Unless you have Chinese friends, authentic Chinese food can be hard to come by in Santa Barbara. I can readily rattle off addresses for a good burrito, but ask for Peking duck and I'll send you to Los Angeles. At least, I would have, until Madam Lu opened a month ago on upper State Street.
Madam Lu is co-owned by Mei-jung Gaffney and Joe Tzeng, both natives of Taiwan. "In many Chinese restaurants the husband works in the kitchen and the wife in the dining room, but I married an American:' laughed Mei-jung, who is called "Madam Lu." "So when I wanted to open my own place I found a good chef and made him my partner. Cooking Chinese food the traditional way is a lot of work, and many times the chef leaves and then the restaurant is no good any more. This way since he is a partner he will stay."
I sure hope he does, because Madam Lu is by far the best Chinese restaurant to open in Santa Barbara in a long time.
The building that houses Madam Lu is in the middle of receiving a face lift, and it's totally obscured by scaffolding, but Eric and Lou at D'Angelo's Bakery tipped me off to its existence. Behind the torn-up facade is a little gem. The dining room is at once relaxing and sophisticated, tastefully decorated in understated grays, creams, and whites. The booths are deep and comfortable. The service staff is friendly and attentive, and they don't bring all the food at once.
I went with my daughter, who had begun pining away for Chinese food while we were in France this summer. Children are creatures of habit. She always orders wor wonton soup. I knew it would be useless to suggest that we try something different. I got to choose the entres. "Trust me:' I said. "You will love Peking duck and salt and pepper shrimp." We rounded off our order with steamed dumplings and snow peas with water chestnuts. Way too much food, but I love finding those cute containers in the fridge full of food for lunch the next day.
Everything was delicious and beautifully presented. The wor wonton was rich with fresh vegetables, shrimp, chicken, and pork. A peacock artfully carved out of a giant carrot stood proudly over the golden crisp slices of grilled Peking duck. Our waitress picked up the delicate crepes, spooned on a little plum sauce, then filled each with pieces of duck and shredded scallions before rolling it. It tasted as good as it looked, and we ate every bite.
The clean taste of snow peas and water chestnuts that arrived next balanced the rich duck perfectly. And even though we were too full to finish the salt and pepper shrimp, we enjoyed them so much that we kept on eating. They are butterflied with the shells on, very lightly battered, seasoned with salt and pepper, and stir-fried with garlic, shredded scallions, and minced chilies. I eat the crispy little legs first, then the whole shrimp, shell and all, like a soft-shell crab, and leave only the tail. If you go as a party of four or more, try it as an appetizer. It is a wonderful dish.
I have only just begun to explore the riches of Madam Lus menu, but it is tantalizing and quite deep, with over 100 specialties, from bird's nest seafood to beef in orange peel sauce, and this is not counting the specials she will bring out on request. There is a $5.75 all-you-can-eat lunch buffet on weekdays and complete dinner specials from $8.95. Madam Lu is open 7 days a week; 898-9289 or 898-9220. Sunday-Thursday, 11 a.m.-9:30 p.m.; Friday-Saturday, 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Located at 3524 State Street, just north of Las Positas Road.
Madam Lu is co-owned by Mei-jung Gaffney and Joe Tzeng, both natives of Taiwan. "In many Chinese restaurants the husband works in the kitchen and the wife in the dining room, but I married an American:' laughed Mei-jung, who is called "Madam Lu." "So when I wanted to open my own place I found a good chef and made him my partner. Cooking Chinese food the traditional way is a lot of work, and many times the chef leaves and then the restaurant is no good any more. This way since he is a partner he will stay."
I sure hope he does, because Madam Lu is by far the best Chinese restaurant to open in Santa Barbara in a long time.
The building that houses Madam Lu is in the middle of receiving a face lift, and it's totally obscured by scaffolding, but Eric and Lou at D'Angelo's Bakery tipped me off to its existence. Behind the torn-up facade is a little gem. The dining room is at once relaxing and sophisticated, tastefully decorated in understated grays, creams, and whites. The booths are deep and comfortable. The service staff is friendly and attentive, and they don't bring all the food at once.
I went with my daughter, who had begun pining away for Chinese food while we were in France this summer. Children are creatures of habit. She always orders wor wonton soup. I knew it would be useless to suggest that we try something different. I got to choose the entres. "Trust me:' I said. "You will love Peking duck and salt and pepper shrimp." We rounded off our order with steamed dumplings and snow peas with water chestnuts. Way too much food, but I love finding those cute containers in the fridge full of food for lunch the next day.
Everything was delicious and beautifully presented. The wor wonton was rich with fresh vegetables, shrimp, chicken, and pork. A peacock artfully carved out of a giant carrot stood proudly over the golden crisp slices of grilled Peking duck. Our waitress picked up the delicate crepes, spooned on a little plum sauce, then filled each with pieces of duck and shredded scallions before rolling it. It tasted as good as it looked, and we ate every bite.
The clean taste of snow peas and water chestnuts that arrived next balanced the rich duck perfectly. And even though we were too full to finish the salt and pepper shrimp, we enjoyed them so much that we kept on eating. They are butterflied with the shells on, very lightly battered, seasoned with salt and pepper, and stir-fried with garlic, shredded scallions, and minced chilies. I eat the crispy little legs first, then the whole shrimp, shell and all, like a soft-shell crab, and leave only the tail. If you go as a party of four or more, try it as an appetizer. It is a wonderful dish.
I have only just begun to explore the riches of Madam Lus menu, but it is tantalizing and quite deep, with over 100 specialties, from bird's nest seafood to beef in orange peel sauce, and this is not counting the specials she will bring out on request. There is a $5.75 all-you-can-eat lunch buffet on weekdays and complete dinner specials from $8.95. Madam Lu is open 7 days a week; 898-9289 or 898-9220. Sunday-Thursday, 11 a.m.-9:30 p.m.; Friday-Saturday, 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Located at 3524 State Street, just north of Las Positas Road.
