Anyone ever been to Hunan Chef on York Road in Lutherville/Timonium? Well, if you have, then perhaps you know what I'm talking about.
From the outside, it looks like an unassuming, typical Chinese takeout location. I'd venture to say the inside looks pretty typical, too, complete with the giant back-lit photograph of a beach-front with a giant stone structure jutting out from the forest behind it.[1] Even the menu, in many places, is that of a generic Chinese takeout menu; all of the normal favorites find a place on Hunan Chef's menu.[2]
Beyond that, though, we get to the nit-and-grit of it all: the food. The food here was absolutely delectable. I ordered orange chicken, and when I devoured it, it blew my fucking mind. It had a bit more kick to it than your average takeout orange chicken - it lit my mouth on fire in a good way. The chicken itself was juicy and soft, with a nice crisp coating of batter. Strewn throughout the sauce were hearty chunks of orange peel and quite a few hot peppers of some sort. Like a typical Chinese takeout, it came with some broccoli. The broccoli wasn't real anything special, but I did appreciate its crispness.
My PIFC (also known as the Worst Vegetarian Ever) ordered a "cheesesteak egg roll".[3] Yes, that says CHEESESTEAK and EGG ROLL, folks! It contained steak, cheese, a little bit of mushroom and onions, and was absolutely delicious-looking (and actually delicious, according to her).
The price was in-line with normal Chinese takeout prices for the area, and the guy who took our order was super friendly and genuinely interested to see us there. He even let us in at 11:36, when the hours stated they closed at 11:30.
1. You know the picture, you've probably seen it before... And at several different places.
2. With a few small, but amazing differences.
3. This being one of those small, but amazing differences.
From the outside, it looks like an unassuming, typical Chinese takeout location. I'd venture to say the inside looks pretty typical, too, complete with the giant back-lit photograph of a beach-front with a giant stone structure jutting out from the forest behind it.[1] Even the menu, in many places, is that of a generic Chinese takeout menu; all of the normal favorites find a place on Hunan Chef's menu.[2]Beyond that, though, we get to the nit-and-grit of it all: the food. The food here was absolutely delectable. I ordered orange chicken, and when I devoured it, it blew my fucking mind. It had a bit more kick to it than your average takeout orange chicken - it lit my mouth on fire in a good way. The chicken itself was juicy and soft, with a nice crisp coating of batter. Strewn throughout the sauce were hearty chunks of orange peel and quite a few hot peppers of some sort. Like a typical Chinese takeout, it came with some broccoli. The broccoli wasn't real anything special, but I did appreciate its crispness.
My PIFC (also known as the Worst Vegetarian Ever) ordered a "cheesesteak egg roll".[3] Yes, that says CHEESESTEAK and EGG ROLL, folks! It contained steak, cheese, a little bit of mushroom and onions, and was absolutely delicious-looking (and actually delicious, according to her).
The price was in-line with normal Chinese takeout prices for the area, and the guy who took our order was super friendly and genuinely interested to see us there. He even let us in at 11:36, when the hours stated they closed at 11:30.
1. You know the picture, you've probably seen it before... And at several different places.
2. With a few small, but amazing differences.
3. This being one of those small, but amazing differences.
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