Tai Pei Chinese Restaurant

One of my teachers consistently taught us that time will test everything; time will show what is good and what isn’t. Tai Pei Chinese Restaurant in the Fox Chapel area is proof of that statement. We frequently visited Tai Pei when my wife and I worked in Pittsburgh many years ago. The food was always superb and the service was excellent. Our recent visit there found not only the same great food and service, but also many additions and improvements.

Have you ever been in a restaurant in the middle of an afternoon? We have a number of times and almost universally have found we waited longer for a meal then at peak dining hours when the restaurant was crowded. One of the key reasons is trimming the staff, particularly waiters and waitresses. What a pleasant surprise it was walking into Tai Pei Chinese Restaurant at two o'clock Saturday afternoon. We were instantly greeted and seated and drinks were on the table in less than two minutes! I looked around and there were a number of waiters available. There were only two other parties dining at the time. The staff wasn’t idle. They were cleaning, folding napkins, and carrying out other duties.

One of the major factors that make a restaurant successful - in addition to serving great food - is service and care of guests. Tai Pei is service oriented, and from the moment of arrival to the end of the meal, they give complete attention to their customers. We had a leisurely lunch and part of good service is knowing when to come to the table. I’ve been in restaurants where they have interrupted the meal too many times. Not here. Their service was timely.

New seating is one of the nice additions to Tai Pei since we used to frequent. We took a booth that was very comfortable. Another remodeling addition was a new sushi bar and entrance to the kitchen. The overall ambiance was light and pleasant.

We started our lunch with one choice from the sushi menu. Sushi has gained great popularity today and I have to admit I know little about it. I tried it about 20 years ago and didn’t care for it, but I tried again a few years ago and changed my mind. For those of you who are like me, you will be interested to learn that sushi is over a thousand years old. It started as a southeastern Asian dish of pickling. The Japanese acquired this same practice that consisted of packing fish with rice. If you would like to learn more, go to http://www.eatsushi.com/whatsushi.asp. Today sushi is an art and offers very favorable delicacies.

Our sushi choice was Avocado roll. Six of them arrived at the table with wasabi, sliced pickled ginger, and soy sauce. We then had Hot and Sour soup that my wife and I love. We consider this the ultimate litmus test of Chinese restaurants. Needless to say, it was a good as it was years ago. For our main luncheon dish, my wife chose one of her favorite dishes, Dragon & Phoenix. I chose Scallops and Shrimp Szechwan (or Szechuan) style. Both dishes were excellent, as their food has always been.

I asked what the most popular dishes are at Tai Pei and Dragon & Phoenix, General Tso’s Chicken, Hawaii Chicken, Beef & Scallops, Imperial Beef and Scallops, and Shrimp Szechwan were named at the top of the list. A seasonal dish, Soft Shell Crab, that is chopped in pieces and deep fried, is very popular.

Tai Pei is an immensely popular restaurant. Many area businesses and St. Margaret’s Hospital order from them frequently. In fact, Tai Pei caters to businesses and provides luncheons for meetings and conferences. Group meetings may also be held at the restaurant that has a decent seating capacity of over 100. They also have a very busy take-out service in addition to free delivery. Another big part of Tai Pei’s business is catering private home social events, parties, weddings, birthdays, and other gatherings. They provide complete staffing. You can also have your family events at the restaurant.

What did I learn at Tai Pei? I asked what the name meant and was informed it was a province-level municipality and capital of Taiwan (Republic of China). So much for my 8th grade geography!

If you go (and we recommend you do): Tai Pei Chinese Restaurant 1124 Freeport Road, O’Hara Township (Pittsburgh) 15238 724-781-4131