SENOR WONG

Food is a universal part of any culture’s identity and the Hmong culture is no different—much of the Hmong culture is centered around celebrations, many of which offer various different types of food in order to be well and be well fed. There’s a world of food out there to discover, and there’s always something new—we’ve just got to try it all!

Señor Wong’s location is excellent for an after dinner stroll in the park across the street overlooking the Mississippi River. There is on-street parking located on Kellogg, which is free after 4:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday and all day Sunday, as well as parking for $1.50 in the Kellogg Square Parking Ramp, with ticket validation.

I took my 14-year old daughter with me on a Friday evening, to see if the food they offered would be suitable for both of us and to check out how crowded the restaurant would be on a weekend evening. It was not crowded and there were other families dining, as well as several couples. The atmosphere was geared toward casual romantic with dark lighting and dark wood furnishings. Although we were seated at a table by a window, there was not anything interesting to see due to road construction on Robert Street.

Señor Wong offers a full menu of both Latin and Asian cuisine, incorporating a modern twist on traditional ethnic recipes. Items on the dinner menu include appetizers, sopas y ensaladas (soups and salads), tacos, stir fries, arroz y tallarines (rice and noodles) and especiales (specials). The menu also offers vegetarian and vegan friendly dishes as well as and spicy dishes, denoted by special symbols. My daughter ordered Señor Wong Wings and spicy Szechwan Dumplings from the appetizer menu and a glass of apple juice. I ordered an especiale, the Flautas de Pollo (chicken taquitos) and a bottle of Hardcore Cider. The wait for the food was a bit long but completely worth it. The Señor Wong Wings were prepared perfectly, juicy and tender with a sweet barbecue coating. The Szechwan Dumplings were equally as good, not gummy as I have experienced at other restaurants. They were filled with pork, shrimp, jalapeños and green onions.

The Flautas de Pollo were absolutely fantastic. The tortillas were crispy just like the menu described and the roasted corn and chihuahua cheese sauce topping was perfect, not too heavy. (There might even have been some feta cheese snuck into the roasted corn somewhere!) The only thing I would have suggested is that a side of white rice be offered with the dish as it was a bit spicy and could have used something to cool it down. Our bill came to around $47.00 and we had half of the wings and one-half of the flautas left to take home.

Latin and Asian fusion’s popularity has been on the rise, and with this restaurant, I see why. I highly recommend that if you are hungry for perfectly prepared Latin and/or Asian cuisine and perhaps a walk overlooking the Mississippi River, reaching fabulous views of St. Paul after your meal, Señor Wong should definitely be your destination.

SENOR WONG - 111 East Kellogg Boulevard, St. Paul, MN (Kellogg Square in downtown St. Paul)

www.senorwong.com

By Jeanette Madden