Little Kitchen, Big Prices

It's the darndest thing about The Little Kitchen: the dishes that are so scrumptious at the restaurant are only so-so if you have it delivered.

I've asked around and this seems to be a widely-experienced phenomenon. I only live about four minutes from The Little Kitchen, situated in the CVS shopping center, so it's not as if there's a lengthy transport time. Maybe it's the plastic containers? Maybe once the food cools down it all starts to go south? Whatever the explanation, you're sure to have a more satisfying moo shu pork if you dine in rather than eat out of the container on your couch. (That's a disappointment since slurping noodles on the sofa is half the appeal of Chinese food.)

In actuality, The Little Kitchen is technically not "Chinese." Like most of the local restaurants, it's "trans-asian." This means they serve a smattering of Vietnamese/Thai/Malaysian and sushi as well as Chinese. (That combo always makes me a bit suspicious. Raw fish isn't something I want to mess around with. I prefer to leave that to the Japanese.) That said, The Little Kitchen does sushi well. Their menu is fairly typical, with the full array of rolls and sashimi platters. While you won't find anything here that you won't at, say, Tengda or TaiPan, the fish is fresh.

Before surveying your options, you'll be handed a big black menu -- one that's a very different menu than the take-out version. Gone are the inexpensive chicken with black bean sauce and beef with broccoli. Instead you'll find more complicated and expensive entrees such as Grilled Sea Scallops and Jumbo Shrimp served over a coconut pumpkin bisque ($24) or Grilled Rib-eye Steak Kew ($22).

We sampled the Thai Lemon King Prawns ($20) and desperately wish we hadn't. The prawns were stringy and the cloyingly sweet sauce seemed to be infused, inexplicably, by strawberry. (Much to my entertainment, it was described as "seductive" on the menu.) The fact that our shrimp-adoring group left three oversized prawns on the plate uneaten tells you all you need to know.

The Pad Thai ($17 with shrimp) was satisfying but I missed the chopped peanuts that usually top these noodles. Overall, the in-house dishes were a little spendy - in some cases, $7 more than identical entrees on the take-out menu. It's an up-charge of sorts for eating there among the high red banquettes and the vintage teak doors decorating the walls.

If you ask, they'll bring you the paper menu that's always stapled to your brown take-out bag and let you order from it. And the truth is, you'll be far better off. We were happier with this more traditional fare. The special Pork and Chive Dumplings ($8) were an enticing alternative to the run-of-the mill doughy pot stickers. These were filled with a generous amount of Asian vegetables, a bit of pork and were served with a spicier dipping sauce. It was probably our best bite of the night. The Sesame Beef ($17) tasted an awful lot like the Orange Beef ($12.50, take-out), minus the citrus, plus a sprinkling of seeds. It was tender and tangy but very fried. (The small portion I served myself probably fulfilled my caloric requirement for the day.) The Shrimp with Crispy Spinach ($18) featured decent shellfish served, again, with a seriously fried vegetable. But I supposed that's to be expected at a Chinese - I mean, trans-Asian restaurant.

So here's how to navigate the murky Little Kitchen waters:

1. Do not opt for delivery even if it's raining and you really don't feel like going out.
2. Bypass the big black menu and stick with the tried-and-true favorites off the take-out list: Sautéed String Beans, Shrimp in Black Bean Sauce, Chicken with Garlic Sauce. It may be a bit boring, but it's not a good time to get creative.
3. Whatever you do, don't order the Thai Lemon King Prawns or anything else described as "seductive."