For a list of all the Bowie Restaurant Project reviews, look here.
Golden Pavilion Asian Bistro, 6938 Laurel Bowie Rd.
Most Recent Foursquare Check-in: 01/02/2012
Total Foursquare Check-ins: 3
Pre-Foursquare Visits: No
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
I am generally suspicious of restaurants that serve more than one type of cuisine; I think that they are unlikely to do all them well. I am seeing more Chinese/sushi restaurants, though, and some of them aren't bad. At our old house, for example, Seven Seas was our choice for not-driving-too-far Chinese food or sushi.
So when Christina brought home a menu from this place a few minutes from our house, I was skeptical but hopeful. They had been in business since 1967 as a Chinese restaurant, but moved next door and re-opened last year with the addition of a sushi bar. I'm not sure whether that makes them 45 years old or 1 year old, but I'll confine myself to parsing what is a restaurant and let others tackle the question of restaurant aging.
In sum, the sushi is very good. Christina likes it a bit better than I do; she remarks that the freshness has been more consistent than other East Coast establishments. I'm glad to have found a good sushi place so close to our house. I look forward to seeing how it ranks versus the other sushi establishments (of which Bowie has a surprising number.)
Now, normally, I would consider two visits sufficient to review a restaurant. Since, however, Golden Pavilion is at least as much a Chinese restaurant as sushi restaurant, I figured I needed one Chinese food meal to round out my evaluation. Based on my standard kung pao chicken test, I am pleased to report that Golden Pavilion is the only other Bowie Chinese restaurant I've tried to measure up to Grace's Fortune. (I still have one yet to sample.)
So four stars for a new Grantham family favorite. I think the only think that will keep us from visiting more often is that we had trouble finding anything on the menu that the kids would eat. That isn't a criticism of the restaurant -- it's just how the kids are right now. The staff was actually very friendly with the kids. I see it, though, for now as a good place for us to get takeout and for the occasional child-free date. I'm sure the boys will come around in time.
Bowie Restaurant Update
I swung by Hunan Delight last night to pick up a menu. It turns out it's another carry-out-only joint. That drops the total to 75, which means I only have 36 to go!
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