Wintertime Heat
The dab hand with sauces that has long been a hallmark at AUGUST MOON CHINESE BISTRO (2269 Lexington Road, 456-6569) remains as steady as ever, and in this season of the big chill the sauce that really chops my sticks is the black bean. With proper application, its savory saltiness can make healthy Asian dishes also seem hearty, which is exactly the case with two signature offerings at this popular eatery — a seafood medley in black bean-ginger “broth” and spicy lamb united with a thicker, spicier version of the same sauce (both $15).
The medley includes generous portions of plump tiger shrimp (from Thailand) and diver scallops, plus a handful of New Zealand jumbo mussels so meaty that they fill the entire shell. These delectables float in a thin sauce of black bean, chile, cilantro and other ingredients — the “broth” — that has simmered for four or five hours to a flavorful conclusion. The ginger is tossed in at the final, stir-fry stage, along with red and green peppers and sprigs of cilantro. Slightly salty, the dish echoes the sea from which its stars were plucked; slightly spicy, it perfectly alerts the taste buds for a mini-constellation of tastes and textures.
The robust lamb entree will warm you from the inside out. The intense flavor of the meat meets its match when stir-fried with a black bean sauce ignited by spicy chiles and sharpened with ginger. Julienned carrots and white and green onions — added dry to the wok, not pre-soaked — make for crunchy and piquant foils. Either dish will help bring you in from the cold.
— Bruce Allar
