Dining out: Sampan
Sampan is one of those Chinese restaurants that want to please American diners — and I mean that in the best possible way.
Besides shrimp, there's no seafood on this menu. There's no offal and nothing glutinous and nothing that's been buried for 100 days.
The absence of these "authentic" Chinese touches isn't surprising; I doubt many people would order them. The menu has a few nods to the evolution of diners' tastes in Asian food — Vietnamese-style egg rolls with vermicelli, lettuce wraps, pad Thai — but by and large, this is traditional American Chinese done well.
Sampan is a good place to take the family, though there were plenty of adults-only tables on the recent weekend that we visited for lunch.
Besides the natural attractions of Chinese food, with its kid-friendly noodles, rice and bite-size pieces, the staff was hospitable to our little ones, supplying a high chair, lidded cups and friendly conversation.
They also started us off with bowls of crispy fried wonton strips and pots of bright-red sweet-and-sour sauce for dipping.
But we really got going when the sizzling bo bo platter, complete with flaming pot, tiny grill and four dipping sauces, arrived on the table.
The menu says this mixed appetizer is for two, but it did nicely for our party of two adults and four kids.
The kids pounced on the cream-cheese wontons, which I avoid unless they're the kind with crab, and the simple sheets of fried wonton skin.
However, tantalizing smells soon led the kids to the slightly more exotic delights of the juicy and beautifully seasoned paper-wrapped chicken and the chewy, red-rubbed barbecue pork.
They also loved heating the savory, sesame-sprinkled beef on a stick over the little grill, though their dad and I got to eat most of it, as well as the shrimp and the crispy egg rolls.
I had a cup of peppery, complex hot-and-sour soup with tofu, bamboo shoots and egg, and my 8- and 6-year-old daughters ordered Asian noodle soup with chicken.
They were delighted when a huge, steaming bowl piled with chicken and veggies was set in front of them. They used chopsticks to dig down to the chewy golden noodles steeped in strong, savory broth.
Eventually, all the kids were clustered around that soup.
That was OK with my husband and me, because it meant more almond chicken, snowball shrimp and ham-fried rice for us.
The rice was fresh, lightly oiled and full of ham and egg, and the almond chicken reminded me a bit of chow mein with its chopped mix of chicken, carrots, celery, onions and almonds in brown gravy.
Recent comments
I love the new J Wong Bistro, located across from the Salt Palace...
J Wong Bistro fan! | March 30, 2009 at 10:31 a.m.
The Mandarin in Bountiful is another restaurant worth driving for.
Anonymous | March 28, 2009 at 8:05 p.m.
I haven't been to many Chinese restaurants. I've heard great things...
Disagrees | March 28, 2009 at 2:52 p.m.
- Van Gundy marvels over Sloan 9:24 p.m.
- Charges dropped in 'Moon' taping 9:23 p.m.
- TV hero Gene Barry dies at 90 9:23 p.m.
- Eric Church nurses broken foot 9:23 p.m.
- Court to rule on Polanski appearance 9:23 p.m.
- Cuomo leaving ABC morning show 9:23 p.m.
- Gervais says stars in for teasing 9:23 p.m.
- Toby Keith stands by U.S. war efforts 9:23 p.m.
- 'Avatar' game an average shooter 9:23 p.m.
- Obamas, Winfrey talk gifts 9:23 p.m.
- Letters: Global warming a lie
276 - TCU to play Boise in Fiesta Bowl
207 - BYU football: Bronco weighs in on Hall
195 - Palin signs books, chats with fans
169 - Andersen apologizes for Jordan hoax
143 - Nude bathers cited for lewdness
138 - Max Hall wants to look ahead
130 - Jazz fall apart late at L.A.
110 - Revive full food tax?
106 - LDS to emphasize helping needy
106
If all three of the Utahns still competing on "So You Think You Can...
I haven't yet played "Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2," and honestly I...
The truth is that Coach Cleveland brought BYU literally back from the dead...
Will the media back off or will they ATTACK him? Will his competitors back...
Although I've never been very excited about golf, Tiger did draw me in from...
All these facts and logic will make these poor liberals heads explode!!...
The seats are only marked for sections, so you can sit anywhere in the...
This is exactly why 38 million people live in California even with all its...
This story was not written by the Des staff, its a republication of the AP...
My problem with Reid or any other politician, even Romney is that they drop...
I knew we were in trouble when we didn't leave the house in Orem until 6, but...
As mission President in England, President Derrick admonished us to live our...


