Decades of dining

Rice Bowl has been bringing back customers since 1954

By Riza Parsons
Daily News correspondent

Published: July 3rd, 2009 12:51 AM
Last Modified: July 3rd, 2009 03:38 AM

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ERIK HILL / Anchorage Daily News

Regular booths and tables await diners at the Rice Bowl, along with alcoves offering more space and privacy for small groups.

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When asked to name a stellar Chinese restaurant, people often pause and think for a moment. Sure there are the places that offer flaming drinks or deliver chow mein at four in the morning or even boast the convenience of a nice bowl of egg drop soup before a night in a motel room. But really memorable food? Food that doesn't just satisfy a craving for crispy egg rolls and sweet-n-sour pork?

Rice Bowl's owner William Wong said it's the oldest Chinese restaurant in town, opening in 1954 on Fifth Avenue and later moving to Sixth. The restaurant works to differentiate itself with a reputation for good steaks. It's clear that it has a solid roster of regulars, people who are welcomed by name and not even given a menu. On my visit, a woman sat at the bar and was greeted with effusive compliments about her "new look." A vagrant also wandered in and had to be led back outside, but both were treated cordially and with respect.

The restaurant stands alone, surrounded by car lots and streaming traffic. There are always a handful of cars in the parking lot though, a testament to the patrons who have been frequenting this establishment for decades.

The menu is a standard offering of beef, pork, chicken, vegetable, noodle and seafood dishes, with an American menu also prominently displayed. Its house specials present a few intriguing options; the Rice Bowl steak ($22.75) is strips of steak tossed in a tomato sauce with onion, green peppers and pineapple. The double delight ($20.25) features deep fried scallops and beef in a spicy sauce.

For those in a celebratory mood, there is lobster and king crab (both market price) and a 22-ounce porterhouse steak ($29.75).

I decided on a pu-pu platter ($12.75) to taste a cross-section of the appetizers. A large wooden dish was brought out bearing egg rolls, fried dumplings, chicken wings, fried shrimp, barbecue pork and two skewers of beef and vegetables protruding from a mini grill aflame in the middle of the pile of food. I immediately wanted a mini grill of my own, or several to host a yakitori party. The grill was the perfect size to cook a cube of meat and a few slices of vegetables.

Besides being a good value and sheer entertainment, the combination plate has something for everyone and is a study in fried deliciousness. It's also a good idea to get a combination dinner, as it allows for two entrees, fried rice and either egg rolls or dumplings. I chose the No. 4 ($14.75), Hunan beef and sweet-n-sour chicken with fried dumplings and pork fried rice. All the dinners come with a cup of egg flower soup. While nicely seasoned, the soup was too thickened with cornstarch for my taste.

I found the cornstarch to be a problem in my entree as well. The flavors were fine, but the sweet-n-sour sauce was gelatinous and somewhat gluey. That is to say, the normal state of sauces at Chinese restaurants everywhere, in which the Americanized version of dishes often dictates a certain unappetizing consistency. The chicken itself was tender, and its coating crisp and airy. And there is certainly no complaint with the portion size. Each dish was heaped generously with food.

The Hunan beef was flavorful, chock full of tender, spicy beef and well-cooked vegetables, perfect over rice. The menu describes it as "delicious hot good" and I would have to agree.

After having heard so much about Rice Bowl's steaks, I ordered a steak sandwich ($15.75) to go, with rice and a salad. The strip steak was twice as large as I thought it would be and seared with charbroiled flavor. I didn't even bother putting the steak on the two pieces of buttery toast provided. I cut into it with a knife and fork and ate it with rice, a quite substantial lunch for a good price. It didn't knock me over with flavor, but it was juicy and smoky.

Wong said the restaurant has only closed for three years since '54. He said the Army brought him up here the first time, and opportunity beckoned the second time.

"There weren't many Chinese restaurants then," he says. "And now some of our customers are third generation."

Rice Bowl is a restaurant that instills loyalty through a family atmosphere and consistent food. Its longevity is ensured with memories being made and meals being shared. The dishes don't change, and neither does the friendly staff who greet you by name. This is comfort food, memorable for the sense of its surroundings.

• Got a restaurant tip, a new menu, a favorite dish or a chef change? Send an e-mail to play@adn.com.

Rice Bowl

*** $$

Location: 810 E. Sixth Avenue

Hours: 11:30 a.m.-11:00 p.m. Monday-Saturday, closed Sunday

Options: Dine in and takeout

Phone: 276-7423 (RICE)

Want to rave or pan? Write your own review of this restaurant or any other recently reviewed place at play.adn.com/dining.

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