Beef Lo Mein, General Tso's Chicken, Won Ton Egg Drop Soup, BBQ Boneless Spare Ribs & Egg Roll
This trip to Charlotte/Mooresville/Huntersville has been a whirlwind! So much going on trying to get everything set up for my new condo as well as work, which is why this blog has unfortunately gone by the wayside. I apologize deeply but will try to get back on it... starting now!
Wherever we live we try to find the best local Chinese take-out restaurant and we found it at Dragon Express in Huntersville, right off Sam Furr Road (in the Northcross Shopping Center). It was a rainy Monday night and we just wanted something quick, easy and satisfying that we could take back to the hotel and eat while sitting in bed and watching Netflix. We looked on Google for almost 10 minutes trying to find the best and closest place and were eventually led to this little hidden gem. I was a little worried at first because their sign wasn't lit up, but as I've previously discovered, you can't always judge a book by its cover. Their food more than made up for it!
We ordered a ton of food so we'd have leftovers for the next day and were NOT disappointed. I'll start with the boneless BBQ spare ribs. At the Jade Garden in Rocky Point (where we currently live), we always get the ribs with the bones still in so were hoping to get the same, but these boneless ribs were the BEST I've ever had at a Chinese take-out joint. They were incredibly tender little strips of meat covered in this amazing sweet and spicy (but not too spicy) sauce. Sometimes spare ribs are overcooked and tough, but that was not the case with these. Even when we re-heated them last night they were still extremely delicate and moist, and I was worried that the sauce would get too thick but it coated the ribs nicely.
One other thing we always order is egg drop soup with won tons. If you're a fan of either egg drop or won ton soup but have never tried the mix, put it on your to-do list RIGHT NOW. I am a big fan of both and love the mix even more! This one in particular had the perfect consistency and taste and the won tons themselves were amazing. They were dense and chewy and the meat inside had incredible flavor. Again, when I had it the next day the texture of the soup remained silky, unlike some other soups I've had in the past which break down when re-heated.
We also ordered beef lo mein and General Tso's Chicken, two other staples in our Chinese food repertoire. The lo mein was fantastic - not greasy at all, the noodles had a great mouth-feel, and there were lots of other vegetables present. The container it came in was HUGE - even after eating again (both of us), we STILL had some left over! It was even better the next day, as some foods tend to be. The chicken was also pleasantly surprising. Sometimes General Tso's is overly breaded and the sauce is too syrupy, but this one was perfect. The pieces did have a thick breading on them but they were still crunchy, even drenched in the sauce, which was the perfect combination of sweet and savory. I also thoroughly enjoyed the green bell peppers that were mixed in with the chicken; most places add vegetables but they don't always mix with the sauce (the place by our house adds broccoli, and, while I love broccoli, I don't feel that it goes well in that particular dish). These peppers were cooked perfectly so they still had a crispness to them, but they were soft from being sauteéd (presumably).
The last thing I need to mention is their egg rolls. I am very picky about egg rolls - there's this place in Castle Hayne (Jung's Egg Roll Express) that is known for their egg rolls and they are the best I've had to date. These run a close second, and that says a lot. I opted for the pork egg roll rather than the shrimp and, let me tell you, it was spectacular. It was quite large (as you can see in the picture) and not as greasy as a lot of others that I've had. The filling was generously seasoned with black pepper, which is a necessity when it comes to cabbage (which is, of course, the main ingredient in egg roll filling). The wrapper was crunchy but chewy and it was absolutely delicious.
The entire meal was extremely satisfying - I'm disappointed we won't be living in Huntersville, but it will be well worth the 13 miles to drive to get some of their food! I definitely want to go back to try some of their other dishes! Thanks for everything, guys!
Today's quote is about Chinese food and it's by the tennis player Michael Chang:"As long as there's pasta and Chinese food in the world, I'm okay."
My philosophy exactly!
Until next time...
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