By Gloria Glyer

Jambalaya at an Asian eatery? Why not?

“You think that it is a secret, but it never has been one.”

That fortune-cookie fortune got my attention. I’ve been trying to figure out what the secret is ever since the Dining Divas and guests ate lunch at Chinois City Wok in Arden Town Plaza.

It’s no secret that we all had a grand time with lots of laughs and more than enough food—Chinois City Wok doesn’t scrimp on the size of its servings.

The restaurant is one of three at Arden Town Center, which also is home to Danielle’s Crêperie & Gallery and Cafe Vinoteca. Etched-glass panels dividing the dining area cut down on the noise, making conversations relatively easy to hear, although a large, boisterous group like ours tends to take over a location.

Server Bryan Dugger has been at Chinois for six years and helped us decide what to order from the lengthy menu. One of the best appetizers was the Mongolian grilled beef laughing buns. The order included two generously filled buns, folded over to look like a smile and filled with thinly sliced, hoisin-grilled beef. The prawn pot stickers (four to a serving) were filled to the bursting point, and the tail of the prawn sticking out of the wrapper acted as a handy tool for picking up the appetizer.

The vegetarian spring roll had a nicely crisped exterior and a fresh veggie filling, and was served with sweet-and-sour sauce. The crab cakes were interesting—thin and crispy, almost like pancakes, and unlike any crab cakes I have ever had. The calamari was pedestrian at best.

For our entrées, we ordered honey walnut prawns; Mongolian beef; phoenix and dragon (Chinois’ version of this traditional Chinese dish features stir-fried prawns and chicken, mushrooms and an avocado half, covered in a Provençal herb cream sauce); Oriental braised lamb shank; seafood jambalaya (which the menu billed as Asian meets Cajun); and sizzling steak. From the noodle section of the menu, we selected the house special chow mein, made with meat and seafood, and the house chow fun (a dish of stir-fried beef, seafood, veggies and noodles).

Each of these dishes could serve two easily, four in a pinch. The sizzling steak should come to the table with a warning because the steak spits and spatters every which way. Field and black mushrooms are stir-fried with very tender chunks of beef and flavored with oyster sauce.

The jambalaya included a variety of seafood—shrimp, scallops and calamari—along with chunks of green pepper and an ample serving of dirty rice seasoned with a dash of cayenne. The delicate lamb shank was overpowered by its star anise sauce, but the skin-on mashed potatoes were wonderful. There was so much sauce on the phoenix and dragon, it seemed in danger of oozing over the sides of the platter.

The dessert menu mainly featured cheesecakes prepared off the premises—ginger crème brûlée was the only dessert prepared in-house. We skipped the cheesecake and ordered four crème brûlées, but the custard was grainy and overpowered by the ginger. The white chocolate-dipped fortune cookies ($2.50 for a dozen) were a hit.

Dugger served us well, although there was a lengthy gap between the appetizers and the main event. (I’d guess it was the kitchen’s fault, not his.) Another server filled our water glasses with alacrity, removed plates swiftly, and brought fresh plates and chopsticks for the second round of food.

The Divas Speak

Joan Leineke presided over the wine selection, choosing Frog’s Leap Chardonnay, Jordan Chardonnay and Steele Pinot Noir. (The restaurant was out of her first two Pinot choices.) The Frog’s Leap tasted a bit raw, noted Leineke, who thinks the wine service must be improved. Overall, she thought the food was good, especially the laughing buns and the honey walnut prawns, but she found the phoenix and dragon boring.

Bernice Hagen also enjoyed the laughing buns and the prawns, but she thinks the kitchen should pay more attention to presentation. And she had this message for the chef: “Something is not right with the phoenix and dragon,” she said. “I used to order this, but it has changed. The flavor is gone. Please rethink.”

Peg Tomlinson-Poswall appreciated the freshness of the veggie spring rolls, but she thought the sauce in the phoenix and dragon dish tasted canned.

Gayla Mace liked the setting and the service. Her favorite dishes: the prawns, Mongolian beef and “happy” buns. “Oh, wait,” she said. “It’s laughing buns, not happy, although I have known some happy buns in my time.” She didn’t care for the jambalaya, phoenix and dragon or crème brûlée. “The crème brûlée was overcooked, and I guess I just do not like the ginger,” she commented.

Paulette Bruce-Miller, the calamari queen, liked Chinois’ version, but she chose the happy buns (she was listening to Gayla) as her No. 1 pick. “I like this because of the name—doesn’t it just make you smile?” she said. “The flavor of the beef is nice.” About the guests, she said: “They were fun.”

For the rest of this story pick up a copy of Sacramento magazine's May issue.