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If you've been looking for another excuse to put down the Panda Express and get out to the San Gabriel Valley for some delicious Chinese food, let the Chinese Cuisine Festival be it.Starting today and running until February 15, 19 notable Chinese restaurants, mostly in the San Gabriel Valley, will be offering off-menu items in order to showcase the variety and depth of what falls under the umbrella term of "Chinese food." "The main purpose of this festival is to rediscover some of the most well-known Chinese restaurants in Los Angeles from the eyes of Chinese," says the event website. "You will have the chance to try out both of traditional and the most current popular Chinese food in a more valuable way."
Instead of chow mein and orange chicken, why not some saozi noodles and crispy pork intestine? "A lot of these dishes are unique to the event," Henry Huang of ICON Union told LA Weekly. This is the second year in a row that ICON Union, a networking group for immigrant Chinese students, has held the event and it is likely to be as popular as it was last year.
To take advantage of the special menus, just show up to any participating restaurant and mention that you're there for the Chinese Cuisine Festival. You may even get a 15% discount, says Huang. Reservations are suggested, especially for the three restaurants serving Peking duck. Huang suggest calling at least an hour in advance for the duck.
Click here for the special menus, and check their Facebook page for more info on each restaurant. Man, it all looks so good.
Here's the list of all 19 participating restaurants, including their speciality cuisine:
Monterey Park: Duck House (Taiwanese), Three Travellers Bone Hot Pot (Shanghai), Wok BBQ (Dry Pot), Bamboo Creek (Southeast China)
Alhambra: Chengdu Taste (Szechuan), Shi Hai (Cantonese)
San Gabriel: Beijing Tasty House (Beijing), Beijing Restaurant (Beijing), Dong Ting Chun (Hunan), Spicy City (Szechuan), Hunan Spicy Taste (Hunan), Happy Tasty (Wuhan), Hong Yei Restaurant (Peking Duck)
Rosemead: Chengdu Taste (Szechuan)
Arcadia: Duo Pot (Hot Pot, Dry Pot)
Rowland Heights: Zheng’s Fusion (Chengdu High-end Cuisine), Xu-Garden Beer House (Chongqing Hot Pot), Duo Pot (Hot Pot, Dry Pot), Four Seasons Seafood Restaurant (Cantonese), Silk Road Garden (Xinjiang)
Chinatown: Qin West Chinese Cuisine (Shanxi)
West Los Angeles: Qin West Chinese Cuisine (Shanxi)
Oh, and in case you were wondering how Chinese people actually feel about Panda Express...
