Greetings,

I am originally from Seattle and there are several Chinese dishes that I simply cannot find down here. One is Almond Fried Chicken; not General Tso's Chicken. Another is Pork Chow Mein with crunchy noodles but not those crunchy noodles which look like fried tortila chips. Any clues out there in restaurant world? Also missing Oyster Sauce Broccoli and frankly anything with a stronger flavoring than just salt, not hotter flavors, stronger flavors. Thanks.

Hey, I'm Vietnamese and grew up here in OKC but lived San Francisco for about 8 years. Your best bets for what you are looking for is the Dot Wo (Portland Ave location). They specialize in San Francisco Style Chinese food which probably more resembles what you are familiar. They have two locations, the original on NW 31st and Portland Avenue and a new location on SW 104th and Penn. The new location is much nicer but not as good in my opinion. I do believe they have what you are looking for, if not you can probably make a request. MY parents asked for things that weren't on the menu all the time.

http://www.dot-wo.com/#

They also have a location in Edmond if that is more convenient for you...I love Dot Wo!!

Thanks Chuck and Jayhawk. I'll check out Dot Wo. And I'll keep looking. Something we don't have in Seattle is the Lo Mein as it's served here and I LOVE that so I am still getting the Chinese fix.

I also recommend Dot Wo. Dot Wo has two menus, request the alternate menu that is pink or blue laminated. The burgundy menu is the Americanized menu, plus the location on Portland is the best.

Kim-Wah.

I don't know if they have what you are looking for but Fungs Kitchen, on North Classen (about 3/4 mile north of N.W. 23rd..in an old Pizza Hut building), has very authentic
Chinese food. Be sure and ask for the Asian menu rather than the American one!

Can anybody recommend a good hole-in-the-wall teriyaki joint with a good yakisoba offering? The only decent yakisoba I've found locally is at Musashi's, but I prefer the mom-and-pop places like they have all over the PDX area. In all my searching, I haven't found a single teriyaki place in the area. What gives?

Can anybody recommend a good hole-in-the-wall teriyaki joint with a good yakisoba offering? The only decent yakisoba I've found locally is at Musashi's, but I prefer the mom-and-pop places like they have all over the PDX area. In all my searching, I haven't found a single teriyaki place in the area. What gives?

Try Tokyo on NW 75th and Western if you haven't already. It's I think it's better than average and has good variety but since there isn't much of a Japanese population here, your options are pretty limited. It does have that older mom and pop feel. I do miss hole-in-the-wall Japanese restaurants that specialize in just one thing like ramen or izakaya.

You might want to check out Chow's at NW 30th and May. They serve many Chinese dishes not found at other restaurants around the city.

Can anybody recommend a good hole-in-the-wall teriyaki joint with a good yakisoba offering? The only decent yakisoba I've found locally is at Musashi's, but I prefer the mom-and-pop places like they have all over the PDX area. In all my searching, I haven't found a single teriyaki place in the area. What gives?

We have more of a Vietnamese presence than Japanese.

We have more of a Vietnamese presence than Japanese.


On that note, I'll take this opportunity to tell everyone some of the differences regarding Vietnamese food and some of the Chinese food in OKC. Vietnam can best be summed up as North and South. While there obviously common dishes, each side has differences that reflect it's history. The South was more heavily favored and influenced by the French while the North is heavily influenced by neighboring China.

The latter is why you often see the Chinese/Vietnamese restaurant combo. In fact many of those restaurants are actually owned by ethnically Chinese-Vietnamese immigrants. That is to say they were of Chinese origin and living in Vietnam for a generation(s) and came with the Vietnamese refugees after the war. As former citizens of Vietnam they know both languages and can obviously prepare both cuisines. There are many primarily Vietnamese restaurants in OKC owned by the ethnically Chinese and vice versa. The difference you'll often notice is that in a Vietnamese restaurant they will be speaking Mandarin or Cantonese. Another thing is that since they are ethnically Chinese and as such probably Northern Vietnamese, those Vietnamese dishes may differ slightly or sometimes dramatically. This is also true whether they are ethnically Chinese or not. For example, Northern Vietnamese Pho noodle soup (which you can't find in OKC) is much different than the Southern version most are familiar.

I'm not suggesting that these ethnically Chinese owned restaurants are inferior in any way. My point is that even in such a small country, the cuisine can vary widely and with great depth for great reason. Some of the best Vietnamese restaurants in OKC are ethnically Chinese owned and some of the best Chinese food is owned by ethnically Vietnamese people.

I caution people when reading reviews of Chinese or restaurants where the "world traveler" claims authenticity. China is a really big country. What is eaten on the coast and what is eaten further inland is not the same. There are hundreds of ethnic groups within China. For example, Islamic Chinese food is pretty authentic if you can find an Islamic Chinese restaurant. That may sound odd, but look at a map of China and the Silk Road. As I noted in a previous comment, Dot Wo is a San Francisco style Chinese restaurant. The Chinese immigrants found a new country with a host of new food items and some they could not find so they made adjustments and adaptations. There are some great Chinese restaurants in OKC, but they don't even begin to cover the range available. Obviously this also applies to Korean, Thai, and Japanese food.

Ultimately, eat what tastes good and don't be afraid to taste something that doesn't look good. When in doubt ask the Asian person at the table next to you. If there aren't any that might not be a good sign. (unless it's during the week since Asian people tend to only eat out on weekends.) Eat local too.

Try Tokyo on NW 75th and Western if you haven't already. It's I think it's better than average and has good variety but since there isn't much of a Japanese population here, your options are pretty limited. It does have that older mom and pop feel. I do miss hole-in-the-wall Japanese restaurants that specialize in just one thing like ramen or izakaya.

I've been there many times. Unfortunately, their yakisoba seems to be nothing more than the Maruchan stuff that I microwave at home. Not at all the real deal. Great sushi, though, and without the annoying crowd one has to endure at Neko.

Note that I know this thread is about Chinese food and yakisoba is a Japanese food; it just seemed a good spot to inquire.

I've been there many times. Unfortunately, their yakisoba seems to be nothing more than the Maruchan stuff that I microwave at home. Not at all the real deal. Great sushi, though, and without the annoying crowd one has to endure at Neko.

Note that I know this thread is about Chinese food and yakisoba is a Japanese food; it just seemed a good spot to inquire.

You're pretty much out of luck in terms of getting other facets of Japanese cuisine. Making your own broth and accompaniments is really labor intensive but well worth the effort. I usually spend a lazy Sunday making large amounts of stock, ramen broth and pho broth to freeze. If you want to make a great ramen broth but afraid to make a large batch, here's a great adaptation of Momofuku's ramen broth. The full recipe is a herculean effort but very approachable.

http://foodnouveau.com/2011/02/24/japan/david-changs-momofuku-ramen-with-pickled-shiitakes/