a good one that wasn’t too tough to find. Even in North Haverhill, NH we could find one a short drive away! It was as de rigeur as a good pizza place.
Then we moved to Maryland. Each Chinese restaurant we tried disappointed us. Even the couple we were cautiously optimistic about went downhill within two visits. Other cuisines here are great—Viet-Thai Paradise is one of our favorite Annapolis restaurants, and Plaza Garibaldi has awesome Mexican food—but there’s just something about Chinese restaurants in this area.
Finally last night we found one I’m hoping will stick. They’ve been around since ‘93, and I found a bunch of positive online reviews about them. Much like the ones up North they look like a litle hole in the wall, and it isn’t high cuisine, but who needs high cuisine when you’ve got good egg rolls and those little fried crispy noodles on the table?! If you’re in the area and wondering, it’s Chopstix in Pasadena, MD.
Meanwhile, I have a couple of new reviews up! For books, check out Patricia Potter’s Behind the Shadows. (Next up: the anthology Witch High.) But best of all, check out the Calphalon No-Peek Waffle Maker!!!
Just place your order and wait to pay until I send you a revised PayPal invoice.