Lobster, Duck and Pork

No they are not combined, in one dish, but they are the three main items that our friend Chef Guy Burgess served us and another dinner last week at the "Oriental Wok" Hyde Park. It was an outstanding meal.
With a bit of discussion, before hand, we were treated to Lobster Canton style, large pieces of firm, fresh lobster, tail, done to perfection mixed with a black bean sauce and Chinese vegetables. The other dishes were just as well prepared. The duck breast was sliced thin, marinated and grilled. The duck came in a natural sauce to which seasonings and a touch of rice wine had been added. The accompanying vegetables were added to the mixture during the late stages of preparation. Bar-B-Que Pork strips mixed with crisp bean sprouts and thin sliced scallions made up the third dish of our delicious trio. A wonderful dinner which had started with drinks, egg roles and pot stickers. Not inexpensive but worth ever cent and scent.

The other oriental meal of the week was a return, for another terrific lunch, to "Quan Hapa" 1331 Vine St. 45202, with our Granddaughter. The dishes all have Vietnamese names but my translation is: a hamburger with marinated carrots, cucumbers, water chestnuts and a sauce on a special, slightly sweet, chewy bun. A hash brown potato pancake covered with marinated vegetables, pink onions and others and again a mixed Asian sauce. Finally, and certainly not least, our Granddaughter had a bowl of noodles, short ribs, and fried mushrooms all in a seasoned broth.
The place is small and all food is cooked to order, so don't go for "fast food". They have a full bar but none of us went this route, for lunch, although beer or wine might be a nice accompaniment.

Our other spots were not as successful. "The Quarter Bistro" 6940 Wooster Pike, Mariemont  served Marilyn a Bistro Burger with fries which was certainly acceptable. My Shrimp salad was quite bland and the greens would have been better on a "wilted" dish. The side of Scallion Gnocchi again lacked for flavor, except for salt. Service was inattentive and the noise level less than conducive to conversation.
 
"La Petite France" 3177 Glendale-Milford Rd, Evendale hit the bottom of our parade this week. We should have know when we saw only one server for a fairly full dinning room. Dinner, of course, came slowly, and one of the dishes of our foursome was not the item ordered. Marilyn had the Trout (dry) and when she asked for other than rice was told that was all that was available. The mixed vegetables were over cooked squash and zucchini. My Ris deVeau (sweetbreads) came in a heavy brown salty sauce which masked all flavors. Not a good experience. It's been close to twenty years since we were there and now we know the reason why.