Li’s offers Chinese cuisine with a new twist

Mary Furr

New owner Denny Raffty has taken over and remodeled a familiar

Huntington Beach landmark -- Li’s Chinese Restaurant. A main wall has

been moved to create an attractive larger cocktail lounge and a small

banquet room is now available off the main dining area. The

restaurant has kept the lovely, intricate gold ceiling plaques, but

the walls are now a deep purple maroon, a great backdrop for the

large, open fans that decorate them.

Kai Chen, the Japanese-trained chef, still dominates the kitchen

and his wife, Grace, is there as a gracious hostess. We bask in Li’s

updated look, but how about the food?

First brought to the table are the appetizers, of which the

cabbage stuffed egg roll is the best, with a flaky coat and fresh

cabbage, but no carrot slivers. The rumaki is the biggest

disappointment -- it’s a favorite and here, it seemed to be a

leftover from the previous dinner. It should be a crisp bit of bacon

wrapped around a slice of water chestnut and a bite-sized piece of

chicken liver skewered with a toothpick, then broiled to a nice

brown. It was definitely overcooked this evening. There are also two

well-sauced meaty pork ribs with the appetizers that are messy if you

can’t resist picking them up.

Next with this Chef’s Special Deluxe Dinner ($14.25) is a

three-flavor sizzling rice soup prepared tableside by server Octavio

Jimenez. He mixes steamed rice with peas and carrots, which he pours

into a bowl of hot beef broth that sizzles and pops, then ladles into

soup bowls for us.

From among the seven entrees, we chose sweet-and-sour shrimp -- a

very generous serving of shrimp with pineapple chunks in a

cherry-colored sweet, thick sauce -- traditionally prepared and good,

though some shrimp seemed slightly tough.

The other choice was mushu pork, also prepared tableside by

Jimenez, who painted the tortilla-like crepes with a pungent, thick

plum sauce and folded in shredded cabbage, bean sprouts and bamboo

shoots. We like to spoon some of the dark soy ginger sauce into the

open end of the neat mushu package for extra zest.

Three Ingredients, a classic choice for the undecided, has sauteed

shrimp, slices of chicken and tender beef with vegetables in a soy

ginger sauce. Entrees are served family-style, so everyone can enjoy

a variety of dishes -- it’s part of the fun of eating Chinese.

According to bar manager Susan Koff, Li’s just received its

entertainment permit, and began offering light jazz and piano nightly

on Saturday. It seems Raffty is creating a new night spot in the

ever-changing Huntington Beach scene. Li’s will also offer a

beautiful banquet room for private parties and have seven TV monitors

for sports viewing. Our quiet beach resort town is growing up!

* MARY FURR is the Independent restaurant critic. If you have

comments or suggestions, call (562) 493-5062 or e-mail

hbindy@latimes.com.