Afternoon everyone …..
With the busy schedule that I continuously have. I decided that once a month at minimum we, (meaning my girlfriend and I) would have a date night scheduled.
Having a culinary background as well as being a woodworking craftsman. I like to try top notch restaurants in their chosen category. I still get magazines and emails from when I was in culinary about top rankings and new restaurants that opened up with reviews.
So last night was our date night….
I made reservations at a place named “Hunan Taste”. If you couldn’t tell from the name it’s a Chinese restaurant. I’ve never been there before, and it is constantly on lists for best Chinese food in NJ. I love Chinese food, but an extremely choosy on where I will eat it from.
With that being said….
This place is HUGE! And was packed when we got there for our 6:00pm reservation.
They even have a koi pond in the front of the building.
The tables are all covered with a rose colored satin linen cloth. There is a single red rose in a vase on every table as well. Once you are seated, they bring out a bowl of freshly made fried wanton strips with spicy mustard and duck sauce. All are made in house. I asked.
The menu is outstanding, the have Peking duck on the menu which shows the quality of the restaurant. After contemplating many dishes, my girlfriend ordered a house special Hunan filet with onions and mushrooms in their signature brown sauce. I decided on a dish called Hunan family, which has beef, pork, chicken, scallops and shrimp with various vegetables in the same signature sauce. Rice is served on the side in a bowl.
The filet was fork tender, meaning no knife needed to cut it. The flavor was fantastic. My dish was just as tender and the freshness of the seafood was excellent.
Here are the dishes:
This is definitely a place that I would come to again. We actually had a conversation during dinner that this would be a great place to go with a few couples. You then order a bunch of dishes and everyone gets to pick a little of each.
This is a quick story about them from their website:
FAMILY OWNED SINCE 1986
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Our family has been purveying Chinese cuisine for over four decades offering exceptional tastes from the Sichuan, Cantonese and Mandarin regions. It all started in the 70’s when we opened our first Sichuan restaurant in New York City's Chinatown. As we continued to develop our mastery and craft, our family business expanded with locations in Queens and Long Island.
In 1986, we opened Hunan Taste in Denville, NJ. Our restaurant was built out of an old roller-skating rink and meticulously designed to reflect the architecture of an ancient Chinese-style pagoda. Hunan Taste now sits as a major landmark in downtown Denville. Throughout the years, our establishment has gained a reputation for fine dining Chinese fare, ornate décor and an ultimate dining experience. A number of accolades have been collected, having been featured as one of the premier award-winning restaurants in Northern New Jersey. We have received high remarks from Zagat's Survey, and has been named "Best Chinese Food" nine years in a row by Reader's Choice, to name a few.
Here is a list of some of their awards over the years:
NJ Monthly
Annual Jersey Choice Awards
Daily Record
Best Of
Zagat Survey
Best Chinese Food
Trip Advisor
#1 Chinese & Asian Cuisine
MSN.com
Best Restaurant in every State
NJ.com
Best Chinese
Morris Essex Health & Life
Winner
Wine Spectator Award
All photos were taken by me.
