Tai Tung.....They Say Bruce Lee Used To Eat Here

Okay, so I am taking a break from all the chicken, fish and pizza and getting back to trying “Seattle institutions.” It has been a little hit or miss with these places but if I’m gonna live here seems I need to at least give them a shot so I can decide whether I want to recommend them to folks when they come to visit. This time I an wandering back down to the International District since it was time I got some Chinese food. While ID, as they call it, isn’t quite like SF Chinatown, it does have some places that seem worth checking out, like that Jade Garden place I hit up. This time I am going all in on the old school, long standing, touristy, institution a celeb has eaten here spot called Tai Tung.

They bill themselves as the oldest continuously operating Chinese restaurant in Seattle along with laying a claim to fame as a place that Bruce Lee ate at all the time and always got oyster sauce beef and garlic shrimp (which isn’t listed on the menu anymore). Don’t know that I will be going all in Bruce on this visit but I am making a point to at least try one of their “house specialties,” something I normally shy away from, but if I am gonna go where the masses go, let’s see how they do it. And just as a side note, Bruce sat at the same table in the back of the place which you can sit at if it isn’t already taken (it was and I didn’t need to see a table). While he was born in SF and raised in Hong Kong, turns out he is buried in Seattle of all places. Why? Although he died in Hong Kong, his family always thought of Seattle as their true home. It is where he met his wife Linda, studied, and began teaching local students. It is also where Linda said life was simple for the family of four. The rest you can Google.

While I eschewed Mr Lee’s faves, I did succumb to a couple house specialties starting with their roast duck. The quarter size portion. Duck is a specific kind of meat choice as the flavor runs a little more deeply than say chicken. It borders between somewhat sweet, savory and mildly gamey. But the meat is usually quite juicy, if cooked right, where the fat gives it all its flavor. Here they did a pretty good job including the nice addition of some crispy skin. It is also a rich tasting meat and this size was more than enough for me. Though, they drizzled more than enough soy sauce across the top that if I had known, I would have asked them not too. Soy is salty and the one they used even more so. It did not do the meat any favors as far as my taste buds were concerned. Good, but could have been better.

I figured I should at least get some veggies with shrimp, Chinese style? I think that means it also has those thin glass noodles with it? Must say, first time I have seen cauliflower in a dish. It did give me all kinds of fresh and crispy on the vegetable front and there was ample enough shrimp that were not over cooked at least. It all tasted fresh if a bit dull. Not much flavor going on here and a surprising lack of sauce. If their goal was to give it a light touch then bravo! They succeeded. For me it could of used a little something like seasoning or a spicy kick. As is, healthy and filling at least, but not much else.

**Beef Chow Fun with Chinese Greens $16.95**

This is a house/chef specialty—beef chow fun with Chinese greens. Thin strips of beef stir fried with wide rice noodles, onion and bok choy in a brown sauce. Well, you certainly do get a lot and the meat and bok choy were fine and at least had more flavor than the shrimp dish. The noodles though, kind of thick, sticky and somewhat chewy. Kind of like getting a jaw work out while eating. Not my kind of thing, but hey, you get a lot! Did I mention that already?

What can I say, me and Mr Lee don’t exactly share the same tastes. Decades ago when he was haunting the place on a regular basis maybe the food was more home cooked meal than standard Chinese. He obviously had a fondness for it (then) but I can’t say I found it kung fu-licious. Sure, I get the appeal if you are a movie buff or tourist and want to say “hey, look where I went!” I’m not above that when I travel, but for those of us who live here there is better, and affordable, Chinese food to be had around town. Including just across the street. Much like Bruce Lee, best to forge your own trail to some good, or even decent Chinese food in Seattle. I don’t feel the need to go back, but if anyone comes to town and really wants to go, I’ll be more than happy to direct them there, and then just join them for drinks elsewhere afterwards.