Suzi Yi has been a multi-decadal fixture in Austin’s Chinese-American food scene. So when she retired in 2018, many were sad when she closed her last restaurant on Shoal Creek and Anderson Lane. But time makes the heart grow fonder for the old days and ways, so when the Old Thousand space came up for rent on Burnet, she jumped at the chance to restart her old standard.
I have to confess that I hadn’t been to Suzi’s previous places (as far as I can recall), so trying Suzi’s Chinese was my first experience. First off, the best thing about Suzi’s is Suzi herself. That’s not an underhanded dig at the food–that’s simply recognition of the benevolent hurricane that is Ms Yi. She’s friendly, and she’s everywhere, like Santa Claus delivering dishes instead of presents, bringing joy down every grease flue. The web site states “Suzi treats you like family” which she does, making you feel comfortable, checking in on your meal, and whatnot. Given how well she works the crowd and cares for your well being, I wish she was on the ballot this fall instead of some of our other choices.
For a lunch visit, I tried the special of Jalapeño Chicken (lightly breaded chicken sautéed with jalapeño, black beans, and garlic) with a small bowl of Egg Drop Soup (the two together for $15). The plate came with an ice-cream scoop of fried rice and a fried egg roll, so a lot of chow for the money. The quality of the ingredients, presentation, and attention is a step up from the usual Chinese-American fare around town. My seat at the bar gave me lots of face time with Suzi, who has rock star energy and charisma.
I brought The Bride for dinner on my second trip, and we ordered the Chicken Lettuce Wraps (sautéed spiced chicken with cool lettuce; $9) as an appetizer. Worthy of entrée status, the chicken came stir fried with a colorful collection of veggies. For entrées, I ordered the strangest item on the menu, the Crispy Shrimp with Walnuts (cooked in a tangy tomato sauce; $18) while she chose the Sweet & Sour Chicken (battered chicken breast with pineapple, bell peppers & onions; $16). The walnut dish was quite good with large chunks of everything. The Sweet & Sour had too much emphasis on the sweet for our teeth, but again was chunky good.
Spicy ain’t spicy here, but fresh ingredients, hip decor, and a smiling Suzi back from retirement make for the best stir fry in town!
Suzi’s Chinese; 4805 Burnet Road; (512) 291-6637
I wrote this review for the Allandale Neighbor. (October 2024, v 39, i 5, p 20)
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