Happy (Chinese) New Year!

Out with the rat and in with the ox. What better way to celebrate the Chinese New Year than by visiting one of the metro’s fine Chinese restaurants? • Mandarinism (4800 West 135th Street, Overland Park, 913-239-8899) fuses the best of other cultures’ cuisines with traditional Mandarin dishes to create food that’s exciting, new and delicious. One bite of the Shanghai slow-braised short ribs and you'll know why The Pitch named Mandarinism best new restaurant of 2008. • Princess Garden (8906 Wornall, 816-444-3709) proves that there is such a thing as great American Chinese food. The favorites here, including crab Rangoon and orange sesame chicken, may not be authentic, but they’re scrumptious. The interior and menu are straight from the 1980s, but the high quality of the Hunan beef and the pepper chicken explains why Princess Garden is still going strong after a quarter-century. • Kin Lin (314 East 51st Street, 816-561-4334) was long a hidden secret known only to UMKC students and neighbors. That was fine, because even though Kin Lin had many mouthwatering dishes, it didn’t have much seating. An expansion of the dining room changed that, and midtowners now flock there for huge portions, cheap prices and house specialties such as Kin Lin chicken. • Red Snapper (8430 Ward Parkway, 816-333-8899) could easily be taken for a chain at first glance. Once you’re inside, though, there’s no mistaking the hands-on approach of owner and chef Casey Chao. The menu offers dishes from the whole of Asia. But Chinese food — especially Chinese seafood — reigns supreme, with dishes such as san shan ja jang mein (seafood with Chinese plum sauce) and, of course, crispy red snapper.
Mon., Jan. 26, 2009