Washington, DC: 1001 Pennsylvania Ave, NW - (202) 393-4500
Price: High End
Rating (1-10): 6
Full Review:
Ten Penh is a large-scale Pan-Asian restaurant that has been playing host to power brokers of the DC downtown scene since its opening in summer 2000. The food is interesting and well-executed. But Ten Penh is more abut about the overall fun of the experience, plates, and drinks. It’s good for big group dinners or catching up with friends, or before a night on the town. It’s not DC’s best in culture, refinement, or sophistication; but it's a taste of those things, it’s satisfying, and most importantly, it’s a good time.
In my mind, the descriptor “Pan-Asian” is usually a tip-off that it's not really Asian. It’s like saying a restaurant is European: a mile wide, an inch deep. At Ten Penh, the menu is described as Pan-Asian, but it’s essentially an American style of Asian that caters to a penchant for large portions, dramatic plating, and strong flavors. Like the colorful, large décor and high ceilings of this showy restaurant, the food lacks a bit of subtlety – ironically, one of the few traits that one might correctly be able to qualify as Pan-Asian.
While the menu thankfully isn’t a regurgitation of typical Asian style dishes – chicken pad thai, drunken noodle, sukiyaki, chicken satay with peanut sauce, kobe beef, chicken and cashew, etc – it’s more about glitz than true culinary impact. Most of the plates tend to wow with presentation and size – for example, a lot of deep-fried stuff piled to impressive heights. I can appreciate the effort and the creativity in the visual, but sometimes I’m weary that it’s a substitute for the quality of the cooking itself. That said, it all came out pretty well. The lamb was cooked and seasoned/spiced well, the Chilean sea bass was light and tender, and the lobster was mostly soft accompanied by a flavorful jus.
It’s not perfection, certainly. Their Thai shrimp curry was a bit too sweet on account of over-pineappling. The duck roll appetizer was too dry all around – the wrapper and the duck – but still tasted good. The salad was passable and the short ribs were a bit on the sweet side but bold in flavor and tender, with an appetizing carmelized sheen. Overall, they're satisfying, hearty dishes, not overly heavy and pleasing to the taste buds.
But again, I believe the goal of this place centers on the experience – and to their credit, the service is friendly and accommodating. They went out of their way to make our experience fun and memorable, not only accommodating a large size table but allowing us to pull a “surprise” birthday party near our table. The restaurant made specially printed menus recognizing the birthday, and allowed us to bring our own cake and champagne (though with plating and corking fees). It’s this kind of flexibility and hospitality that leaves you walking away happy for the selection of Ten Penh for dinner.
By now, the name Ten Penh is widely recognizable to residents of DC - a downtown power lunch spot, pretty good food. That seems about right but I think there’s more to it than that - I believe the people at Ten Penh care about quality of the food and the experience. Just take a look at the wares, which are of a surprisingly nice quality (Laguiole knives, individual heavy cast iron pots, etc.). At some point, there was a conscious decision made to spend the extra cash to provide top notch stuff. That said, on second look, they’re also slightly worn, chipped, or broken from heavy usage – not quite what they once might have been. Similarly, it seems like Ten Penh may also have already seen its heyday. We’ll see if they can keep it fresh, new. As far as Pan-Asian restaurants go, it’s one that I’d root for.
Ten Penh is a large-scale Pan-Asian restaurant that has been playing host to power brokers of the DC downtown scene since its opening in summer 2000. The food is interesting and well-executed. But Ten Penh is more abut about the overall fun of the experience, plates, and drinks. It’s good for big group dinners or catching up with friends, or before a night on the town. It’s not DC’s best in culture, refinement, or sophistication; but it's a taste of those things, it’s satisfying, and most importantly, it’s a good time.In my mind, the descriptor “Pan-Asian” is usually a tip-off that it's not really Asian. It’s like saying a restaurant is European: a mile wide, an inch deep. At Ten Penh, the menu is described as Pan-Asian, but it’s essentially an American style of Asian that caters to a penchant for large portions, dramatic plating, and strong flavors. Like the colorful, large décor and high ceilings of this showy restaurant, the food lacks a bit of subtlety – ironically, one of the few traits that one might correctly be able to qualify as Pan-Asian.While the menu thankfully isn’t a regurgitation of typical Asian style dishes – chicken pad thai, drunken noodle, sukiyaki, chicken satay with peanut sauce, kobe beef, chicken and cashew, etc – it’s more about glitz than true culinary impact. Most of the plates tend to wow with presentation and size – for example, a lot of deep-fried stuff piled to impressive heights. I can appreciate the effort and the creativity in the visual, but sometimes I’m weary that it’s a substitute for the quality of the cooking itself. That said, it all came out pretty well. The lamb was cooked and seasoned/spiced well, the Chilean sea bass was light and tender, and the lobster was mostly soft accompanied by a flavorful jus.It’s not perfection, certainly. Their Thai shrimp curry was a bit too sweet on account of over-pineappling. The duck roll appetizer was too dry all around – the wrapper and the duck – but still tasted good. The salad was passable and the short ribs were a bit on the sweet side but bold in flavor and tender, with an appetizing carmelized sheen. Overall, they're satisfying, hearty dishes, not overly heavy and pleasing to the taste buds.But again, I believe the goal of this place centers on the experience – and to their credit, the service is friendly and accommodating. They went out of their way to make our experience fun and memorable, not only accommodating a large size table but allowing us to pull a “surprise” birthday party near our table. The restaurant made specially printed menus recognizing the birthday, and allowed us to bring our own cake and champagne (though with plating and corking fees). It’s this kind of flexibility and hospitality that leaves you walking away happy for the selection of Ten Penh for dinner.
By now, the name Ten Penh is widely recognizable to residents of DC - a downtown power lunch spot, pretty good food. That seems about right but I think there’s more to it than that - I believe the people at Ten Penh care about quality of the food and the experience. Just take a look at the wares, which are of a surprisingly nice quality (Laguiole knives, individual heavy cast iron pots, etc.). At some point, there was a conscious decision made to spend the extra cash to provide top notch stuff. That said, on second look, they’re also slightly worn, chipped, or broken from heavy usage – not quite what they once might have been. Similarly, it seems like Ten Penh may also have already seen its heyday. We’ll see if they can keep it fresh, new. As far as Pan-Asian restaurants go, it’s one that I’d root for.
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