Red Velvet Sugar Cookies

Red Velvet Sugar Cookies - made dough June 27, 2015, recipe modified from Creme de la Crumb

Know the great thing about red velvet baked goods? They’re good across multiple holidays. The first obvious one might be Valentine’s Day – all that red frou frou schmaltzy hearts stuff going on. Then you can also make red velvet desserts for Christmas. Pair with green decorations and you have a seasonal winner. But wait, there’s more – patriotic holidays! The red is a natural foil to go with blue and white. Well, as natural as anything with red food coloring in it is going to be; but you get my meaning.

I’ve been wanting to try this recipe for red velvet sugar cookies for awhile. I have a plethora of red velvet recipes but have not made a sugar cookie version until now. At first I was going to just halve the recipe as the full recipe seemed like it made a lot and I’m (usually) all about the portion control. But I decided in for a penny, in for another 5 pounds.

The dough was really easy to mix together but I ended up using a little more red food coloring than the recipe called for before the dough was a red color that lived up to my finicky standards. Because you can’t have a wimpy red or anything verging on pink. Or red swirls in a chocolate dough. It has to be red. At first I worried it might be a tad too dry. Be sure to add the flour slowly, especially the last cup. Add in ¼ cup increments and make sure to incorporate it completely. If your dough is getting too dry, ease up on the last ¼ cup. You also don’t want to beat this too much after the flour is added while you’re trying to get the red food color evenly dispersed. In fact, if I were to make this again, I would add the red food coloring right before the dry ingredients. If, by the time you incorporate all of the dry ingredients, you’ve lost some redness, just add a few more drops of the food coloring and beat just until the additional color has been incorporated. At least this minimizes the (over) beating of the cookie dough trying to get the flour added and the right shade of red accomplished.

Anyway, the dough was great to work with, not too sticky and not quite too dry so I could shape it easily into large dough balls then press down with the bottom of a glass dipped in sugar. Don’t press down too hard as you don’t want thin cookies. These spread very slightly but not much so make them the thickness you want your cookies to be. I shaped the balls and pressed into thick discs before freezing them, stacked with wax paper between the layers, in a freezer bag.

No need to thaw them before baking. Simply remove from the freezer and arrange them on cookie sheets lined with parchment paper while your oven preheats. Allow at least an inch or inch and a half between cookies. And make sure you watch the baking time since, if you’ve achieved the right shade of red, you can’t tell if these are done just going by the color. Because, you know, red. And because the dough is thick and not really “wet”, you can’t quite go by how the middles look and whether they’re no longer raw shiny cookie dough because they don’t even get quite like raw shiny cookie dough when baking. I baked these for no more than 10-11 minutes, max, in my oven then took them out and let them cool on the cookie sheet for 10 minutes before moving them to wire racks.

Let them cool completely before frosting. I didn’t use the frosting recipe in the original blog but made up my own to go with a more traditional cream cheese frosting: just butter, cream cheese, powdered sugar and vanilla. And the sprinkles; don’t forget the sprinkles which will turn these from Valentine’s Day and Christmas into 4^th of July cookies. I had the blue and white sprinkles plus the red colored sugar from the FireworksPudding Cookies so these were easy to decorate by literally sprinkling the colors on top of each frosted cookie.

Because of the frosting, these aren’t ideal cookies to bring to hot summer barbecues and picnics in the blazing sun but if you do, make the frosting at the last minute or refrigerate the frosting before using on the cookies then serve shortly after frosting. I would not advise frosting the cookies then refrigerating them as, while refrigeration might preserve the frosting, it’ll also dry out your cookies. And you don’t want that. If you have an evening barbecue in anticipation of watching fireworks, then these would work just fine. All you need to do is keep them out of direct sunlight and store at cool or room temperature.

I love the texture and thickness of these. Can’t say they were really very chocolaty because they weren’t nor were they all that sweet but the sweetness of the cream cheese frosting goes well with the moist, chewy texture of the cookie and provides the sweetness you need. This is one of those cookies that I got a lot of compliments on at work so I wasn’t the only one who liked them. Or, maybe because one full recipe made almost 3 dozen large, thick cookies and I only ate a taste test cookie, more people got to try them. Either way, it’s a keeper.

1 cup butter, softened

3/4 cup vegetable oil
1 3/4 cups sugar, divided
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1 tablespoon water
2 eggs
5 1/2 cups flour
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon red food coloring

Frosting
1/2 cup butter, softened
8 tablespoons cream cheese, softened
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
4-5 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup whole milk or enough to achieve desired consistency
Sprinkles, optional, for garnish

1. In a large bowl cream together butter, vegetable oil, 1½ cups sugar, powdered sugar, water, and eggs.
2. In a medium bowl whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, cream of tartar, and salt. 
3. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and mix until combined. Add red food coloring 1 teaspoon at a time, mixing after each, until desired color is achieved. Cover and chill for 1 hour. 
4. Remove dough from fridge and uncover. Roll dough into balls (slightly larger than a golf ball) and place on a lightly greased baking sheet about 3-4 inches apart. 
5. Place remaining ¼ cup sugar on a plate. Use the bottom end of a tall glass cup (or the bottom of a small jar) for pressing the cookies. Spritz the bottom of the glass/jar with cooking spray then dip the bottom into the sugar. Use the bottom sugar-coated end of the glass to press cookies to about ½ inch thickness. Let the edges of the cookie dough squish out past the edges of the glass. 
6. Bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes. Allow to cool for a few minutes on the baking sheet, then transfer to a clean flat surface or a cooking rack. 
7. When completely cool, place in airtight containers (if stacking, separate layers with parchment or wax paper) and keep chilled in the fridge. 
8. For the frosting, cream together butter and cream cheese until smooth. Add salt, vanilla, powdered sugar and milk; mix until smooth, alternating between powdered sugar and milk until you achieve the desired consistency. Frost cookies and garnish with sprinkles, if desired.

Fireworks Pudding Cookies

Fireworks Pudding Cookies - made dough June 27, 2015 from Crazy for Crust

Got any summer barbecue plans for 4th of July next weekend? Picnics, fireworks, cold drinks, burgers, hot dogs, s'mores? Sadly, I don't. My grand plans for Independence Day weekend include working, working and....working. It's our busy time, wrapping up the finances for the quarter so no picnics and fireworks for me (cue violins....).

Make the dough balls then press the M&Ms on the outside of each ball

But that's not enough to stop me from making these 4th of July-themed cookies, appropriately called Fireworks Pudding Cookies, from Crazy for Crust, a blog that's always a great source for delicious recipes. These cookies help celebrate America's birthday with red, white and blue sprinkles as well as red, white and blue M&Ms so they're perfectly patriotic. Even more upside, they're also delicious. Crisp edges and chewy middles as well as a nice brown sugar undertone like any good chocolate chip cookie. Only in this case, instead of chocolate chips, you add M&Ms. The dough is easy to work with and the M&Ms adhere well on the outside. Whenever I bake cookies with M&Ms or chocolate chips, I like to reserve a few to press on the outside of the cookie dough balls so they're prominently featured and not lost inside the cookie. It's all about the pretty.

These can be adapted to other holidays depending on the color of your sprinkles and M&Ms that you use. But in this case, red, white and blue rule for July. These cookies are easy to make as well and, because they're made with M&Ms instead of chocolate chips, you don't have to worry about the chocolate melting in hot summer weather.

Finding red, white and blue sprinkles was the most difficult as Target didn't have them and Michaels appears to have run out already. I finally had to settle for buying blue and white sprinkles plus red sugar crystals. The red, white and blue M&Ms were easier to find in the regular candy aisle at Target. They were on sale and I didn't use them all for these cookies so look for more patriotic-themed treats going up on the blog in a few days.

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup brown sugar, packed
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg
1 box (3.4 ounces) instant vanilla pudding mix
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1/4 cup red and blue sprinkles
3/4 cup 4th of July M&Ms, reserve a handful for garnish

1. Cream butter and brown sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. 
2. Mix in egg and vanilla until smooth. Add pudding mix, baking soda, and salt. Mix until combined.
3. Mix in flour, then stir in sprinkles and M&Ms. 
4. Scoop cookie dough into golf-size balls. Press M&Ms randomly on outside dome of dough balls. Cover and chill or freeze for at least an hour or overnight. 
5. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper or silpat baking mats. Place chilled cookie dough balls 2” apart on cookie sheet. Bake 9-11 minutes or until the edges just start to turn brown. Cool 5 minutes on cookie sheet before transferring to a rack to cool completely. 

Restaurant Review: Left Bank

Left Bank - dinner on June 4, 2015

My almost-monthly dinner club had this month’s dinner at Left Bank. I don’t go to Left Bank very often as my tastes are probably a bit too simple to fully appreciate what they have for the prices they charge. My non-dessert palate is just not that refined. Case in point, last time I went, I had steak frites. Which is basically steak and French fries. Yup, that’s me. The fancier dishes are lost on me.

Nowadays though, since I end up getting tri tip steak on my salads at work more often than not, when I go out to eat, I’m trying to stay away from more meat. So I went with lobster pasta. I had all the best intentions of only eating a half portion since I’m pseudo-dieting. I was good and didn’t have a single piece of bread from the ubiquitous bread basket (do you know how hard it was to resist? Cue world’s tiniest violin.) But the pasta was so delicious that when I was at the halfway mark and my diet consciousness was telling me to call for a doggie bag and take the rest home to eat another day, I laughed in scorn at it and kept eating. Ha.

Lobster Pasta

Mussels

I wasn’t supposed to get dessert either but let’s not kid ourselves. I did. Actually, the five of us split 2 orders of profiteroles. Each order came with 3 profiteroles so we each had one and the 6^th was for splitting amongst ourselves. I did not partake of the 6^th one as you might expect. Not out of any self control or mindful dietary constraint, mind you. More like it was because the profiterole wasn’t very good. The ice cream was delicious but the choux pastry of the profiterole shell was dry and not flaky or light at all. It also didn’t taste as fresh as it could have been. I’m not a big fan of profiteroles in the first place but I’ve had some good ones and unfortunately, this wasn’t it. Saving grace: the ice cream. Side benefit: I wasn’t tempted to break my diet further by having a second profiterole.

Boeuf Bourguignon

Sole

Shout out for the great service we received at Left Bank as well. Our wait person was very nice and our food came out fairly quickly. Or else we were talking so much that we didn’t notice the wait. Either way, good times.

Unadorned profiteroles

Profiteroles with chocolate sauce

Classic Chocolate Chip Cookies

Classic Chocolate Chip Cookies - made dough June 6, 2015 from Big, Soft, Chewy Cookies by Jill Van Cleave

I don’t often borrow cookbooks from the library since, let’s face it, I have enough of my own baking books to stock my own library but every once in awhile, when I’m itching to try out a new cookbook, the library is a no-risk option. I even more rarely check out electronic cookbooks since I like the paper format with pictures and everything. But this book was available and since I was being good about not buying anything that wasn’t nailed down when it comes to books and cookies, it seemed like a good idea to check it out. Literally.

Now y’all know I need another chocolate chip cookie recipe like a 3^rd, 4^th and 5^th eye but of course, that’s the recipe I naturally gravitated towards. For one thing, I was having lunch with my friend Chocolate Chip Cookie Todd so he’s like my natural taste tester for chocolate chip cookies. For another, they’re just so easy to make!

Normally I like to use milk chocolate chips for all my chocolate chip cookies but I had a Costco-sized (72 ounces) package of semisweet chocolate chips so I went with that with the tacit understanding that since it’s not milk chocolate chips, I won’t really be tempted to eat more than the taste test cookie. See, that’s how I discuss portion control with myself.

This was a pretty standard cookie. Good when 10 minutes out of the oven and still warm but I don’t know that it was a standout for me. It isn’t as “pretty” as some of my more favored recipes for chocolate chip cookies are or as tasty. It was just….typical. And we know my baking snobbery doesn’t allow for typical very often. I’m glad I tried it but since it was just okay, I’m going to my other go-to recipes.

Of course, take my assessment with a grain of salt, knowing how picky I am. I brought a few of these to our church potluck this past weekend and the people who tried it raved about it. I even got a “this is the best cookie I’ve ever had” compliment. Huh.

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter

½ cup dark brown sugar

½ cup granulated sugar

1 large egg

2 tablespoons milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup all-purpose flour

½ cup cake flour

½ teaspoon baking powder

¼ teaspoon salt

1 cup chocolate chips

1. In a mixing bowl, cream butter and both sugars until smooth. 
2. Add egg, milk and vanilla extract until just combined. 
3. In a separate bowl, combine both flours with the baking powder and salt. Add to the creamed mixture. Stir in chocolate chips. 
4. Portion into golf-ball-size dough balls, cover and chill or freeze until firm. 
5. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. Place cookie dough balls evenly on baking sheet. 
6. Bake until cookies are lightly browned and middles no longer look raw, about 12-15 minutes. Do not overbake. Let cool for 2-3 minutes then transfer to wire rack to cool completely.

Restaurant Review: Tadamasa (Ramen)

Tadamasa - lunch on May 31, 2015

My cousin Ellen told us about Tadamasa, a Japanese ramen place she and her fiancé had gone to that she recommended. For me and my parents, it gave us a new place to try and answered another “where do you want to go for lunch?” question after Sunday church service.

Tadamasa is in a mini strip mall that looks a bit rundown and, from the outside, you have no idea what the inside looks like since the front glass windows are pretty much covered in blinds. Inside, it’s rather small. I counted two 6-toppers, two 4-toppers and two 2-toppers. The tables could be configured in 2, 4 and 6 though, depending on the patrons’ needs but that seemed to be the optimal configuration in the space they had. The back half of the restaurant was comprised of a kitchen area and a “bar” area where people could also sit and eat in case there weren’t any tables. I don't know that I would recommend coming here with a large party. 6 would be the max and I'd recommend coming early.

Shrimp Miso Ramen

They opened at 10:30 am and we got there shortly after 11 so we were fortunate enough to snag the last 4-topper. The tables and most of the seats at the bar were all full before we were halfway through our meal. The menu offered several types of ramen as well as a few non-ramen dishes, mainly donburi and the quintessential chicken teriyaki dish. Which is what I, the non-adventurous eater, would normally get at a Japanese restaurant (yes, I’m that person). This time around, I took a walk on the wild side and got the Oyaka Donburi instead which is basically chicken, soft scrambled egg and onions atop a bowl of rice.

Gyudon Donburi

I love donburi dishes when it’s mostly just rice and protein. And I love rice in Japanese restaurants because 9 times out of 10, they have the best rice. Tadamasa was no exception as their rice was amazing. The only drawback to my dish was the plethora of onions. I mean, there were a lot of onions, too much for me to successfully pick out which is my usual strategy. I don’t mind the taste of onions but can’t stand the texture, cooked or raw. I ended up pushing aside half the dish because it was literally all onions. The half I did eat was delicious though.

Miso Soup that came with the Donburi dishes

Prices are pretty reasonable, especially for a Japanese restaurant as they normally tend to run higher than your average Asian eatery. But the dishes here were mainly in the $10-$14 range. That’s partially explained by the fairly modest portion sizes that came out. I wouldn’t call them super small but instead are akin to what a normal portion size of a homecooked meal would be rather than restaurant-size portions. When I travel in Europe, one thing I always appreciate it is they don’t serve you a ton of food and the portion sizes are reasonable. Same thing at Tadamasa. Large enough portion that eating the whole thing leaves you feeling satisfied rather than “full” but not so small that you’re still hungry at the end of the meal. Service was also fairly quick and although there seemed to be only 1 server working the small room, we were able to get anything we needed in a timely manner. Next time I want to try the ramen. Or their chicken teriyaki.

Oyako Donburi

Top Favorite: Essence of Chocolate Squares

Essence of Chocolate Squares - made multiple times from Baking by Flavor by Lisa Yockelson

I’ve posted about this brownie before and called it the brownie version of Texas Fudge Cake because you make the frosting while the brownie is baking, pour it warm over the hot brownie and let it set, similar to the cake. It’s more rich than its cake brethren though but worth every single freaking calorie. I like to make this when I just need a shot of chocolate and mainlining it isn’t possible. This comes close.

The key to this is (of course) underbaking it or at least baking it until it’s just barely done. Meaning the toothpick test near the center comes out with a few moist crumbs but not raw batter and the corners come out clean. If the middle comes out clean too, yank it out of the oven NOW. 

This also freezes really well but with the warm summer temps upon us, I don’t recommend it for care packages through the mail unless you want a melted frosting mess to greet your recipient upon arrival. Save this for a winter care package instead.

1 ¼ cups unsifted bleached all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons unsweetened, alkalized cocoa

¼ teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

½ pound (16 tablespoons or 2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted and cooled to tepid

4 ounces unsweetened chocolate, melted and cooled to tepid

4 large eggs

2 cups granulated sugar

1 ½ teaspoons intensified vanilla extract

Dense chocolate frosting for topping the fudge chocolate layer

3 ¾ cups plus 2 tablespoons unsifted confectioners’ sugar

1/8 teaspoon salt

¼ pound (8 tablespoons or 1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled to tepid

2 ounces (2 squares) unsweetened chocolate, melted and cooled to tepid.

¼ cup milk

2 tablespoon (light) table cream

1 teaspoon intensified vanilla extract

9 x 9 x 2” baking pan

1. Preheat the oven to 325˚F. Line a 9 x 9" baking pan with aluminum foil and lightly spray with nonstick cooking spray; set aside. 
2. Sift the all-purpose flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt onto a sheet of waxed paper. 
3. Whisk the melted butter and melted unsweetened chocolate in a medium-size mixing bowl until thoroughly combined. 
4. Whisk the eggs in a large mixing bowl to blend well, about 1 minute, then add the granulated sugar and whisk slowly for 1 minute, or until just combined. Whisk in the tepid melted chocolate-butter mixture. Blend in the vanilla extract. 
5. Sift over the dry ingredients and mix until all particles of flour are absorbed into the batter, using a whisk, wooden spoon or flat wooden paddle. 
6. Scrape the batter into the prepared baking pan. Smooth over the top with a rubber spatula. Bake the cake layer for 35 to 37 minutes or until just set. Cool the cake layer in the pan on a rack for 5 minutes while you make the frosting. 
7. Frosting: Place the confectioners’ sugar and salt in a large mixing bowl. Whisk the melted butter and melted unsweetened chocolate in a small mixing bowl until thoroughly combined. 
8. Add the milk, light cream, and vanilla extract. Using an electric hand mixer, beat the frosting on moderately low speed until creamy and completely combined. Scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl two to three times to keep the frosting even-textured. Do not beat the frosting on high speed or it will become airy and fluffy instead of creamy and dense. 
9. Immediately and carefully, place large dollops of the frosting evenly over the surface of the hot bar cookie base and spread it, using a flexible offset spatula. Spread it smoothly and lightly, to keep the bar cookie layer intact. 
10. Let the sweet cool in the pan on a rack for 3 to 4 hours, or until cooled and completely set.  Cut the cake into four quarters, then cut each quarter into four squares, using a small, sharp knife.  Remove the chocolate squares from the baking pan, using a small, metal offset spatula.

Toffee Chip Snickerdoodles

Toffee Chip Snickerdoodles - made dough May 25, 2015 from The Essential Chocolate Chip Cookbook by Elinor Klivans

I have mixed emotions about this recipe. On the one hand, I like chocolate chips and toffee bits as much as the next cookie-crazed person. On the other hand, it seems wrong to violate the sanctity of the purist snickerdoodle by adding “stuff” to it. Snickerdoodles are supposed to be vanilla butter cookies rolled in cinnamon sugar. That’s what makes them a snickerdoodle. Adding toffee chips and chocolate chips – well, doesn’t that just make it a toffee chocolate chip cookie?

But I’ll try (almost) any recipe once to prove myself right or wrong or indifferent so I went with it. The dough was a bit soft when I finished mixing it so I did what I always did – scooped into dough balls and froze them. That was supposed to help them bake up thicker.

Unfortunately that little trick didn’t work as well as it normally does and these spread thinner than I cared for, even on the convection setting of my oven which tells me either my butter was too soft (unlikely since I beat it straight from the refrigerator) or there wasn’t enough dry ingredients called for in the recipe to give it enough structure. As for the taste, as I expected, despite the traditional rolling in cinnamon sugar, this was more like a toffee chocolate chip vanilla cookie than a true snickerdoodle. It still tasted good but if you’re seeing a more traditional snickerdoodle recipe, I suggest trying my favorite one instead: Soft & ThickSnickerdoodles.

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
1 cup (6 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips
2/3 cup (4 ounces) chocolate toffee bits, such as Heath or finely crushed chocolate-covered toffee

Coating
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1. Sift the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda and salt into a medium bowl and set aside.
2. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat the butter and 1 1/2 cups sugar until smoothly blended, about 1 minute. Add the eggs, vanilla and almond extracts and mix until blended, about 1 minute.
3. On low speed, add the flour mixture, mixing just until incorporated. Stir in the chocolate chips and toffee bits until evenly distributed. The dough will be soft.
4. Scoop into golf-ball-size dough balls and chill or freeze, covered, for several hours or overnight. 
5. When ready to bake: preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 or 3 baking sheets with parchment paper.
6. In a small bowl, stir together 1/2 cup of the sugar and the cinnamon. Roll each cookie dough ball in the cinnamon sugar mixture (thaw for 5-10 minutes before rolling).
7. Place the cookies evenly spaced on the cookie sheet, 2-3 inches apart. Bake until the edges are golden but the centers are still pale, 12-14 minutes. Cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes then transfer cookies to wire rack to cool completely.

Restaurant Review: Dragon BBQ Express

Dragon BBQ Express - lunch on May 24, 2015

Every Sunday after church, my parents and I go out to lunch. We typically tend to stick to the same places yet every Sunday after the service, we always wonder where we should go for lunch. For my frugal, first-generation immigrant parents, the price points have to be in a “reasonable” range meaning they have to feel like a) it should be cheap, b) they have to feel like they received the right value for what they paid and c) don’t forget it should be cheap. I’m not talking fast food cheap but somewhere in the $10-$14 an entrée range is okay.

After exhausting all the typical chain restaurants nearby, some of which appear to be raising their prices and hence falling out of favor in our usual Sunday lunch circuit, I turned to yelp for suggestions. BBQ Dragon Express had a 3.5-star rating, it was nearby and it was akin to fast Chinese food so it seemed like a safe bet.

It’s in a mini strip mall and one of those places I would probably easily overlook if it hadn’t been favorably rated on yelp. It’s pretty small with more than half the space taken up by the counters of food and the hanging pork shoulder (looked like lechon), roast duck and chicken. There are several tables for dine in but for the most part, it looked like it was mostly a takeout business. Think of it like a Panda Express but if Panda is Westernized Chinese food, this was slightly more authentic Chinese food. Sort of.

Like Panda, there were trays of various dishes in warming trays. You pointed to what you wanted and the server dished up generous – and I mean generous – portions into a takeout box. A combo was rice, fried rice or noodles plus 2 side dishes. I pointed to “safe” Americanized Chinese food choices: steamed rice, lemon chicken and sesame chicken, the latter both breaded and in their accompanying sauces. Okay, probably not that authentic in terms of China Chinese food but suited to my bland taste buds.

The rice was good as was the sesame chicken but I wasn’t impressed with the lemon chicken. The chicken pieces were good-sized but the texture was a bit odd, not quite the firmness of chicken but too firm to be fish. It was weird. Fortunately the sesame chicken didn’t have a texture issue and was quite tasty.

Sesame Chicken (top left) and Lemon Chicken (top right)

The place was also really cheap. Our 3 combo orders came to $19.55 including tax so it was just slightly more than $6.50 per person. Given the generous portions that were literally enough for 3 meals (2 if you’re really hungry), that was a bargain. Not sure I’d make this a regular stop on our Sunday lunch circuit (I think my parents would have preferred Panda Express) but it was good to try out at least once and support another local small business.