Tuesday, October 8, 2013

Tooo Chinese in Oberlin

Last week, I visited Oberlin for the very first time. I popped out there to have lunch with a good friend to get some work advice, and I found a charming little town with a college vibe that immediately brought me back to my days at SU. Amanda from Clue Into Cleveland had a great post on Oberlin this week, so check that out too.

My friend had given me a couple of dining options to choose from, and I selected Tooo Chinoise.
The Chinese bistro is located on West College Street, right in the heart of shops, restaurants, and other town businesses. It wasn't much to look at from the outside, but inside it was very nicely done. This wasn't your average hole-in-the-wall Chinese restaurant.

I was drawn to their list of specials, and I let our server pick for me between two options. Every main dish comes with an Egg Drop Soup to start.
I'm not a huge fan of egg drop soup, so I could have gone without. This version was only average at best, so I left about half behind.

But the Beef with JalapeƱo ($14)--- beef stir-fried with jalapeno and Chinese dried chili was fantastic!
It packed a punch of heat from the fresh and dried peppers, and the beef was cut into manageable pieces and cooked well. With some white rice, and a side of steamed vegetables that I added for $1.50, this was a great lunch. I had about half to take home with me too!

Service is a little slow here, so just be aware before settling in for lunch or dinner. Free street parking was available, surrounding the park just across the street from the restaurant. Even for lunch, they had a relatively extensive menu and I think anyone could find something here.

What a charming town though! I can't believe that it took me that long to get there. I do have to say, driving there you feel like you are driving into no-man's-land. Even though it's the same distance that I drive east often enough, it felt so much longer because there's not much going on beside the highway out that way.

Any other restaurants in Oberlin that I should visit? I hear that The Feve is very popular, but that you have to get there before the lunch rush to get a table. Have you ever been to Oberlin?

Tooo Chinese
27 West College Street
Oberlin, OH 44074
440-774-2988

2 comments:

Kristian said...

For Oberlin, you really should go to the Feve (fehv), Black River and also Weia Teia (connected to Wild Mango of North Olmsted).

Oh...and Cow Haus for ice cream!

Bill Bolivia said...

And do not fail to enjoy the great ice creams at Cow-Haus Creamery. I "dine" there whenever I head back to Elyria from our home in Virginia.