Little Phoenix

I had the pleasure of going to Little Phoenix in Catonsville for some orange chicken. It's a little more money than most Chinese lunch deals, but you do taste it. Most orange chickens I have had come coated in a crisp, sometimes overly chewy coating with a little too much breading in the middle, even at some of my favorite Chinese take outs. The orange chicken at Little Phoenix tasted juicier and less "processed". That doesn't mean it wasn't processed, just that it didn't taste like it. Plus, the coating was not gummy or hard at all. It wasn't particularly crispy, but the flavor and the juiciness made me forget about that. I was also impressed that the food was still hot enough to burn my mouth after the half hour drive home. That has never happened before. I also had fresh and crisp broccoli and a dried red chili pepper - this last thing is not something I often see in orange chicken.

On the minus side, I wasn't particularly sold on the rice - I should've specified that I wanted white rice instead of stir-fried - but I dealt with it. For $6 it was a tasty and filling meal. Really. Normally I eat half and put the rest away. I almost ate the whole thing this time.