Good food and good fortune on the menu at Gourmet 88

Bill Scollon

At Gourmet 88, good fortune begins when you step in the door. The

Chinese symbol “88,” according to the menu, means good health and

good fortune. The restaurant lives up to that billing with a wide

selection of fresh dishes that are -- fortunately -- delicious.

Gourmet 88 specializes in Mandarin cuisine, which is a style of

cooking created hundreds of years ago in Beijing’s Forbidden City.

Sometimes called the food of the emperors, Mandarin cooking seeks

harmony through contrast combining crispy textures with smooth ones,

sweet with sour and contrasting colors.

The menu starts off with a page of chef specialties. There are

also dinner specials for two or more and complete dinners that

include appetizers and dessert. And of course, there are many a la

carte dishes to explore.

The appetizers I’ve had were fine, but not particularly

noteworthy. However, the soups are quite good. My favorite is the

assorted wonton soup, which is chock full of meat, vegetables and

noodles -- a meal in itself. I crave it when I get a cold!

As far as main dishes go, there are so many good ones, it’s hard

to know where to start.

The other night, I tried the sesame beef and it was terrific. The

meat was quick-fried in a wok and covered with a spicy tangerine

sauce. It was a pungent and intense dish that I also found to be

quite addictive. Another stand-out is kung pao san yan, a variation

of the standard kung pao that combines shrimp, chicken and beef with

peanuts in a peppery Mandarin sauce. Very good and zesty.

Don’t worry, not every dish is spicy.

The lemon scallops for example are lightly battered and citrusy. I

also like the garlic prawns, in large part, due to the delicious

garlic sauce that is featured in several dishes.

I can’t forget another favorite of mine, mu shu pork. Have it with

chicken or beef, if you prefer. It’s served with paper-thin pancakes

in which you roll up the mu shu. Served with a deep plum sauce, this

dish bursts with contrasting flavors.

Vegetable dishes can complement a meat entree or be enjoyed as a

meal. Some, like the asparagus or the sauteed snow peas with water

chestnuts, are prepared very simply allowing the full flavor of the

vegetable to come through.

Other dishes, like the hot spiced eggplant, are creative, intense

and delectable.

The eggplant was combined with mushrooms, peppers and onions in a

dark spicy sauce.

It was so good, I plan to make a meal of it next time.

Along with the check come sliced oranges and fortune cookies.

The oranges are a cold and bracing palate cleanser -- much better

than a mint. I’ve never been a fan of the factory-folded sugar

cookie, but I love getting my fortune.

Allow me to offer you one, too: May it be your good fortune to

dine at Gourmet 88 soon.

* BILL SCOLLON is a Burbank resident and president of Scollon

Media Arts. You can reach him at ewscollonhotmail.com.