5 minute read
Foodfinds
from Oct. 29, 2015
Free check in Fish balls with *one check in per table
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1565 S. Virginia St. • Reno 775-420-4267
all you can eat sushi all the time
775.589.2067 highest quality & fresh fish daily / take-out orders welcome / full bar with hot & cold sake 195 highway 50., stateline 1/2 mile north of the casinos Open 7 Days a Week / Monday - Saturday 11:30am - 9:30pm / Sunday 11:30am - 9:00pm sushipiertahoe.com
all you can eat sushi all the time highest quality & fresh fish daily / take-out orders welcome / full bar with hot & cold sake Open 7 Days a Week / Monday - Saturday 11:30am - 9:30pm / Sunday 11:30am - 9:00pm 775.589.2067 195 highway 50., stateline 1/2 mile north of the casinos sushipiertahoe.com all you can eat sushi all the time highest quality & fresh fish daily / take-out orders welcome / full bar with hot & cold sake highest quality & fresh fi sh daily, take-out Open 7 Days a Week / Monday - Saturday 11:30am - 9:30pm / Sunday 11:30am - 9:00pm orders welcome, full bar with hot & cold sake
open 7 days a week at 11:00am Last Seating: Mon - Sat 9:30pm & Sun 9:00pm
1507 So. Virginia St. - Midtown, Reno - 775.825.5225
Gift certificates to local merchants for up to 50% off
Open Tues-Sat. 11-9 • Sunday 3-9 775.589.2067 thaimoodang.com 195 highway 50., stateline 1/2 mile north of the casinos sushipiertahoe.com
THAT’S HOW WE ROLL
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OPEN DAILY FROM 11AM-10PM 775.622.3098 • www.2DWok.com 2303 S. VIRGINIA STREET, #5, RENO, NV 89502 RN&R
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Tu-Di-Gong, or “The God of Earth,” is said to bring good luck and harmony to those who invoke his name. Reno’s newest Taiwanese restaurant sports a soundalike name that could be translated as “two-dimensional cooking.” Thankfully, the flavors are anything but flat at 2-D Wok. The modern cuisine of Taiwan is a mix of Asian flavors and traditions with its own unique contributions. My dining group came hungry, so we began with several starters and small plates. Crunch & Munch Chicken ($6) involved a couple of dozen deep-fried bites of breaded chicken breast, tossed with chopped Thai basil and a salt-and-pepper seasoning blend. The chicken was a bit dry, but the flavor was there. American “popcorn chicken” has its roots in this Taipei street food favorite. An order of beef wrap ($6) included four servings of braised beef and scallions wrapped inside a thin scallion crepe. Can’t go wrong with beef and onion. The Stewed Sampler ($6) is boiled eggs, tofu and beef that have been “red cooked,” i.e., braised in a mix of soy sauce, sugar and rice wine. The tofu was firm, and the beef was fall-apart tender. Calamari meatballs ($6) are similar to other Asian fish balls, deepfried in salt and pepper seasoning. I found these to be surprisingly tender, especially for squid. They were good but couldn’t compete with Momma Lin’s Fried Taiwanese Bacon ($6). A long piece of uncured, thick-cut pork belly is deep-fried in sweet potato starch, served thin-sliced with a side of plum salt. Dip the meat in the sweet salt and you might find it habit forming. Think bacon on crack.
Another dimension 2-D Wok 2303 S. Virginia St., 622-3098 Continuing with small plates, Cucumber Salad ($3) is a mild pickle by of diced garlic and chili pepper, and
Todd South quartered, inch-long cuts of cucumber. It’s mild unless you bite into one of those red hot bits of chili. The Taiwanese Rice Cake ($4) combines sticky rice stir-fried with bits of mushroom and pork, steamed and shaped into a cake, then drizzled with sweet chili sauce. Not bad if you like sweet rice. Our final small plate was a show stopper. The gua bao or Taiwanese pork bao ($4) is completely unlike the steamed buns found in a typical dim sum line-up. A puffy piece of steamed rice bread is topped with braised pork belly, pickled mustard greens, crushed peanuts and fresh cilantro. Folded like a taco, each bite made us swoon and want more. I’ve tasted a lot of pork belly served in a variety of trendy ways, but Taiwan is way ahead
An order of Momma of us. This bit of decadence could Lin’s Fried Taiwanese make a vegetarian switch teams.Bacon: thick-cut bacon lightly breaded with sweet potato Finally we made it to the entrees, each served with rice. Satay beef ($12) starch and deep-fried and Infernal Chicken Mushroom until golden brown, ($11) are both pretty recognizable as served with a side of plum salt. “Chinese stir-fry.” The beef was wellbalanced with bok choy and carrot in a spicy Taiwanese barbecue sauce. Straw mushroom, carrot, onion, and hot chilies join the chicken in a spicy soy sauce mix. Or rather, that’s what the menu says. The dish was delicious and savory, but we didn’t detect much “infernal” heat. Ginger Luffa Clams ($16) are a simple dish of steamed clams and stirfried baby luffa fruit, slow-simmered together in a light ginger sauce. Luffa is of the cucumber family. If allowed to fully ripen it becomes very fibrous and inedible. You may have seen them dried and sold as a bathing accessory. I’ve actually cooked three-cup chicken, but haven’t seen it named Romance of the Three Cup Chicken until now ($12). A Taiwanese classic, large chunks of chicken are stir-fried with onion, basil, whole garlic cloves and sliced ginger, and combined with the three “cups”: sesame oil, rice wine and soy sauce. Perhaps the romantic title makes sense as I’m now in love with this beautiful, flavorful hottie. Ω
Gift certificates to local Photo/Alli S on Young For more information, visit 2dwok.com.
