Archive for January 5th, 2009

Chinese in the know know (say that a few times, why don’t you?) that the better food nowadays is in other areas of Washington, D.C., not Chinatown. Rockville, Maryland, typically is cited as the best place for “authentic” and “excellent” Chinese cuisine.

Yet, somehow we ended up trying Szechuan Gallery Restaurant, which is, squarely, in Chinatown. They were offering dim sum selections.

The place is not big; the dining room is divided into a “front” and “back” area, each one holds about 8 tables. Dim sum items come and go as they are prepared in the kitchen, and pretty much represented typical fare: steamed buns (sweet and savory), turnip cake, scallion pancakes, shumai, the so-called “sho long bao” or soupy dumplings.

Service was friendly, but not terribly efficient. Not one of their dim sum offerings was stellar. Aside from soy sauce, no other condiments are offered.

A mixture of Chinese and white patrons filled the dining room. Perhaps their menu is more appealing; we waived the right to order off the menu, in search of the dim sum. Better luck next time.