One of the most anticipated restaurant openings last year was Blue Giant, billed as a Chinese American restaurant from the youthful era of two young guys, so that means the Chinese food of the 1990s with a 21st-century update. Blue Giant took a while to get open because the renovations took longer than expected at its beautiful LGD (that’s what the cool people call the Lower Garden District now) space. The restaurant is located in that gentrifying block with Claret and Satsuma in new construction spaces. Blue Giant is a renovation, hence the delay. All of that waiting only heightened the anticipation, but Blue Giant delivers.
It doesn’t look like a Chinese restaurant, especially the predictable spaces of that era. Exposed brick walls and handsome booths are across a narrow aisle to the long bar. Very necessary seating in this tiny place. Brass lined shelves make the kitchen more efficient. The overall look is modern and classy rather than ethnic cliche.
We were a little surprised that the wait wasn’t as long as we expected considering the hype Blue Giant has enjoyed. It was under an hour but not much. While we waited we chatted with a very nice guy who turned out to be one of the two owners, Baltimore native Richard Horner. The other is Northshore native Billy Jones. Both are alums of Cochon, and Blue Giant was hatched at Barrel Proof one night after work. Billy is in the kitchen, crafting food like the kind he remembers from Trey Yuen. Richard is in the front of the house, and he was great at the door keeping us abreast of the progress of the tables. The conversation definitely mollified the wait.
And soon a booth came up. There are two cozy circular booths in the front of the restaurant. We slipped in and started ordering immediately. The first thing that catches your eye on the abbreviated menu is Peking Duck for $65. Another time with more people, I resolved. I'm very excited about this duck after speaking to Richard, who confided that people from New York and Australia who have had this dish in far more "authentic" Chinatowns are very enthusiastic about the one they serve at Blue Giant.
Another time. On this visit, we did find plenty of other things to amuse us. We had fried rice and hot and sour soup, and an eggroll. which I later learned was developed by visiting Trey Yuen. Stir-fried broccoli. Dumplings. Char siu pork, and Dan Dan noodles. The outstanding dish here was the Dan Dan noodles, as recommended by Richard in our entrance-door conversation. These are unforgettable. So spicy they are almost painful to eat. Yet you want to keep eating them. The hot and sour soup passed muster with Tom, the expert on this menu item. The fried rice was a little disappointing to Mary Leigh, the expert on that menu item. She couldn’t identify the familiar spice she thought overdone. We think it is ginger.
The pan-fried shrimp and pork dumplings I ordered were Din Tai Fung-style, little mounds that pop out of a sheet of cooked batter. These were terrific. We also liked the stir-fried broccoli, which was quite spice-hot as well. Everything was really spice-hot but the dumplings. The stir-fried pork didn’t make much of a statement at all.
Besides his standard whine about noise levels in restaurants, Tom’s biggest complaint was the brevity of the menu. I wanted more choices too but Richard told me that will not likely change. They will focus on the finest ingredients and switch out menu items seasonally, keeping it intentionally simpler. I'm going back for the Peking Duck anyway. With or without Tom.
Blue Giant
1300 Magazine St New Orleans
504-582-9060
11a-2:30p Lunch 5:30-10 Dinner
Closed Tuesdays
bluegiantnola.com
