At Boca’s new Red Pine at One Town Center, noodle, rice and vegetable dishes surprise us; individual flavors of each ingredient shine through. Crispy Hong Kong Style Noodles (add on roasted pork or sesame soy chicken breast), Dan Dan Noodles with chili peanut sauce, rich Chicken Lo Mein with wok-seared vegetables, and luxe Lobster Fried rice are rich, healthful and not sullied with thickeners and MSG. Dry Wok Green Beans, a simple dish, is a revelation; long beans charred in the wok are combined with sautéed ground Duroc pork, chili pepper, garlic and a sweet soy-based sauce.
“Big Wok” entrees include organic roasted Crispy Garlic Chicken, with garlic and onion crunchies, broccoli and honey soy. General Tso’s and Kung Pao Chicken are winner-winners, as are Mu Shu with roast pork or Peking duck confit, and crispy Shrimp & Walnuts in a lemon ginger sauce. Excellent fish entrees include Honey Soy Roasted Salmon with garlic wok greens, and Chilean Sea Bass in sweet & sour cider-soy sauce. Chinese BBQ Roasted Steak, a carved, aged 12-oz.
NY Strip with hoisin bbq sauce is delicious — but splurge on Spice-Braised Short Rib, 18 ounces of double-boneless rib with crispy Szechuan onions and Chinese greens. Peking Duck is the real deal, with mu shu pancakes, lettuce cups, hoisin sauce, house-made plum sauce, scallions, cucumbers and pickled daikon radish. End your feast with delicate house-made ice cream: black sesame, green matcha, or brown sugar milk tea!
