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| - I have a simple litmus test for Chinese restaurants, and it comes as a result of my 30 years of experience of eating at Chinese restaurants all over the U.S. (mainly California) and in mainland China. My test? "Kung Pao Chicken." It's always the first thing I try at a Chinese restaurant, because I have experienced Kung Pao Nirvana, and I have had way too many disappointments. A disappointing Kung Pao experience usually leads to "no second chance" from me because there are choices one can make.
When I saw the "grand opening" signs for Rice Inn at the old Pizza Hut location next to Walmart in Bethel Park, I didn't want to get my hopes up. I actually waited until I saw a couple of Yelp and Urbanspoon reviews before I decided to get my dining partner to join me for a meal there. (you can't be too careful these days...) My first impression was, "HEY, they've actually dressed up this old Pizza Hut pretty well!" They even managed to do something with those weird trapezoid Pizza Hut windows that we all know and love. The place was simply decorated, and was very inviting to the first-time guest. (maybe the odd familiarity added to that?) Comfortable seating, low noise level, attentive hostess (who turned out to be the manager) and an eager young waiter all made us feel good about our choice to try Rice Inn from the very start.
The first thing we noticed on the menu were the letters "BYOB." We immediately sent our young accomplice to the nearby Giant Eagle to procure some bottles for us. I simply love the whole BYOB concept, especially when there is no "corkage" fee. Upon opening the menu, I was impressed with the depth that it contained, and since I had read that this new restaurant had good sushi, I ordered the "Baked Alaska Roll" as an appetizer. I am unable to resist any roll that has smoked salmon on it, and this one did not disappoint. It was expertly prepared, very well presented, and the ingredients seemed fresh and tasted delicious. The only bad part was that it was cut into 8 pieces and there were 3 of us, so I had to graciously (and reluctantly) deny myself a third piece! This was an odd roll, because as the name implied, it was served warm. But I really, really liked it, and so did my compatriots. (who got 3 pieces, unlike me...)
I was feeling great about this place almost immediately because we got to watch the sushi chef prepare our roll, and we got to drink exactly the beer that we wanted (Yakima Glory) instead of settling for the usual run-of-the-mill Chinese restaurant offering. We decided to try a nice cross-section from the menu to find out where the strengths and weakness might be.
We ordered a seafood soup for two, an order of Kung Pao chicken with fried rice (only 75 cents to upgrade from the steamed rice) and an order of Pad Thai, of which we are huge fans.
In a word, the Kung Pao chicken was "perfect." This is the dish that always lights me up when it is done correctly, and the kitchen at RICE INN nailed this one. Tender, perfectly cooked chicken, crispy texture in the vegetables and nuts, and a sauce that was exactly what I was hoping for. A++ and the best I've had in the South Hills of Pittsburgh. The seafood soup got a B minus. Everything was in there as advertised, and nothing in the soup was overdone or tough. Obviously the kitchen used fresh ingredients. But personally, I thought that the soup itself was somewhat lacking in seasoning and overall seafood taste. This may be a personal taste thing, but I wasn't that excited about the soup. My friends, however, enjoyed it more than I. As for the Pad Thai, it was not what I was expecting. I have had a lot of GREAT Pad Thai lately because this is one of the major strengths of one of my favorite restaurants located a few miles up the road on 88. This Pad Thai needed to go back to the drawing board, in my opinion. The shrimp was tender enough, and the rice noodles were just about right, but the seasoning of this dish just didn't do justice to the Pad Thai tradition. After offering some feedback to our young and enthusiastic waiter, "Morgan," I wouldn't be surprised if the chef made some adjustments on this particular menu offering. It's hard to do EVERYTHING well, and since this place has only been in business for a month, I'll expect some improvements on this one.
My overall impression could be summed up in these words: "Do you have any TO-GO menus?" I will definitely be coming back to RICE INN to explore the menu further and find out what other offerings on the menu are "in their wheelhouse." It will not surprise me to find out that they do a lot of things well, based on this first visit.
I'd also like to make mention of the fact that the hostess who turned out to be the manager listened to the feedback we gave our young waiter on the food we were served, and she unhesitatingly removed the cost of the Pad Thai from our bill without any suggestion from us. I really respect this desire to please!
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