Of all the hypothetical locations that might occur to us for a truly great Chinese restaurant, Salem, Oregon wouldn’t be at the top of the list. Or the middle, for that matter.
By this, we do not intend a slight to Oregon’s capitol. It’s just that in terms of its reputation as a mecca for Asian foods, Salem is simply not in a league with San Francisco or Seattle… or Portland, for that matter. Salem is a generally quiet, smaller city that lives deep in the shadow of the far larger city to the north, Portland; it isn’t close enough to be a legitimate suburb, nor far enough away to be truly independent. And while those employed by state government assure a restaurant of a certain “critical mass” of customers, it’s only when the legislature is in session (every two years, in Oregon) that local activity kicks into high gear.
But Kwan’s is exceptional, and is certainly no local, well-kept secret. When in town on business recently, we saw on its reader board the announcement of a couple of “specials” featuring wild mushrooms, and had to re-arrange our schedule to revisit this old favorite.
The story of how owner Kam Sang Kwan came to Salem reads like a Horatio Alger story. Originally from Singapore, he always dreamed of immigrating to the U.S. Beginning at age 11, he worked his way up in the restaurant business, progressing from waiter to cook and learning English and Japanese along the way, relocating to Hong Kong at 17, then getting his big break: going to work for well-known Oregon businessman and writer, Gerry Frank as his personal chef. Kwan did so well that he wound up staying two years longer than his original two-year commitment and then, with some help from Mr. Frank and others whom he’d met here, opened his first restaurant in Salem’s City Hall in 1976. The rest, as they say, is history.
Kwan’s has operated in its present location just south of downtown since 1982. It’s a showy place, clean, elegant and beautifully maintained. When we were there, the background music was classical: first Beethoven’s Ninth, then Tchaikovski’s 1812 Overture. It may sound incongruous, but it was pleasant and somehow appropriate.
We dithered a bit over the extensive menu, but settled on the dish that had first gotten our attention on the reader board: Buffalo with Wild Matsutakes. This turned out to be a delightful dish, with the buffalo cut into bite-sized pieces and served with a generous amount of Matsutakes, white onions, carrots, coriander and lovely, crisp peapods, all served in a delightful sauce. It was absolutely flawless, and probably the best preparation of Matsutakes we have ever encountered..
We thought we might need a veggie course, and always like a nicely done Chow Mein with pan-fried noodles. Kwan’s Special Chow Mein caught our eye with the mention of “black mushrooms” (these turned out to be the Chinese variety, not the black chantrelles we thought it might be) among its other ingredients of bok choy, carrots, bean sprouts, black beans (a flavorful addition not often encountered in Chow Mein), and thin noodles. Celery was there, too, but not too much, as is so often the case. There were a number of choices for the meat; we chose prawns, and they were plentiful and delicious.
The service was impeccable and included cloth napkins (as you would expect) and hot, moist towels after dinner (which you might not expect, but a nice touch). We couldn’t resist the Ginger Ice Cream Sundae, which it turns out mixes the ginger element in with Chocolate syrup. It was lovely, and left a lingering and very pleasant after taste.
This is a longer review than we normally devote to one restaurant, but it’s an inspiring story and an excellent restaurant. Mr. Kwan is a wise and hard-working man, who has literally lived the American dream.
Kwan’s Cuisine
835 Commercial Street S.E.
Salem, OR 97302
503-362-7711
www.kwanscuisine.com
Comments