October 18, 2001
CHAN'S FINE ORIENTAL DINING
Chan's can hit the culinary high notes, too


By MERIDITH FORD
Journal Restaurant Reviewer

WOONSOCKET

Seen from Main Street, the face of Chan's Fine Oriental Dining is deceiving.

Of course you know it's a Chinese restaurant. It says so. But who could tell from such a small storefront that inside is a huge dining room -- and a jazz club?

In fact, the dark dining room -- the walls drenched in red and gold -- reminded me of San Francisco's Chinatown. But there are touches that are uniquely Chan's.

The walls of one hallway boast framed photographs of jazz luminaries such as Dizzy Gillespie (who played at Chan's, and -- according to owner John Chan -- came by for an order of chicken wings, too). There is a marquee-sized poster from There's Something About Mary, signed by the film's Rhode Island directors Peter and Bobby Farrelly.

Chan's is clearly known for its jazz. The restaurant has been in the Chan family since the 1960s; in the '70s, John Chan started introducing jazz acts onto the menu, too. By 1986, it had expanded into a full-fledged jazz club. But I didn't go there to listen to jazz -- not that I wouldn't like it.

I went to eat.

Eating is not hard to do at Chan's. The food is Chinese, or what should be called American-Chinese, because the menu is based on dishes that have come to be as well-known to the American table as peanut butter and jelly -- spring rolls, moo shu pork, lo mein, the ubiquitous pu pu platter. There are also many house specialties and lots of exotic drinks that would never make it to the table without an umbrella.

Exotic drinks aside, I like Asian beers, particularly the Chinese beer Tsing Tao, because they are light and go well with many of the spicier dishes. Chan's offers Tsing Tao, and our Chinese waiter -- only in the country for a few months -- was quick to bring it, along with a bevy of appetizers that would feed an army.

A combination of pork ribs, off the bone and steeped in a sweet sauce; sumptuous chicken wings; crispy, light fillets of battered chicken, and beef teriyaki came heaped on a footed platter. Hot and sour soup, one of the many common denominators of Chinese cooking, was spicy, with undertones of earthiness, and chock full of mushrooms and vegetables.

Like many older Rhode Island Chinese restaurants, Chan's serves rolls and butter -- a great help when trying to satisfy the picky eating habits of my 4-year-old daughter.

Orange beef was somewhat disappointing, although it was drenched in a compelling orange flavor pepped up by the pungency of red bell peppers. The beef lacked the crispy edginess that makes such a wonderful contrast to the rest of the ingredients in the dish -- in the end the whole thing just tasted mushy.

To the rescue, then, comes steamed see gyp shrimp -- a peasant-like dish of large, tender butterflied shrimp in a brothy black bean sauce. The sauce alone is reason to try this dish, if only to eat it over rice. It has a piquant tanginess, enhanced with a lot of garlic and laced with chopped scallions.

Desserts were nothing more than ice cream and ice-cream-sandwich treats that -- to steal a line from Calvin Trillin -- looked as if they had been purchased from the same place Chan's gets its napkins. We passed.

Appetizers, soups and noodle salads are $3 to $8.25; entrees, vegetarian dishes, noodle dishes and combination dinners are $6.75 to $12.

Chan's may have garnered a well-deserved reputation for its jazz, but it shouldn't be overlooked as restaurant because of that. Many of its dishes deserve as much praise as the musical lineup.

Chan's Fine Oriental Dining, 267 Main St., Woonsocket, 765-1900. Casual. Reservations accepted for dining for parties of 5 or more; reservations recommended for jazz shows. Wheelchair accessible. Smoking in bar area only. open Mon-Wed 11:30 a.m.-10 p.m., Thu and Sun 11:30 a.m.-10:30 p.m., Fri-Sat 11:30-12:30 a.m. V, MC, AM, DIS. Highchairs and booster seats available. Parking available in front and back of building. $.