Recently, boards like Chowhound and Don Rockwell have been buzzing about Grace Garden Chinese restaurant in Odenton, MD near Fort Meade. After reading a blog post on the spot, I made a plan to go with some tough Chinese food critics, my parents.
The place is really inconspicuous near the fort, and the interior was modest, but they did have tables with lazy susans, a good sign for a Chinese joint. The chef and his family welcomed us very graciously, and we proceeded to eat a pretty great meal.I special ordered the Peacock Chicken, a steamed chicked topped with a spicy sesame sauce (similar to Mala sauce). It was spicy, but not too hot, and it was delicious.
The chef recommended we try the Pocket Tofu, that they made there. It was a light tofu mixed with shrimp mousse so that they were light and fluffy. This might have been my favorite item.Foodies on the net have been raving about the Sichuan Steamed Pork with Rice Powder, a dish with pork belly cooked with rice powder served on potatoes. The chef specially steamed ours with a lotus leaf. It was really good- really fatty, but really good.
I had wanted to try the 3 cup chicken, but since we got the other chicken dish, we opted for the Basil Fish Filets ("3 cup fish") which also had a really nice flavor.Since there aren't as many great Chinese places in the Baltimore area, it's nice to have Grace Garden nearby. My parents and I agreed that we would definitely come back.
1690 Annapolis Rd
Odenton, MD 21113
(410) 672-3581
I've been posting on chowhound about my trips to Grace Garden:http://www.chowhound.com/topics/520156 . Of the three times I've ordered the Sichuan pork belly, the chef has done it on a bed of cubed potato twice to soak up the liquids, and each time steamed it, as well as served it, on lotus leaves.
ReplyDeleteHad the Peacock chicken last night - wasn't expecting to have it served cold, but still delicious.
Hi I'm so glad that foodies out there are discovering Grace Garden!
ReplyDeleteWe've been loyal patrons for about 3 years!
Actually, we just took out pocket tofu and other yummy dishes tonight. Fish Noodles is a must-try too!