ChongQing House
2901 N Central Expy #109, Plano, TX 75075
Google: 4.5 Stars (235 Reviews)
Habibi-san’s Rating:
There is no right way to prepare a Thanksgiving meal. More than likely, my family cooks traditional Thanksgiving food worse than yours. For nearly a decade, we have disrespected the most time honored entrée by outsourcing the turkey prep to the nearest Dickey’s Barbecue. The only brain power we exert each year is choosing between the Cajun or Caribbean Chipotle rub.
Also, you certainly will NOT find any candied yams and marshmallows taking up space on our table. Imagine the surprise on my 10-year-old face at my childhood friend Tyler’s house when I saw his father searing the marshmallows with a blowtorch. How lucky were we to have a sugary appetizer before the pumpkin and pecan pies?
In case you need another example, I just heard my father tell the Siri equivalent of his Samsung Galaxy, “Gordon Ramsey stuffing recipe Youtube.” To be fair, sourdough bread bits steeped in butter, rosemary, and thyme can hardly be ruined with human error, and my father did a great job. On the other hand, green bean casserole “has hands” as the kids say. Joseph Smith would have shaken his head in disappointment that I somehow found a way to unsuccessfully follow the Campbell’s Soup recipe last year (too much cream of mushroom soup).
What we lack in rule following, we more than make up for in improvising. And by improvising I mean saying to hell with it and making Iraqi food. Essentially, my mother makes Iraqi food each year for Thanksgiving because she finally has the time to do so. I was curious to see if there were any Michelin recognized Iraqi restaurants and how they coped with the preparation time. My interest was piqued by Google AI’s intriguing search results:
Wow, some extremely promising results, or so I thought. It turns out that Basilico is a strictly Italian restaurant in Erbil, Iraq that has a “3-star Michelin” review on TripAdvisor from one, “Lakwanda Evans.” I quickly moved on to Galit, a one-star Michelin restaurant in Chicago that serves flavorful, modernized Middle Eastern cuisine. It also serves tabouli with kale instead of parsley. Pass.
As my mother’s Thanksgiving sous chef, I have been put in charge of the tabouli prep, so I take my singular job very seriously. Curly parsley, red tomatoes, bulgur wheat no. 1, green onions, fresh mint leaves, lemons (more than you think you need), extra virgin olive oil (more than you think you need), salt, pepper, sumac, and time reserved for two hours of washing, chopping, drying, and soaking is my annual ritual. This is the proper way to make tabouli. Galit take notes.
But, what does our family do if we do not have time for a holiday food prep? In years past we have visited family in Hell, I mean Houston, or ventured out of state for Christmas. One year we vacationed in St. Augustine, Florida to stay close to Disney World and the newly opened Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge. And while the Ronto Wraps at Black Spire Outpost are delicious and grilled to perfection by a droid using a podracing engine, it is not a full substitute for a traditional Christmas dinner.
Only MSG heavy servings of Chinese food can properly substitute a traditional holiday meal. I felt the familiar urge this past Thanksgiving. After a full day eating Thanksgiving leftovers on Friday, I turned my sights to ChongQing House on Saturday. Named after a former Sichuan municipality and not after your Uncle’s drunk accent, ChongQing House boasts authentically spicy and smoky flavors from home. Their homemade chili oil (la jiao) made from scratch with Szechuan peppercorns, red chili flakes, and the Grandma’s black magic from Freaky Friday is a true delight. Then you add a few boiled wontons, a few scallions, a drizzle of sesame seeds…”some broth, a potato: baby you’ve got a stew going!” (RIP Carl Weathers).
The fish fillets in sweet and sour sauce (糖醋魚柳) were prepared exactly according to Yelp’s specifications: incorporating both sugar and a sour substance. No shit. Regardless of poor advertising, these puppies were deep fried perfectly in what must be a house batter blend. Without the sweet and sour sauce, the breading tasted slightly sweet on its own, like a Krispy Kream added too much MSG to their corporate mix. The mystery white fish tasted more like a cod or sea bass than a tilapia or sole. The quality and standards of a basic Americanized dish like this were exceptional.
Lastly, I ordered the BBQ Pig trotters. Whether it is pig trotters, chicken feet, frog legs, or other types of thighs, calves, or toesies, it is all the same to me. I must consume it. Now, this fetish has been properly curated after years of eating feet and legs served at the Great Wall Buffet in Plano. So when I grant you permission to pass on the pig trotters, please listen to me. They were too chewy for my taste and the marinade was not to my liking. ChongQing House has a Sichuan trotters option that I may try in the future, but if you are craving Wilbur’s cute little legs and hooves, I would recommend Korean pork hock over Chinese pork trotters.
While picking up my order, I was greeted by a lovely but firm hostess. She asked about my Thanksgiving and inquired in which city I spent it. “Here in Dallas!” I exclaimed, silently thankful that I was not physically in Houston despite its unmatched culinary reputation. With her eyebrow raised and lips slightly pursed, she extended an invitation/mandate, “Next time eat here…see you on Christmas.”
I answered honestly with a “Yes, ma’am,” and did my best not to think about the Chinese restaurant scene in A Christmas Story. With my to go order weighing my right arm down, it really did feel like a happy Xièxiegiving.
Ma al salama (さようなら ),
Habibi-san
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