When it comes to Chinese food, I always fall a little weary. I don't think I can say that I've every really had authentic, truly amazing Chinese food. It's availability has always lent itself to greasy, MSG-infested, sub-par mediocrity. So when anyone feels like getting Chinese food, I automatically flashback to those gluttonous times I gave in to buffets and hated myself afterwards (hasn't it happened to us all??).
According to my grandma and uncle, eating in China is actually pretty healthy. They serve lots of rice and veggies, with very small amounts of meat. Of course, as America does, they've transformed this cuisine into the sauce-dripping globs of meat and fried options. I definitely give Old Thousand a pat on the back for attempting to get away from this stereotype.
Located on E 11th, this little nook of a restaurant puts off a very homey feel. With warm lighting, dark furniture and lovely floral wallpaper, it almost feels like you're at someone's house for dinner.
For not being a coffee drinker or alcohol that much (though I do love a good margarita!), I am very much in love with tea. So, I was excited to find that Old Thousand offered hot tea options. I was also excited to hear that in the whole country, this was the only place to try a very special Oolong tea that they offered.
Now I get that tasting tea is a lot like wine. It is an acquired taste to be able to experience different notes and flavors, but sometimes there's no faking it. Maybe I'm just not a Chinese tea person, but this tea was BLAH. A whole $10 of dirty water-tasting blah. Though cute as it was, the one-sip cap bowls to drink our tea in were anything but impressive. I kept waiting, thinking it would get better, or maybe I wasn't experiencing it correctly, but no, this tea sucked. But, we drank it, hoping that at least the food would be delicious.
We started with their Kung Pao Cauliflower, which consisted of red chili, toasted cashew, shishito and chili oil. Being a big time experimental veggie fan, I thought this was pretty delicious, nothing extraordinary, but good.
We then moved on to their Mapo Dofu, a customer favorite that Jeremy was persuaded to get, which surprised me since he isn't much of a tofu person. I found the dish a little ironic considering it was tofu smothered in pork chili. Served with rice, it was again, decent but not amazing.
Finally, we were plated my choice, the Dan Dan Noodle bowl. With bok choy, a soft egg and crispy tofu, it's mushroom puree made this dish shine the most in my eyes. Not going to lie, but this was probably the best mushroom sauce I had ever had for not being a huge fan of mushroom sauces (forever scarred by childhood beef stroganoff...sorry mom). So if you do visit, definitely give this plate a whirl, and it's only $10!
Though I probably won't be running back to Old Thousand anytime soon, it's definitely worth a visit for a bit different edge on Chinese cuisine or a cozy drink. On to the next one!
What I was listening to today:
No No No- Beirut
