Asian harvest moon festival at Grace Garden

October 12, 5:10 PMBaltimore Dining ExaminerDara Bunjon

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There are many like me that are food curious: who want to try new foods, new restaurants, new cuisines, authentic cuisines and will travel many a mile for the lightest gnocchi, Korean BBQ or the perfect Bahn Mi. When I got the invitation to go to Grace Garden restaurant in Odenton for a traditional and not so traditional Harvest Moon Festival multi-course Chinese dinner, I jumped at the opportunity.

Grace Garden is an out-of-the-way strip mall Chinese restaurant which has received rave reviews for their authentic Chinese fare from Baltimore and DC reviewers. It is far from fancy, fairly sparse with big tables with the built in Lazy Susan making it that much more conducive to share the food family style. Local food bloggers have waxed poetic on the culinary joys of dining at Grace Garden so I had to see for my own culinary curiosity.

I joined 19 other very intense, knowledgeable foodies for this glorious spread celebrating the fall season. Hong Kong native, Chef Li and his wife Mei started the meal with a winter melon soup, a winter melon from Mei’s garden. Here is the rest of the menu with pictures in the slide show:

Triple Treasures – chilled tripe, tongue and tendon
(don’t say ooooh until you try it – it was one of my favorite courses)

Deep-Fried Crullers with Shrimp and XO Sauce

Fu Yong Duck
Stuffed deboned duck beast with shrimp paste

Sauteed Asian Greens

Chicken Wings
Stuffed with sticky rice

Pork Belly

Cu Gia Eggplant

Szechuan Shrimp
Heads-on shrimp with chilies

Fried Whole Flounder with Bones
(fish is put on top of bones but you are suppose to eat the bones)

Ginger Scallion Lobster

Moon Cakes
( a tradition- the cakes hold a salted egg yolk in the center )

A number of these items are on the restaurant’s menu and some were made special for the evening.

For those who remember Mee Jun Lo, Grace Gardens will be reminiscent with its authentic, gritty and homey feel though there is no Irene to wait on your tables. Chef and his wife are very welcoming and happy to share their passion for food with all who pass through their doors. So go, take the trip, take friends – the more the merrier and what better way to try a number of their Chinese dishes.

Grace Garden
1690 Annapolis Road
Odenton, MD 21113
410-672-3581 - Closed Sundays
http://gracegardenchinese.com/