![]() ![]() Invites and discounted tickets to UP dinners and events.A packed calendar of food, cocktail, and wine events.Restaurant reviews written by a respected and unbiased food critic.The latest food news, including restaurant openings and closings.Very poor service! I will never come back, nor recommend this restaurant to anyone.Annual subscription: $99.99 (an $20 savings)Ĭheck out more subscription options AS A SUBSCRIBER, YOU GET. Management should be more conscious of emergency situations like this and train the staff to handle it better. This was an emergency and all they were thinking about was the payment of the meal that we didn’t even get to eat. All we got from the waitress was “let me hurry and get you the check, so that you can get out for the meds”. With the initial scare, the start of the breakout, the closing of my throat and rushing to get out to take my medicine and get my epi-pen at the hotel. ![]() After getting the food, I had a bite of the chicken as my husband was asking the waitress if there wasn’t any shellfish in it because of my allergies, just to make sure and the waitress then said for me to stop eating as the chicken had a crab paste. I read the menu a million times and after seeing that there was nothing specified with shellfish (I have shellfish allergies) in their charbroiled chicken I ordered that. Xiao Bao was open so we decided to venture in. When we arrived to Charleston on a Monday, we looked around for any close by restaurants and most of them were closed. Xiao Bao Biscuit is hands down my new favorite and I wish I could take it with me when we leave Charleston. My partner and I travel full time and we have eaten at interesting and unique restaurants all over the US. In fact, a vegetarian could enjoy an amazing meal at XBB - vegetables are treated with respect and not as an afterthought they are stars, not a side. We rounded out our over-ordering with a bowl of sticky rice and a dish of flavorful napa cabbage in a garlic soy marinade that also could stand alone as a meal. This was the last dish to come out, so there is a lot of it leftover, and I'm looking forward to having it for breakfast. It was mouth-numbingly spicy, but not hurt you hot even though you can't feel your tongue, you can still taste the sophisticated yet simple flavors. And now we come to my favorite dish, perhaps ever: Mapo Dou Fu, which is sichuan pork and tofu in a fiery chili oil sauce, served with rice. I would have it again, but I'd let it stand alone and not make it compete with all the interesting plates we ordered. It was interesting and delicious - shredded cabbage and seasonings, fried up crispy and garnished with sauces and your choice of pork candy (!) and/or a fried egg - but not the star of our meal. The Okonomiyaki (cabbage pancake) is XBB's signature dish, the one all the other reviewers rave about. Pork belly is rich and saucing it is usually an insult, but the light yet lucious sauce was the perfect complement. ![]() It was cubes of lean cut pork belly braised in a savory sauce that was tart and sweet, exploding with flavor but somehow not overwhelming. ![]() I can't remember the name of the pork dish. I'm a fan of brussel sprouts and these were addictive. My stomach was crying uncle, but my tastebuds were saying, "More! More!" The Yu Xiang tonight was eggplant and brussel sprouts in a flavorful Sichuan sauce, nicely cooked and could stand alone as an entree. I'm salivating a little bit right now thinking about it, and couldn't resist one more bite.and one more.even after I was full. The Shaking Beef is mildly spicy, savory, and tart, with the flavors gathering together to throw a party in your mouth. It's not quite a tasting menu because the portions are more generous, and the 4 or 5 dishes they recommend you share between two people is a lot of food. Our bartender/server was highly knowledgeable about the food and beer selection, and steered us in the perfect direction. A nice long bar, plenty of tables, with a pass-through so you can see the cooks in back preparing your food. Inside is hipster cool and funky in a good way. This is not "Chinese food", it's mostly southeast Asian - Thai, Cambodian, Korean, and Vietnamese - with a modern presentation. I also love Asian cuisine in all its nationalities, and XBB delivers the goods. One either likes this sort of distinctive, whimsical environment or they don't. Picnic tables are lined up in what used to be a gas pump lane for al fresco dining. There was something in the smoker out back that was sending out a mouth watering aroma, lending to the "come hither" atmosphere (we found out that it was lamb necks for a special dish for this weekend). It's a renovated garage, eclectic and charming, interesting and unique. I knew I was going to love XBB when we pulled in the parking lot. ![]()
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