chow
Kinda Chinese riblets – Bite size, bone in, pork ribs ~ hoisin bbq sauce
Shrimp dumpling – shrimp shumei with crispy bacon & dipping sauce
Crab rangoon dip – Fried eggroll skins, ponzu citrus sauce
Pho-style tofu – Cabbage, carrots, red peppers, enoki mushrooms, vegan pho-style broth, seared tofu
Crispy southern fried chicken – Sweet corn mini muffins, pickled jalapenos (4pc)
General Chow’s chicken – Crispy fried chicken, ginger, garlic, soy, rice vinegar, sweet & hot chili peppers
Chi-‘talian noodles – Bolognese-style ground pork sauce, carrots, cilantro, onion, mint over Chinese gamien (wheat) noodles
Sweet corn mini muffins
Sriracha macaroni & cheese
Mama’s rice pudding
Old school banana pudding
Dirt
Looking more vigorous than ever since losing nearly eighty pounds following gastric sleeve surgery, though still recognized by many to be one of Downtown’s first true pioneers, Natalie Young has achieved a lot in her career launched at eat, so much perhaps that it was with too high of expectations that I sat down with two ‘industry’ friends at chow, the recently launched “Fried Chicken and Chinese” joint.
Truly a Chef cooking from her heart, the legions of fans still waiting out-front of 707 East Carson each weekend a testament to the longevity of a menu that has never really needed to change, chow sees Young expanding Fremont East towards the sketchy borders approaching PublicUS and with The Bunkhouse soon to reopen plus another intriguing proposition across the street it would seem that she is again ahead of the curve, the repurposed space borrowing from Momofuku as well as Mission Chinese in its décor while still retaining a feel both homey and unique.
Channeling music from Led Zeppelin to Prince with some 80’s power-ballads tossed into the mix, chow’s menu speaks likewise of a cross-cultural mash-up of small plates alongside more sizable mains, the names as well as the concepts at times straight from take-out Chinese menus while other dishes riff on tradition in a tongue-in-cheek hipster sort of way.
Told at the door by a local ‘critic’ that the Pho was not to be missed, it was alongside three additional appetizers that our 6pm meal commenced and with servers thrice mistaking one diner’s Sprite for water while another woman’s sole duty seemed to be walking around stating – not inquiring – how good everything was suffice it to say that the tofu cubes in broth was at the very best forgettable, entirely bland and lifeless on its own and all the moreso when compared to the savory shrimp dumplings and sticky-sweet riblets, the cream cheese dip cleverly presented though decidedly light in crab.
Pleasantly paced with good conversation filling the space in between bites as tunes were thankfully not played overly loud from above, it was next in three entrees and two ‘highly recommended’ sides that palates were entrusted, the Southern Fried Chicken well seasoned straight through to the flesh alongside cornbread so dry that it was virtually inedible while both the oiled up noodles and spicy offering from the General were pronounced ‘perfect drunk food,’ the sobriety questionable of anyone fancying limp macaroni that banks on Sriracha to make its sales pitch beneath a top that is cooked to a leathery tan.
Going old-school Southern with desserts, all three from the menu ordered with Banana Pudding doubled up, those reminiscing of childhood stuff straight from the box are likely to enjoy the thickness offered by ‘Nilla wafers and roughly chopped fruit while the “rice pudding” ate like a more toothsome Jewish Kugel, the ‘dirt’ is a jar mostly just Hershey syrup and crushed up Oreos no better that what can be bought in cafeterias or at the grocery store.
TWO AND A HALF STARS: Only half-successful in execution, though admittedly early in ts run, chow will no doubt garner praise from locals if only for the city’s infatuation with Fremont East and its charismatic chef while the food still has a long way to go – place chow in any other clinical context without the involvement of Downtown Project and you have the mediocrity of M&M Soulfood meets the lesser offerings of Spring Mountain Road.
RECOMMENDED: Kinda Chinese Riblets, Chi-‘talian noodles, Shrimp Dumplings.
AVOID: Pho-Style Tofu, Sweet Corn Mini Muffins, Sriracha Macaroni & Cheese, Dirt.
TIP: Now open for lunch, those tired of waiting at eat may wish to check out chow to experience Young’s cuisine, though its a tough sell with nearby Glutton, Carson Kitchen, and Therapy executing far better at a similar price point.
WHAT THE STARS MEAN: 5 World Class, 4 Excellent, 3 Good, 2 Fair, 1 Poor
http://www.chowdtlv.com/
