Dong Ting Chun - San Gabriel

They were out of everything. I get it, the supply chain has been badly disrupted, and it's hard to offer too much variety these days, but when you have to substitute half your order for some variation of stir-fried pork, enough is enough. 

The Boiled Spicy Fish Fillets are one of the better dishes we received. They won't win any awards for presentation - a colorless soup in a white...bucket. That bucket DID make it all the way home without leaking, in their defense. And the fish is tender, the flavor is savory with a spicy kick. A decent dish overall, one I wouldn't go out of my way to order but wouldn't be unhappy to have again. 

You get the Steamed Pork Ribs with Mushroom Sauce for free on orders over $50. the pork could be less tough, but the flavor is there, a black bean/soy-based mixture of some sort, again with a little chili kick. 

Stir-Fried Pork with Green Pepper, a recommended substitution. Razor-thin slices of belly to flavor some slightly spicy pepper. Not bad, though boring. 

Another substitution, this one requested by me. Shredded Pork and Tofu Stir-Fry, a traditional dish of the Szechuan south. Not shredded, tons of salt and oil. Not bad, but again, not very good. 

Bamboo Shoots with Bacon, the only dish they haven't run out of. The bamboo tastes sour and not very fresh, the pork looks like the same pork they used for every other dish. I love stir-fried bamboo shoots so this was a disappointment to say the least. 

Not my favorite dishes, not my favorite food. Not bad but in San Gabriel, I can do better. 

Alice's Kitchen - Monterey Park

Alice's Kitchen. The name conjures visions of a home-cooking kitchen where mom rolls up her sleeves, lovingly stirring her soup while she adjusts the strings of her floral-print apron. The food is made with care, the pot is stirred with love, and it's all you've ever wanted from home. 

Check out this Chicken with Chili Oil. A neat loaf of white-blanched bird, adorned with fragrant sesame dots, soaking in a numb-burn bath. That supple skin shines like polished stone, and it has the chew without the slime. It jackets the juiciest, cleanest meat.

If you didn't get a Fried Pork Chop, did you even order Cantonese? This one is battered with a golden-brown breading, and there's a salt n' sugar seasoning that's just chopstick-lickin' good. 

Never forget to get it fried, but ALWAYS get it baked. Chicken or egg, is the Baked Pork Chop the Cantonese chicken parm or is it just one more thing Marco Polo rebranded? This casserole comes with a crispy crust of cheese concealing chops in a tangy tomato.

Lighter mains like the Sauteed Taishan Broccoli Flower is a light stir fry with a bouquet of sprouting cauliflower, which keeps its crunch where regular cauliflower goes soft. The sparser sprout has more room for the sauce to stick, though the sauce is mostly salt because pork jowl meat is face-bacon and needs no enhancement.

Even the Bok Choy with Shiitake Mushroom spares no expense. The shiny brown caps of juicy shiitake are perfect haloes of umami juice, and florets of bok choy stew in brown sauce. 

Stir-fried String Beans with minced pork are another lighter option that doesn't lack flavor,

and no meal is complete without a slurry of Curry. 

They make a signature Jumbo HK Style Pineapple Bun sandwich, and each one is a standalone breakfast or lunch. Egg and spicy sausage are a formidable duo, but if you get just the bun with butter, it's dessert for one because it's too good to share. 

Elvis had his signature sandwich because he didn't know about the Thick Toast with peanut butter and condensed milk. It sounds so simple, but there's never been anything so good. 

Home style Hong Kong here, made by one of the best cooks outside of Hong Kong. Alice's Kitchen competes with any kitchen, and she blows the competition away.