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| - An unassuming restaurant's spin on Szechuan Hoi Sin, an opulent combination of lobster tails, weighty shrimp, fat scallops and various steamed and caramelized vegetables, somewhat reinvigorated my interest in Chinese cuisine weeks ago.
As its name implies, Bridgeville's Classic Chinese Cuisine isn't bent on turning expectations inside out. A shopping center treasure of the suburbs, CCC just does the usual things well in a modest setting.
Take for instance their plump, moist-as-meatloaf pork dumplings or their egg rolls, each of which are a cornucopia in a deep-fried potsticker. Both the former and latter were so exuberantly appetizing, we doubled our orders, nearly allowing them to wholly comprise lunch for us.
Fortunately, I managed to save room for the aforementioned Szechuan Hoi Sin, a dish so prodigious in terms of portion size, it could have fed two or three guests. Alas, I needed a box for half of it, and it still managed to enthrall the next day, even after a spell in the microwave.
I can't bestow a full 5 rating to CCC since I wasn't exposed to anything I haven't had before in another permutation. Facing facts, this was the same veggies-with-a-protein-rice-and-a-sauce I've had all too many times, and I kept getting the vague feeling that had I ordered an entree with poultry or beef, ennui would have overcome me. Nonetheless, the Szcehuan Hoi Sin was an oceanic dazzler ornately presented.
It doesn't need to be stated that the Pittsburgh area is overrun with dinky, takeout-only Chinese joints, but if a case for the sit-down Chinese meal with fancy silverware, white tablecloths, and dapper, professional servers is to be made, Classic Chinese Cuisine is the most persuasive and passionate of advocates.
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