Chinese Cuisine Onto the Dinner Table of American Households (1/2)

No longer a niche market, no longer a phenomena, Chinese cuisines are now going mainstream, to have become an integral part of the Americans’ dining scene. Chinese menu items and Chinese-influenced flavors are showing up on menus in all kinds of restaurants, from trend-setting, star-chef, upscale dinner houses to neighborhood café shops. Chinese cuisine has led the way to introduce the American public to the exotic Asian flavors in the past century, Chinese restaurants have now grown into a 17.5 billion-annual-sales industry that provides more than two and half million (2,500,000) healthy meals to Americans every day, 365 days a year. A lunch meal could cost less than $5.00 at many Chinese restaurants today. There are over 41,350 Chinese restaurants spreading in 50 states of America, 70% of those are open 7 days a week, and all year around. Chinese restaurants are known as the most-stayed-open among all eateries! Thanks to the great efforts and hard work of Chinese restaurants, and as a pay-off, Chinese cuisine has gained its way to the daily dinner tables of the mainstream households! Recently we shared the excitement with our sister publication Chinese Restaurant News, at the announcement of the second annual award list of Top100 Chinese Restaurants in USA (2005)! While the ultimate goal of the Top100 Award is to present the best of Chinese cuisine to the American public, the award was launched last year, the first of its kind, and the first time in America’s culinary history, in recognition of the excellence of Chinese restaurants across 50 states in the nation. The 2005 Winners represent Chinese restaurants that are located in 36 states, an increase from last year’s 29 states. Following are 10 winners from the 2005 Top100 list, which was featured in USA Today by Shawn Sell in her “10 Great” column. Baumgart's Edgewater, N.J. Specialty dining, with an emphasis on fusion Chinese, creates a menu that offers such unique tastes as Saigon rolls (soft Vietnamese rice crpes wrapped with mango, mint leaf and carrot), baby calamari with basil-sautéed scallops, Japanese teriyaki with chicken or beef and Thai curry. 201-313-3889; baumgartscafe.com Bo Ling's Kansas City, Mo. Richard and Theresa Ng serve traditional Chinese cuisine, classic Cantonese and Sichuan here, “a local favorite known for its popular, high-quality dim sum,” Try Sichuan dumplings in a chili-garlic soy dipping sauce; entrees include salmon teriyaki style and su fone chicken, a mildly spicy stir-fry served with scallions, ginger, garlic and chile peppers. 816-753-1718; www.bolings.com Bob Chinn's Crab House Wheeling, Ill. The busiest and best seafood restaurant in the Chicago area flies in its seafood weekly from Hawaii. 40% of the menu is Chinese, much of it fusion Chinese, including king crab meat in a Cantonese sauce and crunchy coconut shrimp. 847-520-3633; bobchinns.com Chef Lee's Peking Columbus, Ga. All entrees, vegetables and sauces here are made in Peking style, which means cooked to order in woks. Diners can view the outdoor classic Chinese garden from each of the four dining rooms, along with the three koi ponds, one of which is inside the restaurant, under a glass floor. 706-653-8888. Mandarin Bountiful, Utah Considered the best Chinese restaurant in town and the area. Beautiful upscale restaurant boasting a traditionally decorated dining room, a Chinese garden off the banquet room and a menu featuring tropical Thai chicken, Szechwan catfish and Malaysian fried rice and Singapore noodles. 801-298-2406; mandarinutah.com Mission 261 San Gabriel, Calif. Stop in for the renowned dim sum or try Cantonese delicacies such as dishes made with ginseng, stewed shark fin and braised fish maw with spike sea cucumber. Home to a historic location, the restaurant formerly known as Ponchito was once frequented by Ronald Reagan, among others. 626-588-1666; mission261.com Panda Restaurant Anchorage, Alaska