Chinese on New Year's Day in Montgomery County

[ktmoomau]

I am going to see my SIL on NYD to eat Chinese food and go see Hunger Games.  The problem is I have been reading all the Chinese threads for Rockville and all of the ones near the top of the dining guide have recent posts about going downhill.  So where should we go?  She is not the biggest fan of spicy or weird, but can find something on most menus.

[porcupine]

Bob's Shanghai has been getting the shaft here.  The food is excellent, the menu wide-ranging enough to suit a variety of palates, and the service is pretty friendly.

[DanielK]

I just cross-posted over in the Sichuan Jin River topic, but for non-spicy Chinese in Rockville, Bob's Shanghai is a great choice, as are China Bistro, East Pearl, and A&J.

[ktmoomau]

Thanks, any recommendations on what you would get at Bob's Shanghai?  Or at the other places you mentioned?  I don't eat a lot of Chinese food.  Either interesting or safe?  We went to Bob's Noodle and got soup dumplings, sichuan green beans and pork with celery and she liked all those things.  I will probably order something a little more interesting than her. 

[pras]

Bob's (and I think A&J) only take cash, so please keep that in mind.

[DanielK]

At Bob's Shanghai, my favorites include:

Beef wrap w scallion

Pork w long horn pepper

Shrimp and pork siu mai

Steamed pork buns (soup dumplings)

Chef special pork fried dumplings

Leek fried crescents

Spicy baby bamboo

Shredded pork w mustard greens and bean curd sheets
Stir fried rice cakes

[porcupine]

Correct about cash only at both Bob's and A&J.  To DanielK's list add the salt and pepper flounder filets.  And snow pea leaves (usually listed on the specials board at this time of year).

[DanielK]

Porcupine, I like the S&P dishes there, but I'm skeptical that the white fish in the S&P fish is actually flounder. And I second their treatment of snow pea leaves, or whatever fresh vegetable they are offering up.

The servers (all of them Chinese women) as noted before can sometimes be a bit brusque, and English is clearly not their first language. The late-20s guy that usually works the front desk, though, is extremely friendly and will happily walk you through the menu and share his favorites. He always sits down to chat with us if we hit at a time that isn't crowded.

[porcupine]

Porcupine, I like the S&P dishes there, but I'm skeptical that the white fish in the S&P fish is actually flounder.

So am I, but so what?  It's a good dish.