Sunday, June 6, 2010

Snappy Dragon - Seattle

New Seattle friends means new Seattle restaurant recommendations. Friend Andrea suggested that we give Snappy Dragon a try. "Homemade noodles," she says. That's really all I need to hear.

Dear Ben and I decided to order some take out on this lazy Sunday night. Anyway, it's a cute little building, and Dear Ben said the place was packed - even at 5:30 pm. Seems like a good sign, right? And the bag he brought home looks like my belly is going to be plenty happy with the amount of food. However... (sigh)... the taste just didn't live up to the excitement. More flavor, please.



Here's the low down...

Hot and Sour Soup



I feel like we might have liked it better if we'd dined in, but if you've ever been around a newborn (either your own or someone else's), you'll agree that dining at home is a better bet for everyone. This vegetarian version of hot and sour soup left an odd taste on my tongue.

BBQ Pork


I've noticed that BBQ Pork is on a lot of menus around Seattle. I'm a huge fan of the BBQ Pork Fried Rice at Mong Dynasty in Fayetteville, AR, (hometown shout-out), not so much here. The mustard and ketchup sauces are fun to dip, but even a strong tasting sauce can't mask the dry meat. I didn't hate it, but I wouldn't order it again. Ok, I take that back. I MIGHT order it again, but only because it's a pretty cheap eat ($5.75 for a half order). Maybe it's worth another shot when I eat inside the restaurant.

Jiao-zi (boiled dumplings)


These little dumplings come in pork or vegetable variety, but don't try to mix and match. The answer is no. We ordered the veggie, and it was bland and boring. I wonder if the pork would have had more flavor? I read they were addicting, yet in my book, they were a bit of a disappointment. Then again, the "tangy, flavorful dipping sauce" did make these homestyle, Chinese dumplings come to life a little. If you happen to be among those addicted, the good news is that you can buy them frozen too!

Chicken Chow Mein with Homemade Noodles


Finally, the homemade noodles. This here, my friends, is the Chicken Chow Mein. What? This picture doesn't excite you? Your mouth isn't watering? I know! It actually tasted as boring as it looks. Oh, how I hate to give you that report! ...and if I only I had some brown gravy lying around my house. I would've doused the noodles, which are actually reminiscent of spaetzle. I just needed more flavor.


The plate assembled at home. Thank goodness for the lone snow pea, huh?


I was hesitant to tell Friend Andrea that our experience was less than memorable. She LOVES the Snappy Dragon. I felt like I might be insulting her tastes, but weeks later she says that her take out was also not the quality she's used to. To be positive, I'm going to chalk it up to the fact that the food wasn't eaten hot out of the kitchen. I don't love you, Snappy Dragon, but I'm willing to sit inside the restaurant and give you another chance. Perhaps I can still form a relationship with those homemade noodles...


Judy Fu's Snappy Dragon
8917 roosevelt way ne
Seattle, WA 98115
(206) 528-5575
www.snappydragon.com


Judy Fu's Snappy Dragon on Urbanspoon

2 comments:

  1. I love this Karen! I do think it's worth a second visit just so you experience the food fresh off the stove, but I'll forgive you if you still don't love it :)

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  2. We've had the exact same experience! We've heard people rave about it and then when we ordered it we were less than impressed. It has to be better in the restaurant, right? We haven't tried the dine in experience yet, but rarely do people in Seattle rave with the fervor that they do for the Dragon. So I'll definitely give it another shot.

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