tan tan restauarnt

texas summer 08
Originally uploaded by bluepupae.

my mom knows where the good food is. this is why i turned out to be such a food fanatic. i was spoiled by her cooking and taste buds.

on a recent visit, because we had been busily remodeling her bathroom (don't ask me why, i'm compulsive that way) late into the evening, tan tan, one of the few places open late, is where we went for dinner (lucky for us). the decor seems to have taken some cues from eighties music videos--i'm talking about the pervasive pink lighting. they've also embraced technology. while you wait for a seat, because it is a hoppin' even at 11pm at night, you can watch slideshows with photos of food on the large flat panels and grow hungrier by the minute and end up over-ordering when you are finally seated. not sure what it is about some of the asian restaurants, but the waitstaff can be rather impatient to take your order or maybe i just take a long time. with so many choices and images of food floating around, it's a challenge!

i was told the won ton noodle soup ( photo: http://www.flickr.com/... ) is one of their specialties, so we ordered a bowl to share. the broth was flavorful. the wontons were really good and fresh, and the noodles were firm. my aunt insisted we get crab or lobster. we opted for the crab with ginger and scallion so we would have room for a few other entrees. it was fresh and bathed in a subtly flavored brown sauce.

other entrees included the the delicate ma po bean curd which was cooked in a slightly spicy brown sauce with bits of ground pork and sprinkled with green onions, seafood fried rice (yum!), and salt and pepper shrimp, which had been deep fried for a crispy, slightly battered skin then sauteed with jalapenos and onions.

everything was consistent and delicious.