STEPH DEROSA: WELCOME TO SLOW BURN >>>

Tea Leaf Restaurant
Hot Pepper Chicken Dices: $7.99
Burn factor: two out of four
 

I love two hot things: men and food. I’ve written plenty on hot men. I figure if I write about hot food, Pappi Swarner will pay for my meals.

I was right. Sucker.

I braved Arctic Blast 2008 and slowly made my way to  the Tea Leaf, which sits next to Parkland’s educational claim to fame â€" Pacific Lutheran University.  Noted for it’s delicious and authentic Chinese food, I scanned the menu for all things spicy.  I wanted that “slow burn.” 

How obvious could they have made my choice for dinner? 

Very obvious. 

Hot Pepper Chicken Dices was the only dish on the menu that actually had the word “hot” in the title. To make it even clearer, they put (spicy hot) in parenthesis next to it.

And spicy it was.  Flavor fulfilled every taste bud in my mouth beginning with the first bite.  Not bad.  The second bite was just as tasty as the first, so I kept going.  By the third consecutive bite I felt the burn.  It was a balanced burn that didn’t kick my ass, but definitely let me know it was there.  Bandito Betty’s lips began to blaze, and we both went for our water glass.

As the dish cooled down in temperature, so did the heat of the peppers.  Hot Pepper Chicken Dices have the perfect combination of flame and flavor, a dish I could easily see myself becoming addicted to.

Check back next Friday for another round of Slow Burn. Keep your eye on Spew for stories about hot men, too. You know I’m still going there.

[Tea Leaf, 528 Garfield St. S., Parkland/Tacoma, 253.531.5232]

LINK: South Sound Restaurant Guide