Shanghai Pine Garden serves the Chinese you’re looking for

Stephen Santacroce

Probably the first introduction I got to foreign cuisine was

Chinese food. OK, I have to caveat that, because I grew up back East

in a predominantly Italian American neighborhood where every other

corner sported an Italian restaurant or pizza parlor. But we didn’t

consider Italian food as foreign, and for us Chinese was as exotic as

it got.

And I was not unique. For millions of Americans, Chinese

restaurants in the 1960s offered a chance to experience something

different at reasonable prices. Never mind that much of this cuisine

was as authentic as Taco Bell, it still held exotic appeal to the

Tiki-crazed culture of the post-war golden years.

I have many fond memories of dining with my parents, sister and

grandparents at New Haven’s only Chinese restaurant, famous for its

“pu-pu” platter of assorted appetizers and tropical rum drinks

complete with paper umbrellas.

As an adult, I’ve had the opportunity to travel to Asia several

times on business, enjoying authentic Chinese cuisine at its best in

Taiwan. Still, I have a sharp nostalgia for the old-fashioned places

of my youth. Here in Orange County, I can indulge my nostalgia at

Shanghai Pine Garden on Balboa Island, the venerable Chinese

restaurant that’s been a part of the Newport dining scene for as long

as I’ve been alive.

Shanghai Pine Garden opened in 1969 under the ownership of Cheong

Lee. Lee moved to Newport that year from Brazil, and the history of

his life and restaurant career, which involves stints in Hong Kong

and Tokyo, could fill at least two more columns. Lee, whose sons

founded the popular fish taco chain, Wahoo’s, built the restaurant

into a local favorite, and soon reservations were hard to come by.

The restaurant sits today where it has always been, on a busy

corner of Marine Avenue in the heart of Balboa Island. Trendy shops

and eateries continue to open and close along the strip of high

priced real estate, but Shanghai Pine Gardens, owned for the past 16

years by Lee’s cousin, Peter Cheng, has remained the street’s local

anchor. The bright, garish sign outside is the first clue of the

restaurant’s vintage, and inside faux “lantern” fixtures and Chinese

prints invoke a simpler understanding of our overseas neighbors. The

restaurant bustles with busy waiters and loud groups of satisfied

diners.

Recently, I put the restaurant to the test by bringing a group of

17, including eight children under the age of 9. The staff

accommodated us easily, seating us at two round leather banquets. The

kids enjoyed being at their own table, and the energetic and noisy

atmosphere eased the parent’s nerves that we would disturb other

diners. It’s a great spot for a family gathering.

Having dined at many traditional Chinese restaurants, and also at

many of the newer, more authentic places in Chinatown and Monterey

Park, I wasn’t expecting much food wise. I’ve come to expect a

watered down version of Chinese food at many of these places that

toned down the spicier dishes and often tasted soggy or greasy, as if

dishes had been prepared in great quantities earlier in the day.

So I was very pleasantly surprised at the quality of the food at

Shanghai Pine Garden. I suppose I shouldn’t have been; it’s difficult

to survive anywhere, let alone in the confines of finicky Newport, on

reputation alone.

We started our meal (after ordering noodles, fried rice and cashew

chicken for the kids) with the mixed appetizer assortment ($5.95).

The platter included a selection of typical Chinese appetizer such as

egg rolls, wantons, crisp fried shrimp, rumaki (not really Chinese)

and spareribs. Everything was excellent. The egg rolls were filled

with a filling of crisp vegetable and pork, and both they and the

wontons were wrapped in thin egg wrapper and quickly fried. The

shells were crunchy thin, with no unpleasant greasiness. We also

ordered a couple of plates of pot stickers ($6.95), chewy pork and

vegetable dumplings that are sauteed in a pan with just enough water

to steam the dumplings but still fry the bottoms to a crisp texture.

At many Chinese restaurants, the spareribs are nothing more than

small bones with little more than a few strips of meat so overcooked

that their only useful purpose might be on the sole of a shoe. This

was not the case at Shanghai Pine Garden, where the ribs were of

Flintstones’ proportions and were crowded with chunks of succulent

meat tinged red by the sweet and sour glaze. We all tried to leave

nothing on the meaty bones, a process perfected by my friend Sue, who

left her ribs cleaner than a school of piranha and a bucket of

bleach.

Shanghai Pine Garden features an impressive selection of more than

80 entrees, featuring most of the favorites one would expect at a

traditional Chinese eatery. We tried several favorites such as Twice

Cooked Pork ($8.95), a spicy Szechwan dish of pork that’s first

steamed and then stir-fried with mixed vegetables, ginger and

chilies. The initial steaming rids the pork of much of its fat while

still retaining flavor and a moistness.

My biggest complaint at many Chinese restaurants is that the food

is overcooked, removing the crisp texture and fresh flavors imparted

by wok cooking over high heat. Here, dishes such as Shrimp in Lobster

Sauce ($10.95) were done just right. Often, this is a dish that

suffers from an overly gooey, pasty sauce, but here the shrimp were

crunchy and the sauce was light and full of savory flavors.

The same held true for other entrees such as a Kung Pao assortment

($10.95), a trio of chicken, shrimp and beef stir fried in a spicy

brown sauce studded with dried chili peppers and peanuts.

Battered dishes, such as the orange beef ($9.95) fared just as

well. The dish features slices of beef dipped in a light batter and

deep-fried, before being mixed in a tangy orange flavored sauce. In

many restaurants, this dish suffers from too much batter, overcooking

the beef, which toughens it, and a sickly sweet gloppy sauce. Here,

there was just a hint of batter coating, the meat was tender and the

sauce had a tart citrus overtone.

My final surprise came when the bill was presented. As is common

when ordering family style, we over ordered and had plenty of

leftovers, yet the total check for nine adults and eight children

still came to less than I’ve spent on dinner for two at many of the

area’s fancier restaurants.

Shanghai Pine Garden is the perfect blend of ‘60s Chinese style

cuisine and modern attention to quality and freshness. The extensive

menu is sure to have something to please just about anyone, and the

friendly, accommodating staff and reasonable prices make Shanghai

Pine Garden the perfect place for a casual evening out, whether yours

is a group of two or 20.

* STEPHEN SANTACROCE’S restaurant reviews appear every other

Thursday. Send him your comments at sdsanta@oc-dining.com.