For a top-notch Sichuanese meal, call J-a-s-m-i-n-e

[Robin Garr]

For a top-notch Sichuanese meal, call J-a-s-m-i-n-e

Tea-smoked duck, an iconic Sichuanese dish, brought a subtle, astringent smoky flavor to deliciously meaty duck and crisp skin.


China’s $1.4 billion population in 2022 is roughly four times the size of our 335 million people, and all those hungry Chinese enjoy, depending on where they live, at least eight major regional cuisines dating back thousands of years.

So why is it, if we don’t think twice about enjoying the varieties of American fare – Southern chow, Cajun cuisine, Texas barbecue and so many more of our own regional cuisines – that most Americans for many years assumed that all Chinese food was summed up in the menu at the local chop suey house?

Years ago, this narrow vision started to change a little. We got a few fancy Chinese places offering dishes that we thought were authentic. Then came some regional spots offering the spicy dishes of Sichuan and Hunan, often combined in a single eatery. The cognoscenti started to sniff and look down their noses at chop suey and fried rice and such confections that we considered mere “Chinese-American.”

You can still get those dishes around town, of course, at a neighborhood Chinese eatery or even buried in the extensive menu of a fancier place. Lots of people love it. Let’s not shame them.

It comes down to this: There are probably more Chinese restaurants around Louisville these days than ever. Many are immigrant-run fast-food Chinese spots that seem to set up near just about every supermarket in town.

But Louisville’s heyday of serious regional Chinese eateries with skilled chefs who came from Taiwan, Hong Kong, or the Chinese mainland seems to have crested years ago, perhaps marked by the 2008 closure of the fabled Red Pepper Chinese.

Now that it’s easy to find fast-food Chinese just about everywhere, and now that our growing crowd of immigrant neighbors offers us a wider choice of world cuisine than ever before, it seems that we don’t often think about going for serious Chinese anymore.

But when I do hanker for a memorable Chinese meal that goes beyond the standard shopping-center menu, I’ll happily make the long trek out past Middletown for an outstanding meal at Jasmine Chinese Cuisine.

Breaking with the old tradition of offering two menus, one for Westerners and another, featuring more “challenging” dishes, for Chinese patrons, Jasmine brings it all together with about 200 dishes on the Chinese menu, each dish described in both Chinese characters and English. ...

Read the complete article on LouisvilleHotBytes,
https://www.louisvillehotbytes.com/sich ... ll-jasmine

You'll also find this review in LEO Weekly's Food & Drink section later today:
http://www.leoweekly.com/category/food-drink/

Jasmine Chinese Cuisine
13825 English Villa Drive
244-8896
https://www.jasminetsubaki.com/
https://facebook.com/jasminechineselouisville

Noise Level: We shared the large room with only a few other diners during a late lunch, and the sound levels were as quiet as our living room.

Accessibility: The modern shopping-center space appears fully accessible to wheelchair users.

Jasmine has long been one of my favorites. Thanks for giving them a "plug!"

A trip to Jasmine, Floyd’s Fork, and maybe Grater’s afterwards is basically a perfect day for me. I think I may have to have to pick up some pickled cabbage and beef with clear noodles or possibly brisket noodles this weekend, now that you’ve got me thinking about it.

I HIGHLY recommend their "twice cooked fish," preferably off the authentic side of the menu! (actually, all the twice cooked options are exceptional)

I would be remiss if I passed up an opportunity to give these folks a shout out. They've been around for a longtime--and rightly so!

My wife and I had gone there from time to time some years back. We went out there twice more recently. Its hard to describe it, but their food is so creative, tasty, portions are quite large, and the prices seem more like the good old days of a few years ago. In otherwords, the place checks all the boxes in our view.

They use two menus--the typical Chinese american fare, and the Chinese menu. My only regret is to not have a Chinese friend or two to accompany us, and sit at a bigger round table with a rotator to pass various curated dishes around. I had the good fortune to visit China some years ago with a few Chinese colleagues. That's the good life---let them order a bunch of dishes and eat them family style!

Anyway, as has been noted in Robin's review and some of the commentary, the place really jams. Its just that there are so many interesting things to choose from--but I guess that's a good problem! In any case, its worth the drive!

[Robin Garr]

James, thanks for the reminder! It's good to have a few authentic Chinese places around, and Jasmine as you say has remained one of the best options for a long time.

I probably ate at Red Pepper 50 times. I still miss the Unique Chicken Smell. Never been to Jasmine, but it's now on the list.

I probably ate at Red Pepper 50 times. I still miss the Unique Chicken Smell. Never been to Jasmine, but it's now on the list.

I'd be interested in reading your take of the experience if you make it out there.