My wife just reminded me that I’d not mentioned everyone’s favorite dish - go figure! The eggplant!!!!!!!!! If you love, like, are okay with, don’t really like, but do not detest eggplant, it is a must!

Okay, NOW I’m done.

Went to Da Lian this evening (niece is a student at Cal so we took her out). I’m not sure if Lou and I went to the same place, but the service was awesome! The staff was so attentive, and very helpful in the selection process. We went pretty early so there weren’t very many people in the restaurant, this did cause me some concern. My fears were laid to rest. Within half an hour the place was full… and service was still great. In fact, my daughter decided that she needed a fork, I glance over my should for just a second looking for our wait person and the woman at the bar noticed me and came to ask if I needed anything. WOW!

Parking was not easy, but it was not an issue. We actually enjoyed the 2 block walk - the weather today has been spectacular today.

Now the Food! We ordered a lot so we could try different things. Our waitperson suggested that it was a lot for our party. I told her I love leftovers to which she laughed. Anyway, overall, the food was above average, I can’t say fantastic. The highly recommended oyster and pickled cabbage soup is definitely an acquired taste. I was the only one who liked it, but I can see how I could come to being addicted to it. My wife, niece and kids loved the pot stickers, I felt they were solid, good. We ordered the Kung Pao calamari and a dish called Three Ingredient Saute (something like that, I can’t quite remember). The former was very good, but the latter was fantastic. The only problem is that it was the same basic dish. The Three Ingredient dish simply had scallops and shrimp added to it, but extra flavors from them turned a very good product into something exceptional. Yes, she should have told us this, but hey, no one’s perfect. The sesame bread with green onions was a great starter. It is so very unique. I don’t know enough about Northern Chinese cooking to know if this is a staple or just something made up in this restaurant’s kitchen, but it tasted like a cross between Asian and Mediterranean flavors. The chicken chow fun was very good, but nothing you can’t find at other good Chinese restaurants (I know, far and few, but they’re out there). The rice was perfect. Sounds strange to say for a Chinese rest., but I’ve been to others where the rice was not up to snuff - a sure sign that the rest of the food is not going to be good.

Okay, I guess I need to find one thing I was not pleased about, and I did. The tea, while adequate, was from a bag. I love tea, and I feel jilted when I go to any Asian restaurant and get bagged tea.

Overall experience was superior. The food is of very high quality. All dishes were very good and two were excellent. Service could not have been better. The ambience was just right - soft soothing music, clean without being sterile. The decor was appropriate, and I like the colors they used. I think someone mentioned it was not to their liking - just differences in opinions.

I’m glad my niece goes to school there. It helps justify the long trip (70+/- minutes) to get there. Honestly, I’d still go without that excuse, but no as often. I think twice a month because of niece, once a month without niece.

I highly recommend this gem to all who enjoy superior Chinese cuisine.

Michael