As a start to a bachelor's evening out, one of the common stops is to fuel up for the night ahead. However, you often don't want to be stuck in a dimly lit restaurant with the guys surrounded by couples who are making goo-goo eyes at each other over the requisite tabletop candle. You typically also want to avoid most fast food restaurants, as you will commonly find yourself surrounded by a dozen or so members of a local little league team. To that you must add price constraints, and you have what would seem like a narrow selection of restaurants. Prior to a movie at the Angelika, Thrillhouse and I were debating the usual trip to Hard Rock Cafe, as it is so close. When I balked, he suggested an alternative I hadn't heard of: Jenni's Noodle House. I'm glad I threw caution to the wind and tried this hidden gem.

The description I was initially given of this place was "a gay noodle house". Being the open-minded person that I am, I couldn't care less who the clientele is and was just looking for some tasty food. After a briefing of their menu on their very informative website, I walked into the restaurant prepared for a good culinary experience, with perhaps an interesting atmosphere. What I got in the dinner department was no disappointment.

The first thing tried were the fried Chicken Disco Dumplings. These were served with a jalapeno-ginger soy sauce which put out just enough heat and saltiness to mesh with the crispy dumpling and tender filling. When it came time to order the entree, I opted for one of the $6 deals, the Vermilicelli Salad w/ Grilled Chicken, in contrast to my buddy's choice of a high dollar $9 entree, Ginger Chicken. Now, I'm not one to go sharing food with most people, so I opted not to suggest a taste test of his Ginger Chicken. I also ordered a side of Dream Rolls. The Salad was done well, although I could have used more peanuts on the salad. Instead of eating it with the fish sauce, I opted for more jalapeno-ginger soy, and it meshed well. The fresh vegetables on the salad were nice and crisp, showing that the salad had been prepared just moments before. The chicken, while it was what was advertised, was a little on the mild side for me. A little hot sauce cleared that problem up posthaste. The Dream Rolls were, in my opinion, the highlight of the meal. The delicate combination of the tofu, mushrooms, mint and noodles wrapped in rice paper was a refreshing change from the standard deep-fried eggrolls you typically see in Asian restaurants. I especially liked them as-is, without any soy or hot sauce. To wrap up our meal, we decided to split an order of steamed beef disco dumplings. Our waiter suggested eating these with the hot sauce, as it provided the right kick for the heavier beef. I have to say I disagreed with his assessment. The dumplings were pleasantly seasoned as-is.

Sadly, the atmosphere of the place was rather subdued for Friday, dubbed Boa Night. I imagine this had to do with the somewhat early hour we chose more than the staff and customers. As we were leaving the restaurant, there were several carloads of college students arriving to get their Friday night fix of Jenni's Noodles. I imagine that the party started shortly after we left, and look forward to returning for the festivities in the near future.