It’s a no-brainer that Chinese food is a staple of the college student’s diet. This week, my Partner-In-Crime and I want to highlight a fantastic Chinese place right in our own backyard—the Plum Blossom restaurant, located just up the hill on Hoosick Street (Rt. 7). A friend of mine once admitted to having never eaten there until his junior year. If you’re in a similar boat, then it’s my duty to not rest until you’ve gone and tried it our for yourself!
First and foremost, Plum Blossom isn’t your everyday strip mall take-out joint. They offer take-out, too, but that’s beside the point. Entering the restaurant from a dingy drive along Route 7, you’ll be amazed by the oriental elegance arranged before you. The interior decoration is one intricate Asian theme ranging from soothingly wood-paneled walls, to holistic busts placed around the rooms, to an impressive wood carving of stampeding horses. From time to time the Partner-In-Crime held court with a serene stone Buddha as it smiled down upon us throughout our meal. Ordering out from here is a down-right shame—Plum Blossom simply calls out for you to sit down and enjoy your meal.
Lunch is a particularly good time to stop by because the crowd is generally light—on a sunny winter weekend we had the sensation of having the whole place to ourselves at our table by the casement windows. No need to order expensive drinks to escape being marked as the cheap guy who just orders water: from the moment you’re seated you are treated to tea after tea of jasmine tea and plentiful chow mein chips complete with duck and mustard sauces for dipping.
I have been to Plum Blossom several times and can wholeheartedly recommend the General Tso’s Chicken—it never disappoints. Thick and juicy chunks of chicken are expertly fried and tossed with a thick dark brown sauce, with just enough jalapeno peppers to add some heat.
The menu provides of impressive offering of anything you’d desire when it comes to standard Chinese fare, and usually in better quality than your local take-out spot. Similarly, I recommend trying some authentic Chinese gems such as the Roast Duck or the Sa Cha Chicken.
It was time to spice things up a notch (“bam”) as the Partner-In-Crime and I ordered curried beef and Thai eggplant with pork in a spicy garlic sauce. The lunch specials come with your choice of soup; my partner recommends the miso (traditional miso broth with green onions and tofu, surprisingly served with crispy mushrooms) while I suggest the hot and sour (sliced pork, greens and veggies, several spices and a beaten egg stirred in at the last second). If neither floats your boat, you can still chose between egg drop or wonton soup. And yes, your meal comes with rice—your choice of steamed or pork fried.
To report, the curry beef paid homage to its curry-laced expectations as the spice worked its way into every bite.While my partner’s portion was somewhat lacking in beef, there were enough additional greens to bulk it up. It is interesting to note that the cool, sweet pineapple chunks go very well with the hot, spicy curry; however, overall the dish was nothing special.
The spicy garlic Thai eggplant, on the other hand, was quite enjoyable. Pieces of eggplant, thinly sliced pork, green peppers, bamboo shoots, water chestnuts, Chinese mushrooms, and other ingredients were fused together in a garlic sauce that was simply delicious. The only real problem with our meals was the amount of cooking oil infused into the dishes. Cutting down on the oil might very well improve the overall texture.
Feeling hungry yet? You owe it to yourself to check out this great local eatery—for those campus-bound by lack of car, keep it in mind as the weather (eventually) gets warmer, a nice walk up Hoosick becomes appealing. Both the cuisine and the setting are sure to impress, and best of all, the prices are less than a couple bucks above what you’d pay for those little white cartons.
Lunch specials for two, which included soup, rice, meal, and all the Jasmine tea we could stomach, came out to be $17.
