Today's S. Irene Virbila review of Elite Kitchen in Monterey Park is filled with the sights, sounds and tastes of a busy Chinese restaurant. At times, it's downright mouthwatering:
A smiling waiter is immediately at our service, pouring tea before he runs off to the kitchen with our penciled order. We barely have time to take a sip of the strong fragrant tea before the first dim sum arrive. Snuggled in their steamer, the har gow look ready for a blogger's portrait. The shrimp are pink and meaty, steamed just enough to give them a satisfying soft crunch when you bite into them. The shrimp fit as naturally in their dreamy soft dough as fava beans in their pod. These har gow are about as perfect as I've ever tasted.She also commends the absolute control the staff has over the room, and the chef's perfect touch with not just dim sum, but other menu items as well. There's little surprise that Miss Irene doles out two-and-a-half stars, until we read this: "It's a disappointment to see a B rating prominently displayed in the window." We know plenty of people find B or even C ratings palatable, especially for quality ethnic cuisine. But 2.5 stars for a B-rated restaurant? For context, it shares company with some of LA's best restaurants, including Sona, Angelini Osteria, and Beacon. Today the "S." stands for "Similar. Really?" [LAT]
ELSEWHERE: Crisp and crusty at Stone Fire Pizza; not just one, but two scoops of Scoops; good food, bad service at Wilson; an entourage heads to Hot Stuff Café in San Gabriel; a disaster at Dusty's in Silver Lake.
