Good Asian Food

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almighty_tuna
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Good Asian Food

Post by almighty_tuna »

Mrs Tuna and I are looking to get something to eat tonight w/the kids.  We've already thought of the Rice Bowl, O! Casual Dining and PF Chang, but we're interested in other good places for chinese or japanese food (aside from sushi), non-chain/local a big plus.  One of our favorites when we lived in Lincoln was "Windchimes".

Ideas?
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Post by thenewguy »

a little off of what you were thinking, but hy-vee has some good chinese.  i recommend it if you're ever hungry and near by.
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Post by Brad »

Is the Rose Garden still by your HyVee?
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Post by Garrett »

Grand Fortune near the Bakers on 168th and Center?
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Post by annad »

I've heard good things about Three Happiness on 51st & Leavenworth but I've never been there.
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Post by nativeomahan »

Grand Fortune is excellent, and has dim sum on weekends.  Yum!

J.C. Mandarin on 98th st. is also excellent, and is locally owned.

O Dining is very good, and downtown.

China Road in Bellevue and off 132nd and W. Dodge in Linden Market are wonderful.

Blue (3 locations) has always been wonderful when we ate there.
What do you have against sushi???

Three Happiness Express is okay...a local neighborhood place worth going to if you are in the neighborhood.  Just don't order the Mu Shu Pork.  They have absolutely no clue as to what it is!

Has anyone eaten at King Fongs recently?  It has been like 25 years for me.  I remember it was an eye opening experience.
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Post by almighty_tuna »

nativeomahan wrote:Blue (3 locations) has always been wonderful when we ate there.
What do you have against sushi???
Nothing, we love sushi - even the kids!  But we already know where to go for that!!
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Post by ladyred »

We get most of our Chinese at House Of Lee at 90th and Fort. It is really fast and you can dine in our take home. Lots of takeout goes out of there. I think they also have a place downtown or midtown somewhere.
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Post by ashley@bogies »

hi, i'm new to the forum and omaha area! my parents recently opened a sports bar and grill, Bogie's, with a restaurant feel. it's near 108th and Maple at 3305 Old Maple Road (most remember the location as the old Perkins).

this post caught my eye as i was looking to find different ways to help my parents advertise. Our house specialties have an asian flair including teriyaki but we also offer a variety of grill-type choices (burgers, pork tenderloins, salads, etc..). we've only been open for about two weeks and would love everyone to stop by and check it out -- it's a family owned/operated business and we intend to keep it that way -- hope to see some of you!
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Welcome to eOmahaForums Ashley!
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Post by nativeomahan »

ashley@bogies wrote:hi, i'm new to the forum and omaha area! my parents recently opened a sports bar and grill, Bogie's, with a restaurant feel. it's near 108th and Maple at 3305 Old Maple Road (most remember the location as the old Perkins).

this post caught my eye as i was looking to find different ways to help my parents advertise. Our house specialties have an asian flair including teriyaki but we also offer a variety of grill-type choices (burgers, pork tenderloins, salads, etc..). we've only been open for about two weeks and would love everyone to stop by and check it out -- it's a family owned/operated business and we intend to keep it that way -- hope to see some of you!
Best wishes for success in a tough economy!  Glad to see something going in there near the hotels.  I am sure your family has advertised heavily in the hotels.  None of those people will be eating at home.
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Post by Garrett »

New sushi place, Wasabi Sushi, 144th and Maple, and its all you can eat, Lunch is 12.99 and Dinner is 22.99. The only difference between the two is dinner has sashimi and a few more rolls. The food is pretty good in comparison to Blue and Hiro, and extremely good if you think what you'd be paying at Blue and Hiro.
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Re: Good Asian Food

Post by Hyok Kim »

almighty_tuna wrote:Mrs Tuna and I are looking to get something to eat tonight w/the kids.  We've already thought of the Rice Bowl, O! Casual Dining and PF Chang, but we're interested in other good places for chinese or japanese food (aside from sushi), non-chain/local a big plus.  

Ideas?
Rice Bowl is okay.  O! is hit and miss, depending on what you order.  PF Chang is not bad, but too expensive for what you get.


I can recommend O!'s seafood noodle soup, Champong. Good value, and filling, well-executed.   Probably the most exquisite champong I ever had in my life.     Also, their mongolian beef was probably the best I had anywhere.  Their kung pao 'shrimp' is pretty good, but they used Prawn for kung pao.     Prawn is not ideal for kung pao dish.   The reason being, too much flesh for the kung pao sauce on the outer side.  It's all about balance, only so much kung pao sauce can adhere to the prawn, so there is too much flesh for the ideal balance of kung pao sauce and prawn.

This is why high end Chinese restaurants never use prawn for kung pao dishes.   They use big shrimp, but not prawn.   At least the prawn was de-veined.

I don't recommend their kung pao chicken for the same reason.   They use big pieces of chicken instead of small bite size pieces.   Too much meat for the ideal kung pao sauce balance.   Also, they didn't use the marinade/batter.    Authentic kung pao dishes uses combination of both sauce and marinade batter.    They marinate the meat and later coat it with thin saucy, watery, egg batter (keeps the meat moist, while making the outer portion crispy), with shrimp/prawn one can forego this procedure since the flesh of shrimp/prawn are already soft and contain a lot of water, not true with chicken, especially white meat.



Fried rice was okay, but you can have better fried rice at King Fong.  

Black bean pasta noodle was merely okay.  I had far better black bean pasta noodle than O!'s.   On the other hand, their hot & sour soup bowl is the best I ever had in my life.   Very filling as well unless one is very hungry.   Great value.

The service was consistently outstanding at O!.   The owners, the husband and wife both used to work at PF Chang's.  




Probably the best value Chinese food in Omaha is Dragon Cafe Express near Beverly Hills plaza.

EDIT:  I'm sorry to you all.  I meant 'Golden Palace'. Not Dragon Cafe Express.   Btw. Dragon Cafe Express still does pretty good Mapo Tofu when the head chef/owner does the cooking, not the line cooks.





It's a semi-chain but chef owned with formal training and experience.   He used to be a head chef in charge at Great Wall's downtown location (not the parkfair).   He had to strain under budget set by the owner, but he eventually started his own restaurants.   I think he has another one in Bellvue.

Most food at Great Wall sucked......BIG TIME, but he had no choice, he had to work under budget set by the owner, a non-chef, and a former accountant.    He showed his real skills on Chinese New Year's banquet for the staff, which were some of the best and exquisite Chinese food I ever had.

Dragon cafe, even though technically a fastfood, provides better food than most Chinese restaurants in Omaha, in fact, I think they would make it in Portland, as fast Chinese food.   Their kung pao chicken is in fact, far better than O!'s or for that matter, most Chinese restaurants in Omaha.    It's in fact, up to the level of average Chinese restaurants in Portland, which is something, considering the bar is a lot higher back there.

Even though the owner/chef is not always back there, he provides outstanding training to his cooks, most of whom are Latinos.    Most Chinese restaurants in Omaha do not provide good training to Latino cooks in the kitchen.  


The best Chinese restaurant in Omaha used to be China Road when it started in downtown place now occupied by Thai restaurant.    I think the original owner moved several years.   I am not sure how good it is now.
Last edited by Hyok Kim on Fri Aug 23, 2013 11:35 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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Post by Hyok Kim »

thenewguy wrote:a little off of what you were thinking, but hy-vee has some good chinese.  i recommend it if you're ever hungry and near by.
It's okay if you're hungry.
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Post by Hyok Kim »

nativeomahan wrote:
J.C. Mandarin on 98th st. is also excellent, and is locally owned.

It's okay.
nativeomahan wrote:O Dining is very good, and downtown.
Some, the best I ever had.   Some, merely okay,   some others, good intention, but poor execution.



nativeomahan wrote:
Three Happiness Express is okay...a local neighborhood place worth going to if you are in the neighborhood.

Maybe quality has gone down?     It was excellent fast Chinese food when I used to go there.



nativeomahan wrote: Just don't order the Mu Shu Pork.  They have absolutely no clue as to what it is!

They don't list Mu Shu Pork on their menu.     Btw. No Chinese restaurants in Omaha serves authentic Mu Shu pork as far as I know.



nativeomahan wrote:Has anyone eaten at King Fongs recently?  It has been like 25 years for me.

I go there all the time, mostly for their fried rice, the best I ever had anywhere.   Sometimes, for their mongolian beef, Cantonese Black bean shrimp.   Btw. Their mongolian beef is different from all other mongolian beefs I have had anywhere.   I never had any dishes like that anywhere.


nativeomahan wrote: I remember it was an eye opening experience.
What was the dish that opened your eyes?
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Post by almighty_tuna »

heck of a thread revival. Thanks for the tips!
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Post by guitarguy »

I have always gone to chopstick house .. probably been going there for the last 15 years and always thought it was delicious.
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Post by bigredmed »

New Gold Mountain on 156th and Maple.

Saigon on 125th and Center.
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Post by Hyok Kim »

guitarguy wrote:I have always gone to chopstick house .. probably been going there for the last 15 years and always thought it was delicious.
You're going to miss NYC.   How is the kung pao chicken over there?
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Post by nativeomahan »

bigredmed wrote:New Gold Mountain on 156th and Maple.

Saigon on 125th and Center.
Two excellent places.   We also love JC Mandarin at Clocktower Village, and we were surprised how good the food is at the new Dragon House, also at Clocktower Village.  A mix of Chinese, Korean and sushi,

Rice Bowl has the city's best hot and sour soup.  For atmosphere, King Fong is in a class by itself.

For Thai, Thai Orchids in LaVista is outstanding.
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Post by Hyok Kim »

nativeomahan wrote:
Rice Bowl has the city's best hot and sour soup.

Have you tried O!'s hot and sour soup?
nativeomahan wrote:
 For atmosphere, King Fong is in a class by itself.
Too retro for me, wrong kind of retro.
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Post by guitarguy »

Hyok Kim wrote:
guitarguy wrote:I have always gone to chopstick house .. probably been going there for the last 15 years and always thought it was delicious.
You're going to miss NYC.   How is the kung pao chicken over there?
The chinese in NYC is incredible I always get the Imperial Chicken and its pretty consistent from place to place the minor differences being the batter on the Chicken and how fresh the veggies are so I doubt I will miss it there too much even though it is awesome.. the one thing they have that I will miss is hot oil which is like Chinese food magic but I can make it myself here so its not a huge deal haha
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Re: Good Asian Food

Post by Brad »

I really only have Asian food at Hiro 88 in the old market. When I am not eating Sushi, they have a great Mongolian Beef!
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Re: Good Asian Food

Post by Linkin5 »

Three Happiness is best in town no contest. Plus you get to watch some pirated movies while you're there.
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Re: Good Asian Food

Post by Greg S »

My favorite for over 10 years is Golden Palace at 132nd and Maple. Everything I have had there has been good. Definitely the best hot and sour soup I have ever had.

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Re: Good Asian Food

Post by Omaha Cowboy »

Grand Fortune Chinese next to Twin Peaks at 171st and West Center Rd I have found is very good. And they are one of a few select Chinese restaurants in the Omaha area that serve Dim Sum...

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Re: Good Asian Food

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Omaha Cowboy wrote:Grand Fortune Chinese next to Twin Peaks at 171st and West Center Rd I have found is very good. And they are one of a few select Chinese restaurants in the Omaha area that serve Dim Sum...

Ciao..LiO...Peace
Grand Fortune is EXCELLENT.
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Re: Good Asian Food

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MadMartin8 wrote:
Omaha Cowboy wrote:Grand Fortune Chinese next to Twin Peaks at 171st and West Center Rd I have found is very good. And they are one of a few select Chinese restaurants in the Omaha area that serve Dim Sum...

Ciao..LiO...Peace
Grand Fortune is EXCELLENT.
Countless times I just drove past the place and never really noticed it.. Until one day this past September I was taking my sister out for lunch and we stopped in..

I've been back about 10 times since :thumb: ...

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Re: Good Asian Food

Post by Busguy2010 »

I'm glad I stumbled upon this and will have to try some of there places.

Might be a very specific question, but does anyone know of a Chinese restaurant that uses skirt steak over flank steak? My favorite places to eat used to use the thinly sliced, beautifully tender skirt steak, but have all switched to the cheaper, thinker, chewy flank steak. Stuff almost reminds me of beef jerky.
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Post by Coyote »

nativeomahan wrote:China Road in Bellevue and off 132nd and W. Dodge in Linden Market are wonderful.
The Bellevue China Road is closing next week.
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Re: Good Asian Food

Post by nativeomahan »

This is sad news. It is a very beautiful restaurant. I wonder what is the reason behind this?
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Re: Good Asian Food

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nativeomahan wrote:This is sad news. It is a very beautiful restaurant. I wonder what is the reason behind this?
Owner is retiring, the building is already sold, last serving on Christmas Eve.
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Re: Good Asian Food

Post by DanielJ »

Most of the restaurants mentioned in this thread serve nothing like authentic Chinese (or "Asian") food. In Omaha, I would suggest a couple of the best options would be Blue & Fly, and New Gold Mountain.
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Re: Good Asian Food

Post by bigredmed »

DanielJ wrote:Most of the restaurants mentioned in this thread serve nothing like authentic Chinese (or "Asian") food. In Omaha, I would suggest a couple of the best options would be Blue & Fly, and New Gold Mountain.
I had suggested Blue &Fly earlier. The real Chinese menu is served family style and they mean it. We have had some great meals there. But be warned that their portions are Yuuuuge!
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Re: Good Asian Food

Post by daveoma »

Korean Grill in Bellevue is really really delicious. They give you tons of food and it's reasonably priced. I highly recommend their salads. :D :D
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Re: Good Asian Food

Post by Omaha_corn_burner »

I was looking over some of my past posts and saw a topic I participated in was split into another topic. Here's what I posted last year (edited a smidge for 2017):

Omaha_corn_burner wrote:
swgiust wrote:
Omaha_corn_burner wrote:[O!] The best Asian in Omaha? Not by a long shot.
I know everybodys taste can vary, but I would love the see a list of places that you think are in the same league.
I love Asian food and eat it almost everytime I am in Omaha!
Sorry for the late reply, I was in Asia.

I went to O once, years ago, at 84th and Dodge. It was Asian fusion, and it was terrible. I never went back.
Asian food is such a broad category. There are so many different styles of food in Asia. I prefer more authentically prepared foods, and it's very difficult to find many authentic dishes in Omaha. Lincoln has way more authentic dishes, and I sometimes go down there to eat. I also eat a lot of home cooked authentic food. I'm more into east Asian food, so I can't give any recommendations for the Stans, Persian, Russian, or Mongolian. I don't think we have any Indonesian or Malay restaurants in Omaha.
Here are my favorites in Omaha by category:

Indian curry: Jaipur and Kurry Xpress at 144th and Center
Thai curry: Lao Thai Kitchen and Thai Spice
Thai food in general: Salween Thai, Thai Spice, Lao Thai Kitchen, Bangkok Cuisine
Thai noodles: <deleted>
Vietnamese grilled/fried: Saigon at 120th and Center
Vietnamese noodles: Pho Viet
Banh Mi: Pho Viet
Fast food Chinese : Rose Garden, Three Happiness, Jade Garden, China One
Sit down Chinese: Grand Fortune
Dim Sum: Grand Fortune and Canton House
Authentic Chinese: I think we only have two places, but China Garden was good.
Chinese Buffet: Grand China Buffet
Sushi: Hiro 88 downtown
Ramen noodles: Yoshi-ya at Westroads mall
Korean: Wong's and Korea King

Other places in Omaha that are good, in my opinion: Vietnamese Asian at 72nd and Jones. Blue is decent for sushi, but I think Hiro is better. I've never eaten biryani, so I have no comment.

Places I have yet to visit but heard good things: Mother India. Crystal Jade is supposed to have good authentic Chinese. Paradise Biryani is supposed to have the best biryani in Omaha according to some Indian friends. Suji's is supposed to be good now that they completely re-done their menu.
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Re: Good Asian Food

Post by ricko »

Has anyone been to Umami in Bellevue. I hear it's crazy good---definitely on my list for my next Omaha visit.
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Re: Good Asian Food

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ricko wrote:Has anyone been to Umami in Bellevue. I hear it's crazy good---definitely on my list for my next Omaha visit.
I haven't been there yet, but a guy who I really trust raves about it. He has eaten dozens of Michelin starred restaurants and some of the really pricey sushi places in New York and Tokyo. So take that for what it's worth.
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Re: Good Asian Food

Post by TLGJames »

I've ate there twice. The sushi was amazing. Wasn't like superly impressed by the non-sushi dishes.

Go at lunch on a weekday or (sat/sun, forget which one) they have a very cheap lunch menu.
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Re: Good Asian Food

Post by Omaha Cowboy »

Golden Bowl Chinese down in Bellevue is excellent. It's ran by the same owners that opened Hunan Garden at 132 and West Center 30 years ago (now its Hunan Fusion. Different owners/menu and not close to being as good)..

Golden Bowl has basically the same menu as the original Hunan Garden (and that's a VERY GOOD thing)-

http://goldenbowlbellevue.com/

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