Back in the day -- a couple of decades ago -- Chinese restaurants in these here parts were few and far between. Remember Jade Palace in the mall? When the mall finally opened?

Further, what Chinese eateries there were served only Mandarin- and Cantonese-style dishes. Egg rolls, fried rice, chow mein. All pretty avant-garde back then.

And then things changed. More "sophisticated" folks moved into Howard County. And so did more knowledgeable restaurateurs.

Enter the cooking styles from China's Szechuan and Hunan provinces. No mild mannered dishes here. Hot peppers ruled. And locals welcomed them with open mouths.

Enter two local restaurants that featured "regular" Chinese fare and this new-fangled food: Wok 175 on Dobbin Road (where the Indian eatery, Mirchi Wok is today) and Lucky's China Inn, situated in the Oakland Mills Village Center.

That was 18 years ago, all you aging upwardly mobile hippies who flocked to Columbia (and environs). And while Wok 175 no longer exists, Lucky's China Inn does. It's under "new" ownership these days. Elsa Chang took over the helm about 12 years ago, and is happy to report that business is good.

Understandable, for all of us who consider hot and sour soup, General Tso's chicken, lo mein and fried rice comfort foods.

Multiple columns

Four of us visited Lucky's on a recent Wednesday evening. It was a quiet one, but business was relatively steady, combining as it did eat-ins like us and ample numbers of carry-outs, plus deliveries.

Lucky's dining room, with some 50 seats, is quiet and intimate. The wallpaper is in a wispy pattern over an oak chair rail over pale blue. Tables are topped with white linen under glass. Cloth napkins are in a burgundy shade. You can actually hear yourself think in this eatery. And hear what your companions have to say.

It's good that this is a relaxing place, as the menu is huge, and needs some time to digest. Which we did, over Xing Tao beer. While munching crunchy chow mein noodles dunked in sweet-tart sauce. Sort of the Chinese equivalent of chips and salsa.

Our foursome included some relatively adventurous diners, but we went more for traditional comfort this time. A pu pu platter, yet ($8.50). Quite lavish, with plenty for all to share: egg roll (plump and fresh), spare ribs (tender, lightly flavored), shrimp tempura (crisp outside, moist within), beef satay (simple) and crab-filled wontons. Served up in a big wooden bowl with a mini-hibachi aflame n the center, so we could crisp up whatever of the goodies we wished.

A couple of cups of hot and sour soup ($1.50), too. Plenty of tofu, mushrooms, sprouts and more in the classic smooth, tangy broth with just a hint of sweetness. Nicely balanced.

And our crabmeat lover ordered his own portion of crab-filled wontons. A good thing. These big, crisp, tightly folded appetizers are chock-full of creamy cheese. And some crabmeat, of course.

Regional fare

There are classic dinner combinations -- and lunch, of course -- that include a main course, plus soup, egg roll and vegetable fried rice. The combinations include meat eaters' favorites plus 11 vegetarian entrees as well.

But we went a la carte on this occasion. And our server, for whom English is clearly a second language, never wrote anything down -- a technique that's a sign of a good restaurant -- handled most of our requests with aplomb.

Our main-dish selections represented a good-tasting tour of regional Chinese cuisine. Arguably, the most labor-intensive selection (for the kitchen) that evening was Peking duck ($10.95). This long-time favorite entrée, which originated in Beijing (aka Peking), featured plenty of moist, tender shredded duck with crisp skin, plus a quartet of pancakes for making the "rolls." And, of course, scallion "brushes" for slathering the pancakes with hoisin sauce before adding the duck.

Sizzling triple delight ($9.95), from Hong Kong, was a more than ample melange of thin-sliced beef, boneless chicken and shrimp stir-fried with large chunks of broccoli, mushrooms, bok choy and baby corn. It's normally a mild dish, but our guest ordered it spiced up, a la Hunan or Szechuan provinces. The request, however, wasn't translated in the kitchen. Good, anyway.

General Tso's chicken ($8.95), from Hunan province, was an amazingly generous portion of big, tender, white-meat chicken chunks, double-fried to wonderful crispness outside, then slathered with the classic sweet-tangy sauce. Indeed, there may have been a mite too much sauce on this one, but the chicken remained crisp nonetheless. Steamed broccoli florettes accompanied.

And, of course, a big bowl of steamed white rice.

Two more dishes rounded out our feast. A combination lo mein ($7.25) boasted tender stir-fried noodles ornamented with shrimp, chicken and pork. Comfort, plus protein. What more do you need?

And eggplant with garlic sauce ($6.95) was easily a large enough portion to share. Big chunks of very fresh eggplant were done up in a well-balanced garlicky sauce from the "hotter" Chinese provinces.

It is something of a truism that a city neighborhood that can support a Chinese restaurant is a viable entity. If that's the case, then Oakland Mills is doing all right. Certainly, according to Elsa Chang, those who enjoy the food from Lucky's China Inn are able to keep Chef Steven Cao and his kitchen staff busy seven days a week.

There's actually no mystery to it. The classic Chinese restaurant offers good food, nicely served in a pleasant dining room, with ample portions -- you'll probably take half of your portions home -- and at reasonable prices. What more can we ask for in these chaotic times?

Lucky's China Inn (410-997-5454) is in the Oakland Mills Village Center, 5865-D Robert Oliver Place, Columbia (east).

user comments (1)

user qcloud says...

I'm chinese, I often buy one whole beijing ducks home, and enjoys the joy of slicing it :) After eating them, I will have one cup of green tea with my favorite tea set around. I must be in the heaven.

Posted 3:29 AM, 11.20.08

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