Tropical Chinese
The decor isn't fancy, but the food is delicious at Tropical Chinese. You can make a meal of the savory appetizers, including soft shell crab, barbecued spare ribs, fried calamari and jellyfish salad with garlic vinaigrette. Be sure to taste the soup, too, such as seafood with ginger and scallions, minced beef with cilantro, and abalone with sea cucumber and scallops.
The entrees are just as enticing. Try chicken dishes featuring black bean sauce, snow peas and mushrooms, or basil, garlic and ginger root. Meat eaters will love the medallions of steak with plum sauce, the sizzling black-pepper beef, and the cubed New York steak cooked with oyster sauce. Vegetarians will go for the baby bok choy; tofu simmered with herbs, and mixed seasonal veggies cooked in a hot pot.
Tropical Chinese Restaurant
7991 S.W. 40th St.
Miami, Florida 33155
(305) 262-1552
Red Ginger Asian Bistro
In an attractive, modern setting, Red Ginger treats patrons to a mouthwatering mix of Chinese, Thai and Japanese dishes. To start your meal, don't miss the dumplings---you can choose shrimp ones with ginger-soy sauce, or pan-fried or steamed dumplings filled with vegetables and pork. The salads are tasty, too, such as the organic spring mix with ginger dressing, and the Mandarin chicken salad dressed with honey and wasabi. Savory soups range from won ton (with pork and scallions) to hot and sour (tofu, bamboo shoots and mushrooms).
For your carbs, try the fried rice with a choice of chicken, pork, beef or shrimp, or the lo mein---stir-fried noodles with veggies and meat. Vegetarian favorites are the fried tofu with bamboo shoots, green onions and spicy bean sauce, and Buddha's Feast that includes veggies in a garlic sauce.
Red Ginger Asian Bistro
9710 W. Sample Road
Coral Springs, Florida 33065
(954) 752-1850
redgingerrestaurant.com
Tony Chan's Water Club
Tony Chans offers a twofer---sweeping views of Biscayne Bay and and fresh, tasty Chinese fare. Begin with appetizers such as Peking duck, crispy quail, honey-walnut shrimp, or fried tofu topped with shrimp and ham. Go on to the tempting seafood dishes such as lobster in black-bean sauce, sauteed squid with vegetables, or garlic shrimp cooked in a clay pot.
Meat lovers will enjoy orange beef, cashew-nut pork, and The Volcano---shredded steak stir fried with spicy peppers. Vegetarians will appreciate the fresh tofu dishes, sauteed spinach and eggplant with garlic sauce. The restaurant also features a variety of rice and noodle entrees, as well as a Japanese menu.
Tony Chan's Water Club
1717 N. Bayshore Drive
Doubletree Grand Hotel
Biscayne Bay, Miami, Florida 33132
(305) 374-8888
tonychans.com
About The Author
Barbara Dunlap is a freelance writer in Oregon. She was a garden editor at "The San Francisco Chronicle," and she currently specializes in travel and active lifestyle topics like golf and fitness. She received a master's degree from the University of Missouri-Columbia and has been a Knight Foundation Fellow.
