Wednesday, February 17, 2010. Filipino Food At Christina's Empress Of China. Ash Wednesday. Reports on the amount of garbage that was swept up from the streets of New Orleans during and after Mardi Gras have begun to come in. That datum is often used as a measure of the success of the Carnival season. It seems to indicate that we have never had a better one. The hotels are saying the same thing. So are the national media, which note that Miami received only minimum benefit from hosting the Super Bowl this year. But the effect of the game in terms of sheer dollars in New Orleans was huge.
The best part is that everybody is saying that we can now forget about Katrina. Pretend it didn't happen, as a guy I know was saying within weeks after the storm. And move on. Why not? Things are looking better every day around here.
I went into town primarily because I needed to fill out a time sheet for the radio station. As long as I was there, I did a radio show. Then I crossed the river to sample, for the first time in years, Christina's Empress of China. It's always been a better-than-average Chinese restaurant, with a dedicated following. Some of that owes to the style--really, it rises to glamor at times--of Christina Tsang.
The menu took me completely by surprise. It was much shorter than I remember. It was also more interesting. While all the demand items are there (moo goo gai pan, beef with broccoli, General Tso's chicken, sweet and sour everything), I was struck by a few unusual dishes. Some Thai food has worked its way into the menu, for example. And curry--not the Indian or even the Chinese style, but Malaysian.
And pork adobo? That's a dish from the Philippines, one we haven't seen since the old Tahitian Room closed thirty years ago. I ordered it. Big chunks of pork--reminiscent of Cuban carnitas--came out with potatoes and sweet potatoes, in a thick brown sauce made with tomato, vinegar (that's the source of the distinctive flavor), and garlic. This was more than a little good. I had fried rice on the side (I would have asked for steamed white rice, but it didn't come up in the conversation with the server). And, before any of that, a good-sized cup of well-made hot and sour soup. A nice dinner, for around $20.
They locked the door as soon as I exited. Ash Wednesday is not a busy night for restaurants other than seafood houses. And it was cold outside. Cold keeps people at home. Maybe that's why we have so many restaurants.
Christina’s Empress of China. Gretna: 429 Wall Blvd. 504-392-9393. Chinese.
