While some foodies chase restaurants featured on Diner’s, Drive-Ins and Dives, I’m not a Fieri Fanatic (or Guy Groupie, if you prefer). Not every restaurant featured on his Food Network program ranks very high on my list. I am, however, an unabashed follower of restaurants which earn James Beard Foundation (JBF) honors. Over the years the JBF judges have selected truly worthy restaurants and chefs for accolades. Strict criteria and a diligent vetting process ensures awards are granted only to those exemplifying the JBF mission: “to recognize exceptional talent and achievement in the culinary arts, hospitality, media, and broader food system, as well as a demonstrated commitment to racial and gender equity, community, sustainability, and a culture where all can thrive.”
Reno, Nevada happens to fall in JBF’s Southwest region, the same as New Mexico, Arizona and Oklahoma. It’s a very tough region in which to compete for regional and national honors. Within its own state, Reno has to compete with Las Vegas, a bastion of formidable restaurants and world-class chefs. Other populous metropolitan areas consistently in contention for regional and national honors are Phoenix, Tucson, Oklahoma City and Tulsa…not to mention New Mexico’s own Albuquerque and Santa Fe, both of which have perennial nominees for JBF honors.
Take 2022 for example. 2022 was a banner year for restaurants and chefs in the Land of Enchantment. Exceptional nominees who made it to the semifinals included Zacatlan Restaurant in Santa Fe which was nominated for “Best New Restaurant,” a national honor. Nobutoshi “Nobu” Mizushima and Yuko Kawashiwo of Albuquerque’s Ihatov Bread and Coffee were nominated for “Outstanding Baker” and made it to the semifinals. Also in the semifinals were five…yes, five chefs…nominated for “Best Chef: Southwest”: Ahmed Obo of Santa Fe’s Jambo Cafe, Fernando Olea of Santa Fe’s Sazon, Martin Rios of Santa Fe’s Restaurant Martin, Albuquerque’s Salazar Brothers of La Guelaguetza and Marie Yniguez of Bocadillos. Ultimately Chef Olea earned the crown.
During our brief sojourn in Reno, one of our first restaurant visits was to Kwok’s Bistro, also a semifinalist for “Best Chef: Southwest” in 2022. For me it wasn’t a matter of seeing how Kwok’s compared with New Mexico’s quintimvirute of nominees. I knew Kwok’s would be great. The trusted James Beard Foundation judges deemed it great. The biggest surprise was just how small Kwok’s is compared to its formidable competition in 2022. Kwok’s is ensconced in a Liliputian lair literally in the shadow of Reno’s towering hotels and casinos. Seating for perhaps twenty means personal space proximity (though an outdoor patio does bring up capacity somewhat). That’s not necessarily a bad thing. Neighbors at adjacent tables redounded with praise for the little restaurant that could. “This is the best restaurant in Reno,” we heard more than once.
Belying the smallishness of its space is the rags to riches story of chef-owner Kwok Chen. To avoid Communist Party persecution and seek a better life, Chen’s family emigrated from China to Vietnam where he was born and raised. At 18, he immigrated to the land of the free and home of the brave. His humble beginnings including bussing tables at Harrah’s in Reno. One of Harrah’s chefs took notice of Chen’s work ethic and willingness to learn. He advised Chen to move to China for culinary training under a prominent instructor. After two years in China, he and his family launched a restaurant serving modern Asian food and all-you-can-eat sushi. In 2016, Chen opened Kwok’s Bistro.
Despite a relatively small sample size, I have to declare Kwok’s Bistro one of the very best Chinese restaurants in which I’ve dined. It may not win many prizes for esthetics, but for culinary fare and service it’s up there with the best. Kwok’s specializes in Cantonese fare. Aromas of garlic, ginger, vinegar and scallions waft from the kitchen the second you approach. It’s as alluring as a siren’s call. The size of the menu belies the diminutiveness of the dining area. Kwok’s Bistro exemplifies the axiom “little place, huge flavors.” (I stole that from Guy Fieri. He uttered that truism during a visit to the much-missed Sophia’s Place.)
In 2022, television culinary gliteratti Andrew Zimmern visited Kwok’s Bistro for an episode of The Zimmern List, a show whose premise is for the star to reveal his “personal list of favorite foods, places and experiences that should be on everyone’s travel itinerary.” At the top of Zimmern’s agenda was learning from Chef Kwok how to prepare his signature, slow-roasted duck. That roasted duck appears on the menu as an appetizer served with mushu wraps or lotus buns. A quarter portion will run you thirty dollars. Half a duck goes for $45 and a whole duck will set you back $75. Don’t scrimp on this appetizer. Not since Massachusetts a few decades ago have I enjoyed roated duck prepared as well. Thin slices of golden, boneless lacquered duck arrives at your table along with a bowl of hoisin for dipping. Beneath its flaxen skin, the duck presents itself as tender, moist and absolutely succulent duck. If duck was the only item Chef Kwok served, a visit to Kwok’s Bistro would still be at the top of my list for Reno restaurants.
My Kim asked our delightful server to pick something for her that “isn’t hot.” Apparently she no longer trusts my definiton of “hot.” (My heat (piquancy) tolerance is of the “pain is a flavor” level.) Our server ferried over a plate of chow mein, a Chinese dish that translates to “stir-fried noodles.” With my penchant for bold flavors, it’s not a dish I would order, but my Kim loved the thick noodles, stir-fried chicken and minimalist sauce. As chow mein goes, it’s very good and very basic. Those noodles were definitely the star of this dish. Each golden strand is an enjoyable adventure in slurping.
Four eggplant dishes adorn the menu. Eggplant may not be a typical first choice item for many people, but increasingly it’s become something I look for. Kwok’s Szechuan eggplant shows the menu isn’t solely Cantonese. Kwok’s Szechuan eggplant (eggplant stir-fried with minced pork, garlic, scallion, green and red peppers and house special plum sauce) is one of the best Chinese dishes I’ve enjoyed in years. It’s one of those rare dishes in which every bite tantalizes your taste buds so much you can’t wait for your next bite but you fret that you’ll finish the dish too quickly. Honestly, this is a dish that hits all the notes, a culinary virtuoso.
Kwok’s Bistro is at the very top of my list for a return trip to Reno. It may not have won a James Beard Foundation award in 2022, but it was more than worthy of its nomination and semifinalist status.
Kwok’s Bistro
275 West Street
Reno, Nevada
(775) 507-7270
Website | Facebook Page
LATEST VISIT: 25 June 2024
# OF VISITS: 1
RATING: N/R
COST: $$$$
BEST BET: Szechuan Eggplant, Chow Mein, Roasted Duck
REVIEW #1407