CLOSED/breakfast/brunch: i strongly recommend DAN RYAN'S

DAN RYAN'S CHICAGO GRILL
No. 8, Dun Hua N. Road
(02) 2778-8800

Moved to Xinyi Mitsukoshi A9 in 2013. closed in 2014

MRT: Nanjing East Road

website: windy-city.com.hk

hours: Mon-Thu 11am-12am; Fri-Sat 11am-12:30am; Sun 10am-12am
brunch is weekends only

$$

Kid friendliness: high chairs and kids menu available

Visit reviewed: 10/3/2010

(I don't know what was going on with the coloring of pictures that day. Something about the lighting made everything green-ish or yellow, which I tried to fix, so sorry if some of the colors are still strange/off)



Dan Ryan's is one of those American eateries that has been around Taipei for a long time- before the Diner, before Macaroni Grill/Gordon Biersch and before the wave of burger and brunch spots. I had heard good things about their weekend brunch, but didn't have a chance to check it out until now. I called morning that I wanted to go in and they warned me that the earliest reservation I could get was 1pm. But I asked that if anything else turned up earlier to please call me and while wandering Ikea, they called me around noon and I hurried over.




To be honest, what spurred my visit to Dan Ryan's was that a reader tipped me off to their bread basket having cornbread! So when someone in our party wanted to order pasta, I made sure that we got the breadbasket. While the cornbread was a tad dry, it hit the spot.



I tried to maintain low expectations since I didn't have the greatest experience at another longtime establishment, Carnegie's, but it's totally unfair to compare the two. Dan Ryan's is more akin to Chili's or TGIF, with its huge portions and American decor with room for large groups as well as booth seating for cozier parties (but without the kitsch.)



The Chinese and English menu cautions (or brags, depending on how you look at it) that they "serve American portions" and the great part is that the prices are still ready budget friendly. Brunch has all the traditional favorites and runs from NT$170 for french toast to NT$390 for crabcake benedicts. I was torn between the eggs benedicts and the cornbeef hash and eggs, but in the end I tried the eggs benedicts (NT$250).



When the plate came to the table, I could tell it was a good sign- the hollandaise size was creamy and thick, not too much or too little, and the hash browns were plentiful and crisp.

The french toast (NT$170) was also very good- probably the best I've had in Taipei- dusted with powdered sugar, not too eggy or dry, with a hearty six pieces served with warm maple syrup and butter.



If you're not feeling like breakfast, they have a full menu of appetizers, salads, burgers, pastas, steaks, seafood and ribs to tempt you. Everything I sampled around the table tasted not only authentically American, but good! The fish and chips was fresh and perfectly fried,



the creamy penne with chicken was rich without being heavy or bland (served with huge garlic toast slices),



and the minestrone soup had a side of crackers for dipping.



The thing that I would skip the next time was the creamed spinach which tasted more like a pureed spinach with butter- I'm sticking to Lawry's version.



And my grandma found the baked potato and sides to be a bit dry...



But all in all, I'm excited to go back and try the other brunch items at Dan Ryan's, like the pancakes and corned beef and hash... I'll just have to make sure to call before that day to make my reservations!


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western/steak: i strongly recommend NO. 168 PRIME STEAKHOUSE

NO. 168 PRIME STEAKHOUSE
at Grand Victoria Hotel, 4 FL
No. 168, Jingye 4th Road
Dazhi, Zhongshan District

(02) 6602-5678

MRT: JianNan Road

website: www.grandvictoria.com.tw

hours: Weekday Lunch 11:30am-2:30pm; Dinner 6:00-10:00pm
Weekend Lunch 12:00pm-3:00pm; Dinner 5:30pm-10:00pm

$$-$$$

Kid friendliness: high chairs available. lots of pastas/pizzas

Visit reviewed: 3/6/2010 & 3/21/2010



Steak lovers will enjoy tender, medium rare steak in a beautifully designed, open kitchen, upscale casual space in the Grand Victoria Hotel. Opened early this year, No. 168 Prime Steakhouse brings the expertise of A-Cut chef Danny Teng to bring the steakhouse experience in Taipei to another level. I never made it to A-Cut despite hearing about how it was "the best steak in Taipei", but after trying eating at a restaurant run by the former A-Cut's founder, I can see how he has a magic touch for steak.



The first thing I noticed when I entered into No. 168 Prime Steakhouse was the unique details of the entrance and dining room. Wood echoes prominently as a theme in the design, but in a modern, artful way.




The second thing was the large open kitchens and the chefs busy at work, making pizzas and preparing dishes. While they have six private rooms (the largest can seat up to a party of 50), it's a pleasure to sit in the main room.




The third and maybe the most subliminal thing was the open airy space and light from all the windows in the main room. Many of the other steakhouses I've been to are dark and enclosed- Ruth Chris, Robin's Grill, Lawry's- which give it a old fashioned feeling somehow; and No. 168 Prime Steakhouse is the opposite.



If you wander around, you'll see the dry aging room around the corner from the kitchen.





The first time I went was for a party, and there was a set lunch menu that the host selected. The lunch and dinner sets are the best deals, as they include a starter, salad, soup, main dish and dessert. I've heard that the sets are not as expensive as A-Cut's were, and are affordable at around NT$800-$1500 for lunch and NT$1600-$2000 for dinner sets.

We all found it really hard not to resist the complimentary bread- it's spongy and pliable, and tastes freshly baked.



The two starters we had to choose from were the sizzling hokkaido scallop or taraba crabcake. I chose the scallop, which was wonderfully sweet from the right amount of searing, carmelization and flavor from the parsley puree and beurre blanc sauces.




Though Mushroom Cappuccino soups seem to be popping up everywhere in Taipei restaurants, this has to be one of my favorite executions, with a sweetness and smokiness to the soup and airiness from the froth. If I didn't misunderstand the waiter, I think he said there was actually a touch of coffee beans in the soup.



Along with main dishes comes an elaborate set of salts, mustards and sauces to choose- from Himalayan Rose, Hawaiian or French sea salts; dijon mustard, grain and English mustard; to red wine, horseradish or Bearnaise sauces- it feels like the chef has traveled the world to bring you the best accompaniments for your steak.



On my second visit, I copy my friend, who smartly creates his own palette of sauces in a clockwise fashion. That's an engineering major's mind at work for you. I am not sure I could have ever came up with that on my own- and thus I could have never majored in engineering!



The USDA Prime Filet comes in a iron cast skillet with a roasted whole garlic and tomato. The garlic butter had melted already since the servers were running around serving everyone, but the steak is still amazing.



It was also probably the first time I noticed a steak knife like this, it sliced through the meat like butter.



I've never been that crazy about eating garlic (some of my friends in LA adore the Stinking Rose), but I try the roasted garlic clove and its practically melts in my mouth with a sweet creamy texture. Weird! I like garlic!



For those that aren't red meat lovers, there's roasted chicken, quail, king salmon and pork chop and lamb options. Here was a huge roasted chicken my friend couldn't finish.



Out of the three desserts I sampled, my favorite was the warm chocolate cake and after I research for this post, I understand why. Danny Teng was also the founder of Ben Teppanyaki which also had a memorable warm chocolate cake (not to mention the biggest piece of foie gras I'd probably ever had).



The Caramel Affogato looks and sounds good with brownies cubes and carmelized bananas, but the brownies are much drier and harder in comparison to the chocolate cake.



For lighter fare, there's the seasonal fruit tart.



On my second visit, I got a lot of the same- the scallop, the mushroom cappucino, the warm chocolate cake, but this time, I had the Black Angus Top Cap steak and I liked it even more than the filet. It was more tender and juicy and I savored every bite.



There's also pastas and pizzas, which are great to share or for kids. The Porcini mushroom pizza is as addictive as the bread, with its doughy crust.




From the presentation to the ambiance to the food, I can't remember another place where I've had as good steak. No. 168 Prime Steakhouse could be in Beverly Hills or Las Vegas, and it could compete with the best of them.


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chinese/steak: CHIA CHIA STEAK

CHIA CHIA STEAK
No. 169, Zhong Xiao E Road, Sec 5
(02) 2768-9541

MRT: Taipei City Hall

$-$$

Kid friendliness: high chairs available and lots of finger foods. steak might be too chewy for some.

Visit reviewed: 12/7/2008



When I was a kid, Sizzler and Todai were the two special event places to go for dinner in my family. When I was in middle school, Sizzler might have been one of my favorite places to eat. I could get your own soup and pick and choose what to put on my salad. My sister and I got to have garlic bread. Best of all, my parents were in a good mood because we had a coupon and we could eat steak and all you could eat salad/soup. It would be at least 15 years until I'd even hear about or eat at Morton's or Ruth's Chris or Lawry's or BOA. To us, Sizzler = steak = good times.

So to me, when I eat at a place like Chia Chia Steak, even though my tastebuds are a lot pickier and older, I can understand the popularity. An affordable night out for the family, with a sizzling steak for each person, plus a salad and ice cream buffet. Shrimp chips. Curly fusilli pasta. Corn.



Even though the steak is bit chewy for me and I wonder why it's drenched in overpowering sauce that I end up scraping off, I see tons of happy kids and families chowing down and waiting in line for their seats.

In this case, my grandma's friends wanted to take us to dinner. The menu is in English and Chinese and has different cuts of steak available, as well as lamb, pork and chicken- you can also order just the salad bar. Most of the sizzling plates are under NT$300 with the most expensive cut being the US Choice Sirloin at NT$450 (or about US$14).



I hoped for the best after seeing the menu, plunged into the pasta and lettuce at the salad bar.



I was strangely addicted to these UFOs (Unidentified Fried Objects)- I think they were squid?



I had asked for mushroom sauce on my steak, but instead it came with a spicy pepper sauce sauce. I just scraped it off and tried it with the Chinese A1 steak sauce and ate the fried egg. I know that sizzling steaks on the cast-iron pans are popular in Taipei- I've had them before at the night market and food courts.



And try the day glo ice cream at your own risk. It was artificial tasting and sugar sweet, but you know that's the kind of things that a kid loves, right? So Chia Chia Steak might be the Chinese Sizzler that some will remember fondly when they grow up.



But if you're feeling nostalgic, there actually is a Sizzler in Taipei. I've been a looong time ago, when my uncle would treat us when we'd visit from the states, but I haven't been in at least 10 years. Where are the best sizzling steaks in Taipei?


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teppanyaki/fusion: i strongly recommend BEN TEPPANYAKI

BEN TEPPANYAKI
No. 2 Lane 102, An Ho Road, Sec 1
(02) 2703-2296

website: ben-teppanyaki.com.tw

hours: 11:45 AM - 2:30PM; 5:45PM- 10:30PM

$$$

Kid friendliness: high chairs available

Visit reviewed: 7/4/2009



Foie gras and warm molten chocolate lava cake. Drool, drool, drool. Both decadent, melt in my mouth dishes that make me happy.

With those two things on the menu, everything else just faded into the background. Not to mention that I'll always remember Ben Teppanyaki for giving me the biggest piece of foie gras I've ever had. EVER. It's hard to tell from the pictures how huge it was, but it was crazy.



With teppanyaki, you watch the chef cook everything in front of you, making it look easy- letting things rest at the grill, putting the right amount of oil and seasoning to bring out the flavors. And in past experience, things are diced and sliced and passed around the table, so often if you see a few lobster tails, the amount that gets back to you is only a portion. That's why when he put the hunk of foie gras on the teppan, I thought it was going to be split amongst the table.



But no, it was ALL for me! No complaints, except from my arteries. It was so good and worth it, as I took each quivering, succulent bite. Definitely needed the sauce and the sweet pear to offset the richness of the foie gras.

Good thing the veggies were next- I needed to balance out the meal with some tender asparagus and mushroom. The juices from the mushroom were hot and as I munched away, I wished there were more.



I arrived late to the huge family dinner at Ben Teppanyaki so I didn't get to see the menu, but there was plenty of seafood and steak around the table (shrimp, fish, lobster). I'm guessing that this meal didn't come cheap, but it was worth it!

Ben Teppanyaki seems to take French dishes and serve it teppanyaki style with an elegant flair, fusing an east west menu. As the four generations laughed and talked, I played catch up with dishes- a pumpkin soup; garlic bread; cubes of steak with crispy, thin slices of garlic, and fried rice that I had to pack to go. I think there were more, I can't remember- all my focus was on the foie gras.



When the dessert arrived, I had mixed emotions. I love chocolate cake, but I was pretty full.



Then warm chocolate sauce broke free from the cake when I sliced it with my fork and made a little pool for the vanilla ice cream to take a dip. I devoured the whole thing- I couldn't resist! If you're planning on coming, make sure to save room for dessert!