Best Chinese in the Area - Omi (review with a few pics)

I wrote a review on the tail end of yesterday's thread, but I think it's going to get lost in the shuffle. It was good enough that I don't want it lost.

My wife and I went tonight and had a great experience. The food was head and shoulders above Koi. The portions were indeed larger, the menu was larger by quite a few dishes, and the preparation/ingredients were even better.

I was excited to see Chong Qing Spicy Chicken on the menu!

It's pieces of very crispy, tender fried chicken coated in a spicy oil that has sichuan peppercorns ground into it. I guess they fry the chicken and then wok it with the whole chilies and sichuan oil. It's my favorite chinese dish anywhere. I've only found it at Sichuan specific places in Dallas and Houston.

I also had the cumin pork. I've ordered that every visit to Koi, but this version was even better. The meat was better, moister, more tender. The coating was better. The bamboo shoots were fresher. I've never had bamboo that good. Normally it's rubbery garbage from a can. This was identifiable as real bamboo.


This is on the rotation. I don't think I can eat Chinese at any other place in town now. Luckily, my wife works down Essen, so she can take-out and bring it home when the craving hits.

The owner, chef and waiter were so friendly it has to be mentioned. We have a 5 month old, and the owner checked on us multiple times to make sure the AC wasn't too cold. He was really friendly and great with the baby as well. I was blown away by the whole experience. The chinese chef came out to make sure everything was good. They even brought out 2 bowls of complimentary soup before or order arrived.