While everybody knows you can always find a Chinese restaurant open on Christmas, the same also seems to apply to that other major Christian holiday, Easter. Not being too sure what would be open today meant that our small circle of friends needed a sure bet, and the old Los Feliz stand-by Chi Dynasty, about a five-minute drive from Koreatown, seemed like an ideal spot, especially because Chinese food is usually enjoyable with a small crowd, perfect for sampling a little of everything.
The interior of the restaurant is a visual treat, with your typical flourishes of lacquered screens, jade buddhas, and towering pagodas. The interior designers did a great job in designing an Asian cultural experience without condescending into kitsch, a situation particularly common in Chinese restaurants built during the sixties and seventies. Be forewarned, however, the restrooms could be cleaned more regularly.
The meal began with a well-portioned Chinese Chicken Salad and several pots of black tea. The salad was especially noteworthy, with tasty chunks of chicken spread throughout without overwhelming the crisp lettuce.
As for the main course, everybody in our group enjoyed the lemon chicken, served with the lemon sauce on the side in order to preserve the full flavor of the meat. The green beans, bathed in a pungent garlic sauce, also proved to be a hit with everybody; however, the sesame chicken, another of Chi Dynasty's signature dishes, proved less popular, being served completely bathed in a too-tangy sesame sauce.
Overall, Chi Dynasty makes for an enjoyable dining experience. For a group of six(plus a two-month old), the entire tab came to around sixty dollars, which is pretty reasonable for this neighborhood. Unfortunately, the lunch menu doesn't include tofu options, so vegetarians are rather restricted in terms of dining choices, and this left more than one member of our party sorely disappointed. Since we were informed that Chi Dynasty will soon be moving to a new spot in Los Feliz Plaza due to lease complications, maybe this change of venue will also entail a broadening of choices on the menu. For now, however, if you're in Los Feliz craving Chinese, Chi Dynasty saves a drive to Chinatown without breaking the bank in the process.
1 comment:
It was a really nice afternoon out and part of our annual Passover restaurant fix.
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