Hutong

Finally, I think there's an interesting new Chinese restaurant in Madison.  I don't know why, but it seems like there's a really low bar for Chinese food here.  I say "seems like" because I'm happy to be incorrect on that. Like there's been like 5 outstanding Chinese restaurants staring me in the face for decades.  I like Chang Jiang fine enough, but it's just sort of basic ... I dunno, industrialized, Chinese takeout. Fascinating back in the day maybe, but not really nowadays. But I'm done saying anything bad about Chang Jiang. I love that place. I think their General Tso's was my third or fourth favorite meal through college.But now I find myself on a Friday night looking for a new restaurant to try takeout from, and I went with Hutong. Wow that was great.  I had:

• Dandan noodles.
• Garlic green beans.
• Scallion pancakes.

Good, good, good. The menu is very short, so I guess they want to specialize on a few things.  I tend to respect that strategy a lot. I can see why it's risky for the restaurant owner but it takes guesswork away from the customer too.

Dandan noodles are a little spicy but it was an interesting flavor with a heavy dose of a rich ground beef-based sauce.  More like how I make my spaghetti than the minimal sauciness of chow mein.  I'll be back. The pancakes were nice and crispy. The green beans were wonderful.  I wasn't expecting them to be a cold dish, but maybe that's better.