What a pleasant dilemma for a restaurant reviewer: Do I first describe the delicious and delicately prepared menu items at Fortune House; or do I single out the phenomenal friendliness of the staff, beginning and ending with owner-hostess Stephanie Juan? Juan opened Fortune House 18 months ago, and she’s developed such a loyal clientele that she greets three-quarters of the diners by first name.
She asks about vacation trips, soccer games, and dance recitals, exuding a genuine interest in her customers. Indeed, on our second visit, she remembered we’d been there with friends the week before, and that we like our food spicy. I’m sure, when we visit the third time, that she’ll greet us by name.
In a place with five booths and seven tables (seating about 50), Juan keeps an eye on the attentiveness of the waitstaff, and they all cover for each other, clearing dishes, checking on water and tea fill-ups, and answering questions about the food. The menu is also consumer-friendly, with combination plates at dinner ($6.95-$7.95), as well as lunch ($4.95-$5.50), and appetizer combos ($6.95) served all day with vegetable fried rice.
Indeed, vegetarian fried rice is the norm here. Other options are with chicken, pork, shrimp, beef, Chinese sausage, or the “house special” of beef, shrimp, and chicken. But there are few Chinese restaurants, in my experience, that have it vegetarian. A vegetarian or even a vegan would do well at Fortune House, with vegetarian versions of moo shi, hot and sour soup, spring rolls, mixed vegetable plates, and tofu dishes.
Among the cold appetizers, the edamame (green soy bean pods) are served plain or with black pepper ($3.95), our favorite. Two other appetizers we enjoyed were scallion pancake ($3.50) and seaweed salad ($3.95), both giving us new standards for these dishes. The pancake (cut into eight pieces) was crispy on all sides and seemed like layers of wonton wrappers with scallions in between. The seaweed salad was nicely dressed with sesame oil and soy sauce.
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On our second visit, we had hot and sour cucumber ($3.95), half-pickled wedges of cuke, with a sweet and spicy edge. And the vegetarian tempura, with sweet potato, Chinese eggplant, broccoli, string beans, and green pepper ($3.95), was — hands down — the best I’ve had in Rhode Island, each deep-fried vegetable bursting with flavor.
Friends Cynthia and Peter, who had guided us to Fortune House, respectively chose scallops with asparagus ($10.95), and the seafood combination ($12.95). Peter’s dish had jumbo shrimp, scallops, and crabmeat with peapods, carrots and celery, with each key ingredient giving back its bright taste in a clear mild sauce. Cynthia’s entrée, one of a half-dozen asparagus specials that night, was loaded with this spring vegetable, along with plenty of scallops, in a light soy sauce sauté.
Bill settled on “house pan-fried noodle” ($10.95), large soft round noodles fried on both sides and served with chicken, beef, scallops, and vegetables in a brown sauce. Juan explained that this is a special blend of Chinese sauces, such as black bean and hoisin. Amazingly, Bill (with a little help from his friends) finished off this heaping bowl of goodies.
Looking for something a bit different, I picked “two-flavor chicken” ($10.95). As the menu describes it, this is a “double-dish.” On one side of the plate is a mild-flavored chicken and veggie mix, and on the other, tender chicken fingers in a hot pepper/orange sauce. Both were quite good.
Juan makes the ice cream every day, and since there are four flavors — ginger, mango, green tea, and red bean — we ordered one of each. Peter and I agreed that the green tea was the best incarnation of that flavor we’ve had.
On our second visit, Bill and I perused the menu thoroughly and came up with “home style bean curd” ($6.95) for me, and the Kung Pao chicken combo plate ($7.95) for him. We loved everything: the tenderness of the chicken pieces, the fieriness of the hot and sour soup, and the wrinkled texture of pressed and pre-fried tofu, soaking up its sauce.
We can barely wait to go back, to try the clay pot casseroles, the “sizzling plates,” the sesame noodles, and much more. I asked a nearby diner for his favorite dish, and he replied, “Everything — I’m working my way through the menu.” Other visitors, including us, might need to adopt this strategy.
Fortune House, 1800 Mendon Rd, Cumberland | Mon-Thurs, 11 am-9:30 pm; Fri-Sat, 11 am-10:30 pm; Sun, 12-9:30 pm | Major credit cards | Beer + wine | Sidewalk-level access | 401.333.9976 | 401.333.5699
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Johnette Rodriguez:
johnette.rodriguez@cox.net