There are a few local restaurants that, even though they are among my favorites, I have not reviewed in the roughly two years I’ve been writing this column. These restaurants are staples of Troy dining, and my estimation is that the vast majority of the RPI community already knows about them. However, with the influx of new students at the start of the fall term, I feel justified in beginning the year with a review of the best Chinese restaurant in the area: Plum Blossom on Hoosick St. in Brunswick.
When I arrived in Troy (not quite a decade ago ... yet), Plum Blossom was one of the first restaurants to which I went out. It was nice enough then, but under construction for a bit of interior remodeling. This work continued up until a year or two ago—and it has been well worth the time spent. This place is beautiful, with fantastic woodwork all over the interior. And yet, you can walk in wearing a T-shirt and shorts and not feel underdressed at all—it looks nice without being imposing or intimidating in the least.
Service there is generally friendly, with the owner (whose name I used to know, but mostly I just think of him as “The Smiling Man”) being the friendliest—he’s usually waiting tables when the restaurant is busy. Food arrives fairly quickly, and I have yet to have an error made on any of my orders. It’s not perfect—on our most recent visit, our water glasses were actually empty for a while, and a couple of the servers have a hard time understanding you sometimes—but on the whole, no complaints.
They also have no problem serving a party of 30-40 people on an hour’s notice. The Gaming Club has done this to them at least three times now over the past few years, and it’s always been handled without a problem each time. We haven’t tried this during prime dinner hours yet (it’s generally been after 8 pm), but somehow I think The Smiling Man would be waiting at the door to seat us all even if we did.
All this praise, and I haven’t even gotten to the food yet. Here are a few of the highlights:
- Their egg rolls are generally not greasy.
- They have the best hot-and-sour soup I’ve ever had.
- They prepare the ultimate Chinese food staple, General Tso’s Chicken, without resorting to an overly syrupy, goopy sauce.
- If you ask for something spicy, you actually get it spicy.
- Their vegetables have never been soggy.
- Most dishes not only taste good, but they look pretty, too.
There are something like 100 different dishes on the menu. I’ve yet to hit one I didn’t enjoy. It’s a bit more expensive than standard Chinese take-out, but not too much more, and the quality is well worth it.
Best of all, this is where I got one of the most innuendous (it’s a word now, gosh darn it) little slips of paper ever delivered by a fortune cookie: “Your exotic ideas lead you to many exciting new adventures.” I swear they write these things with the obligatory suffix in mind.
To sum up, the restaurant looks fantastic without making you uncomfortable, serves you promptly without making you rushed, and tastes wonderful without making you fat. Well, I may be exaggerating its virtues a bit with that last point, but beyond a doubt, Plum Blossom is one of the finest Chinese restaurants you will encounter. Go. Eat. Enjoy. And don’t forget to read your fortune.
To get to Plum Blossom, take either 15th St. or Burdett Ave. north to Hoosick St. (Route 7). Turn right and go up the hill about a mile, past an Eckerd on your right. Plum Blossom is a little bit past this on the left side—go slow, the restaurant is hard to see until you’re right on top of it.
