China Grill: Restaurant Review

I’ve been lucky enough to eat at China Grill at least 3 times- but never with the intention of reviewing it, like I did on Saturday night.  Though the size of their plates has noticeably shrunk- it was still as delicious as I remembered (thanks in part to the presentation- my dad always says you eat with your eyes first!)

I started with a cocktail at the bar that was just screaming my name- a spicy cucumber margarita! The rim had some spicy seasoning that was HOT but good and the cucumber made it refreshing! Plus I just always love tequila.

China Grill is my favorite type of restaurant because their dishes are meant to be shared.  We started with 3 appetizers and a salad.

The salad is one I have had many times before- the crackling calamari salad with lime miso dressing. 

The calamari is the perfect crispiness, and something about that dressing is addictive!  Ever since the crackling calamari salad from Gray Goose Café in Connecticut though, this can’t be #1 in my book- there’s has slices of banana and cashews in it! (And now that I’m thinking about it, it should definitely be added to my listof life-changing salads).  

(Sorry China Grill, but this crackling calamari salad from Gray Goose Cafe takes the prize)

Lack of banana and cashews aside, the calamari salad at China Grill is pretty killer.

The spicy beef and scallion dumplings with a soy ginger sauce were up next- although I couldn’t sample them because, beef.

No trip to China Grill is complete without ordering their lobster pancakes- bursting with stir fried wild mushrooms, red chili, scallions and coconut milk.  They’re so pretty!

(Obsessed with the presentation) 

The taste of the lobster definitely comes through, and the mushrooms are divine.  I don’t LOVE coconut, so I always question how much I’m diggin’ the sauce, but it’s so creamy that I usually decide I’m cool with it!

(One more picture of the lobster pancakes so you can see how stuffed they are!)

The last appetizer we got was the tempura tuna sashimi with hot mustard champagne sauce.

(Dem was some good bean sproutz)

This was good-but not wow worthy.  I actually enjoyed the bean sprouts in the sauce the best!  And the flying fish eggs! Love that pop-rock texture boost!

Before the next course I switched up my drink and got a China Blossom with Bombay Sapphire Gin, St. Germaine and fresh grapefruit juice.  I think I found a new favorite cocktail! It tasted like they handed me a grapefruit with a straw in it!

First entrée was the duck two ways- pan seared breast with a chocolate-orange sauce and “moo shu” style confit of leg with spicy hoisin sauce.

Again, I couldn’t eat it but I sampled the chocolate-orange sauce because it intrigued me and I can’t say I loved it.

According to my dad, we also HAD to order the grilled garlic shrimp with black fettuccini and red curry coconut sauce. It comes out MOVING because of the bonito flakes on top! They were my favorite part – smoky and delicious.

(Not the prettiest picture, but it was MOVING)

After not being sold on ordering the shrimp dish, I must say it might have been my favorite! Good call, dad!

My pick was the pan-seared spicy tuna with avocado sashimi and wakame seaweed salad.  YUM!

(This picture makes me crave seaweed salad!)

The tuna was crusted perfectly with black pepper and salt0 it was just enough so that it didn’t take away from the tuna.  Anything with a hunk of avocado is good in my book- and I’m now officially addicted to seaweed salad!! And I totally ate the majority of that deep-fried seaweed…oops.

For sides we got the 5 vegetable fried rice and bamboo vegetables- both things you can’t really screw up! And they didn’t.

Obviously, ordering the Great Wall dessert was necessary. Oh. My. God.  So giant. So amazing. I want it every day! Can we just take a moment to appreciate this picture?

(Seriously incredible.)

It’s got everything.  Ice cream, caramelized bananas (and not a stingy little piece of banana like Spice Market’s dessert!), cookies, whipped cream, and macaroons!  I was in a sugar coma for hours after this (but 4 of us DID manage to finish every last bite, no problems!)

This is a place I’m sure my family will continue to frequent.  It feels classy, the shared dishes way of eating is my favorite, the food never disappoints, and damn those cocktails were good!