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Windy bistro romance
I've never been a big believer in love at first sight but do think that long loving relationships, the kind that foster happiness and success for all and last for years, are possible after the first meeting. More than once in my life that very thing has happened to me; each time all the details have been chiseled into my memory. I am talking, of course, about the deeply satisfying relationship that can exist between restaurant and diner, food and eater. You might almost say it is love at first bite. And I think I might've bitten that apple and fallen in love again. Moongate Asian Bistro has tickled my fancy, pleased my appetite and otherwise generally worked its way into my food lexicon. My meeting with the Moongate was as unexpected and serendipitous, as meetings like that always are. My friend and I walked in for a plate of noodles or rice and a nice chat. We've been friends for so long (since the year the movie Chinatown was released, if you remember when that was) that we understand each other without words and know each other's taste in music, clothes and food very well. Without too much discussion, we picked several dishes from the menu, ordered and then settled back to talk. The hot and sour and miso soups we ordered to start came out of the kitchen pronto, which was good because my only complaint about the place is the heat/cold situation. The room's general atmosphere is comfortable, but each time the door opens a wind tunnel opens up and (this being winter) a blast of arctic air rushes in. The way the large room is designed there is no real way to escape the cold air, so I started to get colder as the evening wore on and more diners came in. In places where the weather is more often cold and windy than it is here—Chicago for example—most restaurants have a small antechamber to catch the cold blast and keep it from coming in with guests. Perhaps a well-placed screen could help here. In any case, the soup was welcome. The miso was better than the hot and sour, but neither was the best I'd ever had. Good enough but not outstanding. The vegetable tempura starter we ordered was crisp and hot, as tempura should be. The dipping sauce was the right combination of salty and seasoned, and by the time we were done crunching the veggies we were ready for the rest of our meal. The first thing we noticed about our entrées was their wonderful steamy smells. Then we saw their massive size. And then we noticed how attractive they were and quickly realized how delicious they were. Spicy chili beef featured thin slices of beef coated in a tangy, slightly spicy sauce. OK, so I would have liked it if it was spicier—like the restaurant itself it could have done with a bit more heat. I started to fall in love right then. The Thai-style chicken with cashews and vegetables was salty and tasty. The chicken was tender and perfectly cooked, and the cashews had just the perfect amount of nutty crunch to complement the rest of the ingredients. With a few bites of that, my love grew. We also ordered a Vietnamese noodle bowl with tofu. Rice noodles lay curled in the bottom of a large bowl and were topped with bean sprouts and amazing cubes of bean curd. The bits of tofu were unlike any other I've ever had. They were crisp on the outside and unbelievably light inside—like delicious pillows. Before eating this dish, I would have been puzzled about why anyone would want to eat pillows. After having eaten them, I still don't know the answer, but don't really care why. How can anyone explain the why of love? The two sauté dishes were served on plates with scoops of rice in single-diner fashion. No fear, though, you can also get small side plates and share away. And believe me, you'll want to. According to a Bible passage oft quoted in wedding vows, love is generous. I certainly found it be so at the Moongate Bistro. Now if I can just get them to fix the icy wind problem. Respond: letters@boulderweekly.com
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Moongate Asian Bistro
