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Tiny David's Kitchen has huge customer loyalty, fine Asian cuisine | |
| By Nancy Hobbs Special to The Tribune |
02/20/2004 | |
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SALT LAKE CITY -- David's Kitchen may seem as out of place as any restaurant in the Salt Lake valley.
And yet people do find it, and pretty well fill it, for lunch and dinner six days a week. I learned about David's from a group of high school students contemplating where to take their dates for dinner after a high school prom. I was surprised when David's Kitchen was mentioned; I had only seen the sign before, hanging outside the decrepit building that still houses Gino's, near the corner of 3300 South on State Street. Given the state of the building, which looks as though entrances on State Street have been permanently boarded up, I assumed it was vacant, and both businesses long since closed. I had a hard time envisioning coiffed young women in formals and dates in suits and ties making this their romantic destination. I had to check it out. I found parking, and the restaurant entrance, around the back of the building. Still leery, we followed signs for David's Kitchen through a brick archway, and were happy to find a more modern, window-lined addition through which we could see a small, well-occupied dining room. David's is run by David Fei, and his kitchen serves Chinese cuisine. In fact, David, an older, slight gentleman wearing suspenders, will most likely greet you at the door, direct you to a table, take your food order and calculate your tab. On our first visit, the proprietor seemed as curious to see us as we were to check out his operation, and it quickly became clear why. Most of his customers appear to be regulars; he greets them with small talk and then asks if they're ready to start off with an order of potstickers, which most everyone answers in the affirmative. The potstickers, we soon learned, are the house specialty -- "homemade, the best in the state," claims Lei later, in recounting the restaurant's 20-year history. He started out where he is now, joined at the middle with Gino's, which now is a private club accessed through David's Kitchen. The two have a symbiotic relationship: every few minutes, a server from Gino's makes a sweep through David's to take drink orders, from sodas to wine or Chinese beer. Likewise, Gino's customers order off David's menu when they want to eat. Midway through its history, however, David's Kitchen relocated on Highland Drive, in the basement of Widow McCoy's private club. Lei was there until seven years ago, when his lease ran out and he returned to his current location. Loyal customers followed. The small restaurant, with about 15 tables and room for 60 diners, looks like a typical Chinese restaurant with a few paper lanterns and occasional Asian prints hung on the white walls. What's missing, however, are the soy sauce and chopsticks; those are quickly delivered at a diner's request, but aren't part of the regular table setting. The menu also is fairly typical for a traditional Chinese diner, listing more than five dozen individual items ranging from soup (starting at $2), to Peking duck, which has to be ordered a day in advance at a price quoted at the time. Options for several-course lunches and dinners also are offered, affordably priced between $5 and $7 at lunch for soup, rice and an entrée; or $18 to $20 for a four-course dinner for two people. But in order to stay in business for two decades, and develop such a loyal following over that time, one would surmise that the food and service must be better than just average. And in our experience, it was. A couple of favorites are the General Chu's chicken -- nice and spicy, with fresh vegetables and a piquant sauce ($9.95) -- and the walnut shrimp, with the walnuts imparting a deliciously interesting flavor and texture to the dish ($11.95). I seldom order sweet and sour pork because I have had too many experiences where the batter is soggy and the sauce is overly sweet and gelatinous. Happily, neither was the case here. The batter was cooked to crispness and the sauce was smooth and tasty ($6.75 at lunch, $7.95 for dinner). As for the potstickers, they lived up to their reputation, especially when dipped into the sauce that servers mix at your table, depending on your heat tolerance. An order of six potstickers is $5.95. Servers were quiet and reserved, but also quick and efficient. First-timers to David's Kitchen may be skeptical, but once inside, you will find a clean dining area, a welcoming host and good, affordable Chinese food. ----- Nancy Hobbs is The Tribune's restaurant reviewer. The newspaper covers the cost of meals at restaurants reviewed and there is no connection between reviews and restaurant advertising. Hobbs welcomes food and wine news, comments and suggestions at nhobbs@xmission.com David's Kitchen
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