| Taibai |
| Lexington Park,
MD |
| Summary:fantastic spring
rolls, just ok otherwise |
 (3
crabs out of 5) |
Karen- Every now and then in human history
poets, artists, theologians, and probably all of us have stopped
in their lives and considered the vast cosmos, deciding that there
is something more, a far-off ideal, an possibly-unattainable but
yet ever-present truth. Such a moment descended upon me not long
ago, in the powerful moment of biting into the rolled-up boiled
spinach called an egg roll served at the BAT. It was not bad,
it was certainly edible, but somewhere in the back of my mind
I knew somewhere, somehow, far beyond the scope of St. Mary's,
there was another kind of egg roll. For those of you who have
searched in yourself and asked the same question, I have relief.
You need quest no further than San Souci Plaza, where at Taibai
you can find not only egg rolls, but spring rolls (my personal
favorite) and all other kinds of Chinese concoctions that, while
perhaps not imported directly from China, do at least restore
one's faith in the existence of such things.
How did the experience of eating there measure up beyond the exhilaration
of knowing there is indeed culinary life outside St. Mary's? With
a Chinese restaurant, there are a few specific questions you can
ask yourself. Number one first and foremost: were there crunchy
noodles on the table, and in sufficient quantities, and was there
dipping sauce that makes your heart beat faster before trying
it? The answer to all three questions was a resounding yes, although
you probably have to get someone in your group to order the soup
in order to get them. No one should hesitate to do so, however,
because as the well-contented Egg-drop soup orderers explained,
such a soup can either be too yolky or too runny, and this fine
balance would have satisfied even Goldilocks' fine palate. The
wanton soup was something of another story-while it was saved
by the lovely decorated bowl it was served in, the noodles were
limp, and limp noodles never should be. The aforementioned egg
rolls and spring rolls were quite satisfying: the spring rolls
that I had were hot, just-spiced-enough, and textured in just
the ways that suggest a well-chosen and diverse choice of vegetables
within.
Of course it is all well and good to get the appetizers right,
but what about the main dishes? And perhaps as importantly, what
about the time in between? Much as they say that love and life
can be defined by the spaces around the events, so is a restaurant
experience a lot about waiting. And wait we did, for perhaps a
bit too long, however this slightly slow service was made more
pleasant by a nicely decorated, very typical-Chinese-restaurant
atmosphere, and the obligatory astrology chart at nearly every
place around the circular table. The most amazing part of the
whole experience came when the dishes finally did arrive and we
found that some people had and this is no joke exquisitely
formed flowers made out of carrot on their plate! No one need
fear for entertainment or conversation when there is a carrot
flower to be played with.
As to the dishes themselves, responses were generally very good.
One of our party, a self-professed Hunan Beef connoisseur, explained
that that particular dish was the best he had ever had, and as
I can attest to that attest, it was indeed flavorful. For all
the sugar lovers out there, you will be pleased with the large
fried shrimp which were distinctly sweet as well as with the soda,
which was more sugary than average. People who aren't fans of
sugar might want to stay with the beef, since the lemon chicken
was also sweet. However, in my opinion, it was such a powerful
eating experience that it shouldn't be missed. The first bite
into the lemon chicken is the kind of taste that can hardly be
done justice to, but is kind of like what you would imagine biting
into a flower would be like if it were, well, chicken-flavored.
The effect was an exquisitely delicate, melt-in-your-mouth kind
of tender taste that disintegrates and dissipates upon hitting
your tongue. A pretty presentation topped it off, with lemons
and ever-so-sweet maraschino cherries arranged like eyeballs on
top. The sauce that came with it was lemony and so-so, but seemed
an unfit and somewhat unworthy companion for such chicken. The
sweet and sour chicken was much the same, with great meat but
a runny sauce.
The two questions to ask yourself at a the end of a meal at a
Chinese restaurant came answered with: yes of course, they were
hard, sweet and some fairly amusing especially with the 'in bed'
suffix; and not too painful considering the big portionsabout
ten dollars a person. Referring of course to the obligatory fortune
cookies and the "bad news" which is the denoument of
every restaurant experience. So for a sometimes-sugary and often
excellent taste as well as circular tables and, most importantly,
carrot flowers, check out Taibai in San Souci Plaza sometime soon,
if only to remind yourself those tasty egg and spring rolls of
your imagination still do exist.
Paul- Not much to add here. Generally I agree, but I think
the their main dishes are average at best. Its not a bad place
to stop for dinner but there are definately better places to go
in the area
Reviewed- Winter 1999
| $$$$$-over 20 dollars |
| $$$$-15 to 20 dollars |
| $$$-11 to 15 dollars |
| $$-5 to 11 dollars |
| $-Below 5 |