Note: I was invited as a guest of the establishment and received a complimentary meal. This was not in exchange for a positive review and opinions expressed are my own.
I recently had the pleasure of attending a luncheon at Mission Chinese Food to celebrate the release of Los Angeles Times food critic Jonathan Gold’s City of Gold. In the film, Director Laura Gabbert follows the Pulitzer-Prize winning critic as he explores LA’s ethnic neighborhoods seeking out authentic eats and the stories of the people who cooking them. It’s a great way to understand life in Los Angeles beyond the tourist trail, told through the best medium possible: food. It also has the added bonus of showing you some off-the-beaten track spots to impress your friends on your next trip. City of Gold hits theaters March 11.
The lunch represented my first trip to the new location of Mission Chinese and I have to say the place has been completely revamped. Whereas before it was was dark with loud music, colored lights and a keg to drink from while you wait, the new Mission Chinese dons a more typical upscale Chinese restaurant setup. It features a softly lit dining room with red leather booths, chandeliers, and white paneled walls. No free flowing beer or classic rock were detected, although I was just there for lunch. The luxe upgrade carrys over to the food as well. The dishes were much more intricate and impressive than on my visit to the original three years ago. Prices are up too, but remain pretty reasonable for the quality. Here’s what we tried:
Green Papaya and Banana Blossom Salad 
Papaya salads in New York tend to be soggy affairs with the the lime juice drowning out all other flavors. Not so here. You mix the salad yourself, allowing all the ingredients to stand out on their own. Quite possibly my favorite rendition in the city.
Lettuce Cups This sounds like a lighter dish, until you realize these “cups” come with raw beef, fried onions and miso cured salmon roe. Hopefully you didn’t come here planning to count calories.
Mapo Tofu 
Don’t think this is some second-rate vegetarian option. Despite the name it actually comes in a sauce that includes both heritage pork and beef fat. Then there’s the spicy and tangy doubanjiang which is just outstanding. My favorite dish of the day. (Photo Credit: wanderingeater)
Chongoing Chicken Wings 
The wings are meaty and come coated in tasty xinjiang spices. They also come covered in sichuan pepper flakes, so make sure you’re prepared for half an hour of mouth tingle. Jonathan did note one benefit of this: it makes your water a lot more fun to drink.
Broccoli Beef Brisket 
A modern upgrade to the old standby Beef & Broccoli. This features a smoked oyster sauce that gives it more of a barbecue taste. It has a lot of potential but unfortunately a few hunks of fatty hunks of brisket dampened my enjoyment.
Mission Chinese Food
171 East Broady (Rutgers & Jefferson Sts.)
New York, NY
