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March was National Noodle Month and I missed celebrating this popular comfort food. Belatedly, I hail Michael's Noodles as our local standard bearer.
Two chefs, one from Taiwan and the other from Mainland China, provide an extensive, authentic menu for this cozy 50-seat family restaurant in the Travilah Square Shopping Center. That suits the large ethnic Chinese following — and Americans, too.
Its diversity makes Michael's the perfect place to celebrate noodles. You can start with dim sum dishes such as potsticker dumplings and Szechuan wonton and then move on to noodle soup.
We get a good tip from a relative. The slow roasted beef noodle soup is a standout among the 17 noodle soup offerings. The kitchen prepares a spicy and a non-spicy version. In deference to the young child dining with us, we opt for non-spicy. Talk about comfort food; we all loved the tender beef chunks reminiscent of a good brisket, and fresh noodles.
Choosing a noodle dish is a tough decision. Two dozen of them encompass hot and cold noodles, spicy and non-spicy noodles, broad and thin noodles, fresh egg and wheat flour noodles, rice noodles and cellophane noodles.
The eponymous Michael's seafood mixed noodle proves to be another pleaser. These fresh twisty noodles are bathed in a white sauce that lets the flavor of the shrimp, scallop, surimi and clams shine through.
Man does not live by noodles alone, and fortunately, Michael's omnibus menu has plenty more to offer. Chef Yufu Ho (some may remember him as owner of House of Chinese Delights) creates nearly 90 Taiwanese-style specials. We select sliced boneless chicken with rice, Hainan style, named for the island off the southernmost tip of China. The chicken is simplicity itself, steamed with the skin attached, sliced and served cold with aromatic broth-soaked rice. Small dishes of fresh ginger and spicy chili sauce for dipping accompany it.
The chef's seafood in fire pot arrives bubbling in a casserole on a brazier. Hot and spicy, the mixed seafood and sauce go well over steamed rice.
To satisfy the child at the table, a lover of crispy food like most Americans, we order orange chicken. It may not be the definitive version, but it is appreciated nonetheless.
I count at least 40 vegetarian dishes, nine of which are on the chef's Taiwanese-style menu. Bean curd is a major player — Shanghai, Szechuan or home style, bean curd with egg white, tofu Hunan style and even General Tso's tofu, to name just a few.
The whole menu is in both English and Chinese, which many in the restaurant this evening can no doubt read. Rice and noodle dishes are in the $7.75 to $9 range; most specialties are $9.95 to $12.95.
The staff is knowledgeable and friendly. Michael's Noodles attracts regulars from the nearby offices, some so familiar that the waitresses know what they want and automatically bring it, says manager Wai Chang.
They are the lucky ones. They know what they want. My biggest problem is narrowing the choice down to what can comfortably fit in my stomach. Or I could just return time and again as many do.
Michael's Noodles
10038 Darnestown Road, Rockville
301-738-0370, fax 301-738-0084
Hours: Sun.-Thurs. 11:30 a.m.-9:30 p.m., Fri.-Sat. 11:30 a.m.-10:30 p.m.
Style of cuisine: Taiwanese
Dinner entrees: $9.25-$18.95
Credit cards: MC, V
Carryout
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