Xi'an Awards

Xi'an Restaurant Review:

About the restaurant: On a sunny day, the sidewalk patio at Xi’an abounds with beautiful people doing lunch, and the sleek contemporary dining room buzzes at night. Named for the ancient capital of China, this fashionable Beverly Hills restaurant serves food geared for the California palate, and in many cases, waistline.

Food & Drinks: About one-third of the dishes are preceded by those telltale American Heart Association icons, including tasty minced chicken with jícama in lettuce cups and a pair of crispy onion pancakes. Other appetizers range from steamed chicken dumplings with a ginger-soy dip to roasted barbecue pork spare ribs. Among entrées, favorites are the Peking duck, cod filet in a spicy sauce, and crispy beef in a pungent cilantro sauce. The menu is huge and the Xi’an Garden section offers vegetarians plenty of diversity in dishes like string beans, tofu in black bean sauce, or eggplant and basil casserole. Power Zone Rice is made with brown and wild rice, egg whites and mixed vegetables. Sorbets in flavors such as peach or coconut make for a light completion to the meal, but a surprisingly wide selection of desserts proposes raspberry-chocolate mousse cake and tiramisu cheesecake. The bar pours specialty martinis, and the wine list is short but globally sourced.