Blossom Kitchen — Restaurant in Tallahassee

One would think that such an unwieldy menu would surely suggest they're taking on more than they can handle. So far, I haven't found that to be the case. I've been four times and ordered wildly varied dishes each time (1. Beef tendon w veg., 2. Clam & Veg Soup., 3. Pork Intestines w Spicy Green Sauce., 4. West Lake Beef Soup). As outlandish as the others may sound, I will focus my review on the West Lake Beef Soup. Gather 'round...

On my second visit, I intended to order the West Lake Beef Soup but the owner/operator/server/cashier sweet lady flat-out redirected me elsewhere on the menu. Now... this was a first for me. She was effectively telling me "I know your type - you 'think' you're going to like this, but when you send it back - you're 1. Going to hate our restaurant and 2. Going to tell the world how awful we are". So... I read up on the soup itself - learned its history, its common variations, the "lore" behind it and was fully prepared to break through any barriers and ultimately order the damned soup. I was NOT going to have any "No Soup For You" nonsense.

...So, on the fourth visit, she again put up all the warnings but quickly realized I would be victorious. She even flipped to the pictures and made sure I saw its appearance. I showed her the numerous pictures on my phone and assured her I'd sign any waiver / release necessary to order it.

West Lake Beef Soup arrived swiftly and without fanfare. I knew it was slightly thickened with cornstarch - that's traditional - and I tasted the slightly gelatinous broth. I could have sworn there was an oat/barley fragrance but neither are in the soup. I wanted it a smidge saltier and I dashed some soy into it.

The thickened broth held the striations of soy in place - an uncanny sight. Once stirred in, it dissipated.

There's really nothing shockingly exotic about this traditional soup. The beef is minced, and the egg drop is strictly the egg whites without the yolks. Delicious soup with unique flavor.

I'll order it again. I liked it.

But my sights are set on one of the many...

Blossom Kitchen is a brand new Chinese restaurant right on the edge of Florida State University's campus. While still transitioning from a sports bar that previously inhabited the space, Blossom provides a different atmosphere than what one might typically expect from a Chinese restaurant.

We ordered a wonton soup and a "pig in a sweater" to start the meal. The wonton soup was heaver than most we have had in the past, but the wontons were cooked perfectly. The "pig in a sweater" was not what we anticipated. The waitress informed us that this was traditional Chinese street food. It was a hot dog wrapped in cooked egg, on a stick. It was as good as you might expect a hot dog wrapped in egg to taste. The egg was a bit rubbery but overall, the dish was not bad.

For entrees, we had Sweet and Sour Dinner combination, Sesame Chicken Dinner combination, and General Tso's chicken with white rice. The dinner combinations came with fried rice and an egg roll. The sweet and sour chicken was crisp and light. The sauce was served on the side. The chicken was very juicy and paired well with the sweet and sour sauce. The Sesame Chicken was tender and melted in our mouths. The thick sauce was sweet and tangy. General Tso's chicken was very similar to the sesame chicken but packed a bigger punch. The white rice paired with it was cooked perfectly. The fried rice that came with the combination dinners, while slightly dry, still provided a better flavor than most other Chinese restaurants.

Overall, we found this to be a great experience with friendly staff, an interesting atmosphere, and the best Chinese food we have found in...

Visited Blossom Kitchen for the first time in August 2019. I will never return. There are a couple of red flags. First, my food was inedible. The sweet and sour dish was not cooked thoroughly and was served as a gelatinous mess (see photo). Not only was it unsafe to eat there was no sauce included. I ordered Sweet and Sour Pork and was charged $18, well above what I should have been charged. As this was my first visit I just figured the food was overpriced, but upon inspecting the menu realized that I was not charged fairly. When I called to bring this to the attention of the business (admittedly I waited several weeks, but I offered to provide photos and a record of my purchase) I was chastised by the staff. Their only concern was that I had waited too long and I was crazy to think that they should do anything. I tried to explain that my order had been their last order of the night and that by the time I got my carryout order home they were closed. Before placing my order I made sure to ask if it was ok to order that late and that there would not be any issues with the food or preparing it. I was assured this would not be a problem. Regardless, the staff just kept saying that it wasn't their problem and it was my fault. I explained that they had an opportunity to make things right, but they adamantly refused. I called my CC and they reversed the transaction. My friend ordered the ribs and was disappointed, but his were at least edible.

We also had to listen to the cashier rant about how much she dislikes living in American because everything is...