Review: Culinary revolution at Charlie Chiang’s

I fell in love with Chinese food at the tender age of 3, all the way back in 1983. Every Sunday after church my parents would take my sisters and me to the kind of small, dingy Chinese restaurant that proudly calls itself the Golden Dragon or the Lotus Garden. The dining room was, as one can expect, depressing in every possible way — the wood paneling on the walls, the dusty red lanterns, the faded landscape paintings: everything looked irremediably old and run down. As my parents feasted on duck, sweet and sour pork and spring rolls I enjoyed the thick, pungent smell of fried food wafting around me and barely picked at my fried rice.

That’s why walking into Charlie Chiang’s for the first time a month ago was somewhat of a shock for me. Of course by then I had learned that there’s much more to Chinese restaurants than spring rolls and red lanterns, but I wasn’t quite prepared for the swanky, modern Chinese experience that was in store for me. Owners Charlie and Christiana Chiang have revolutionized Chinese food and they have taken it to a whole new level — a delicious, simple, yet sophisticated level. I have to admit I approached Charlie Chiang’s with mixed feelings: restaurants that offer sushi as well as any other type of cuisine that isn’t Japanese are usually not high on my list. Friends and coworkers, however, raved about it so I thought why not give it a try?

And I’m glad I did. Charlie Chiang’s North Naples restaurant is a different kind of Chinese restaurant experience, one that is worth trying over and over again. The décor is modern, to say the least. Sleek lines, contrasting colors and minimalistic furniture welcomed me in a dining room that was everything but kitsch or depressing. Could this really be a Chinese restaurant? Turns out it could and, at that, it was one of the best ones I’ve ever tried.

Of course I should have imagined that Charlie Chiang’s Florida location would be nothing less than spectacular. One doesn’t stay in business for 30 years in places like Washington, D.C., and Baltimore without offering top-notch food and service to match. And although it’s part of a growing restaurant empire that features 14 restaurants in three states, you’d never guess that Charlie Chiang’s is part of a chain. The menu offers a plethora of well-known Chinese favorites alongside innovative, less traditional Asian dishes developed by Chiang throughout the years. Beef with broccoli and the ever-present sweet and sour chicken were listed on the same page as intriguing dishes like lemongrass jumbo shrimp and lamb pot au feu.

After a long deliberation, we decided that the spicy tangy dumplings ($6), stuffed with ground pork, served with peanut butter dressing and sprinkled with green onion and hot spicy oil sounded great. Alas, our attention was stolen shortly afterwards by the Vietnamese summer rolls ($7) and the spice-encrusted calamari ($9). The dumplings, I thought to myself, could be ordered on a different occasion, perhaps on a lazy Sunday morning when Charlie Chiang’s offers dim sum.

We weren’t disappointed. The summer rolls — ground shrimp, rice vermicelli, crunchy lettuce and fresh bean sprouts folded into a thin rice wrapper — were the quintessential summer appetizer. Light and refreshing, they offered the perfect balance of flavors and textures: the sweet and salty Hoisin and peanut dipping sauce perfectly complemented the freshly cut vegetables and tender ground shrimp, while the rice paper wrapper made these rolls a much lighter starter than the traditional deep-fried spring rolls. The calamari also turned out to be a good choice: seasoned with salt and pepper and tossed with red, green and yellow bell peppers they were both beautiful and tasty. The sambal dipping sauce could have used a little more spice —after all it’s supposed to be the devil’s sauce. If it contained any habaneros I couldn’t tell, which was kind of a let down.

Luckily, the main courses we ordered quickly made me forget about the not-so-devilish sambal. My red pepper rosemary chicken ($17) was a hit, not only because it was as spicy as I’d imagined, but also because it was a masterfully prepared dish where everything — the tender pieces of chicken breast, the rosemary pepper marinade, the dried peppers and the fresh chilies — came together harmoniously, providing an explosion of flavors I couldn’t forget for days.

The sweet chili-seared salmon ($20) also turned out to be worth the try. A good-sized fillet of salmon was wok seared and served over a bed of shredded cabbage, dressed with a sweet chili sauce. You can tell that Charlie Chiang’s moves a lot of fish: the salmon was among the freshest in town, buttery and rich, seasoned with a sauce tangy enough to add something to the dish, but delicate enough to let the flavor of the fish shine through.

The Peking duck ($39) is Charlie Chiang’s priciest entrée, but believe me when I say that it’s worth every dime. Sliced tableside, this decadent, fatty bird has a crunchy skin and juicy meat and it’s so tender and flavorful that you might want to skip the usual accompaniments of pancakes, plum sauce, scallions and cucumbers. We didn’t — we piled our plates high as if it were our last supper — but the leftover, plain duck I enjoyed the next day was still amazing and flavorful.

Needless to say, I went back to Charlie Chiang’s for dim sum. Crispy pork wontons, pot stickers, steamed dumplings, sweet and sour spare ribs and tempura cheesecake were masterfully prepared and beautifully presented. As I left Charlie Chiang’s once again I felt as content as I did when I was 3 years old and Chinese food only meant fried rice, smelly clothes and red paper lanterns.

* * *

Charlie Chiang’s

12200 U.S. 41 N., Naples, (239) 593-6688

Hours: 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Cuisine: Modern Chinese and sushi

Beverages: Full bar

Atmosphere: Sleek and modern, this innovative Asian restaurant has lots of style

Prices: Appetizers under $10, entrees mostly between $17 and $30. Daily specials and lunch combos available for less.

Recommended dishes: Vietnamese summer rolls ($7), red pepper rosemary chicken ($17) and most of the dim sum menu offerings.

Verdict: Chinese tradition and modern influences blend together well at this beautiful riverside restaurant.

Follow restaurant critic Chiara Assi at www.twitter.com/ndn_chiara_assi

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