An exotic treat in Surf City

DINING OUT

With a red and gold pagoda as distinctive as the Chinese Theatre

in Hollywood, Li’s Chinese Restaurant anchors a long strip of small

stores at the corner of Magnolia and Adams streets in Huntington

Beach.

The interior is just as exotic. It’s like entering a miniature

Chinese palace with intricate gold-embossed walls and ceiling,

colorful pictures of peacocks done on silk -- a room that holds a

promise of tempting classic dishes prepared by owner and chef Kai

Chen and his wife and manager, Grace.

For an evening meal, you might as well go all the way and select

one of the family dinners ($9.50 to $13.25) for two or more. It was

the Chef’s Special Deluxe dinner ($13.25) that we had -- what better

way to unwind after a stressful day than in a place where the lights

are low and the sizzling rice soup is a soft murmur? Server Arsinio

brought a large tureen from which he ladled a wonderful chicken,

shrimp and beef soup with bamboo shoots, snow peas and mushrooms.

This was in addition to a plate of appetizers -- two medium-sized

shrimp in light, fluffy batter, chicken with a flavorful soy-ginger

sauce wrapped in foil. It also held two big meaty barbecue spare ribs

and rumaki. This hot hors d’oeuvre is a strip of bacon wrapped around

a slice of water chestnut and a bite-sized piece of chicken liver

skewered with a toothpick and then broiled. I love the contrast of

textures and flavors in rumaki. I would have been happy with just

soup and hors d’oeuvres, but there was still our choices of entrees

to come.

Sweet and sour shrimp, one of the seven entrees, is a great dish,

with the breaded shrimp combined with al dente bell pepper, snow peas

and chunks of pineapple in a sauce that is not oversweet, and tart

rather than spicy.

Moo shu pork is another choice prepared table side. A

pancake-sized wonton skin is spread with pungent dark plum sauce on

which is piled a vegetable and pork mix. It’s then neatly wrapped

like a burrito, ready for you to pick up.

Three ingredients, a classic choice for the undecided, has sauteed

shrimp, slices of chicken and tender beef with vegetables in a

soy-ginger sauce. Entrees are served family style, so everyone can

enjoy a variety of dishes -- it’s part of the fun of eating Chinese.

Li’s is a quiet place, a respite from a busy, noisy world. Chef

Chen, who grew up in Japan and cooked at Shanghai Palace on Balboa

Island before buying his own place, serves Southern Cantonese

cuisine, which he says uses less oil and more steam, less frying and

the freshest ingredients for natural, pure flavor.

Li’s is a family tradition in Huntington Beach. Here, they will

find plenty of choices at moderate prices.

* MARY FURR is the Independent restaurant critic. If you have

comments or suggestions, call (562) 493-5062 or e-mail

[email protected].