Friday, January 14, 2000
Tao Yen offers peace, quiet, good food
Chinese restaurant features familiar menu items, carefully prepared
This plain, beige-and-burgundy building on South Alameda Street may be easy to overlook, but it's worth a second glance.
Inside, the Chans are serving up some of the best Chinese food in town.
Tao Yen is a familiarly cozy Chinese restaurant, owned by Wai Kiu Chan- who left Hong Kong 15 years ago to live and cook in Corpus Christi-and operated by her daughter, Helen Cheung.
Pull on the ornate brass lion doorknocker, and you enter a dark and very red interior that imbues a sense of calm and dignity. Red tablecloths, red vinyl chairs and a red-lit temple along one wall set the scene.
According to the menu, Chinese legend tells of a place called Sze I Tao Yen Sze, a refuge from the hustle of life, a utopia. The Chans have sought to create this feeling of refuge at Tao Yen.
The menu offers a wide array of Chinese favorites such as moo goo gai pan, General Tao's chicken, and kung pao shrimp. There're also a few surprises, such as the flaming appetizer tray and a sizzling rice soup.
On our recent visit, we started with hot tea, which is served properly in a small ceramic pot and with a tiny cup.
For dinner, we selected the kung pao triplet, and shrimp with Chinese vegetables. Each entree comes with a cup of the soup of the day, an crispy fried egg roll, or fried wonton and rice.
My hot and sour soup was the highlight of the meal. A tangy broth thick with tofu, thin strips of beef, green onion, mushrooms, bamboo shoots - it was fantastic, the best I've ever tasted.
The entrees, sautéed fresh and served hot, were served in huge mounds on the plate, more than enough food. Each meal was much like what you could expect to find at any Chinese restaurant, but each was done better than expected.
The kung pao triplet, shrimp, chicken and beef sautéed together in a spicy sauce was excellent, not overcooked, and leaving the shrimp tender and light. The vegetables were also tender, but retained a slight but satisfying crunch.
Billed as a spicy dish, however, the kung pao could have used some more heat from the fiery red Chinese peppers.
The shrimp with Chinese vegetables was also cooked perfectly. The shrimp, pink and supple, were plentiful, and the mixture of bok choi, watercress, mushrooms, carrots, broccoli, zucchini and snow peas were also crunchy but tender. The whole of it was coated in a light, slightly sweet sauce that complemented the flavor of the vegetables without overpowering them.
Throughout the meal, the service from the lone waitress working the room was prompt and deferential.
And notably, the absence of any piped-in music was subtly soothing.
Overall, Tao Yen offers a quiet refuge and a hearty meal.
Tao Yen
4354 S. Alameda, 992-5999
Hours: Monday to Thursday 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m.; Friday to Saturday 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Sunday 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Entrees: $3.50-$10.95
Beer, wine
Wheelchair accessible
Checks: Local
Credit Cards: All
Food: **1/2
Atmosphere: **
Service: **
