DanDan

Third Ward Chinese food by a couple of guys named Dan

Dandan is a noodle dish with origins in Chinese Sichuan cuisine; it's also the name of two Milwaukee chefs who grew up eating Chinese food, love to cook it, and recently collaborated to create DanDan in the Third Ward. Holy deliciousness Batman! After one meal at DanDan, it's the spot I'm most eager to return to and most ready to recommend. 

Let's start with the interior. It's a bustling place — plenty spacious, but not sprawling. Our group arrived after 8:00 on a Friday night and had no wait, though most tables were filled. If you want to go during prime dinner hours, you might want to see about making a reservation, or be prepared to wait. With neon Chinese characters over the bar, red accents throughout, and patterned walls, DanDan certainly isn't lacking in cool factor and ambiance. 

Now for the food. We started with the Sichuan Pork Dumplings. The dumplings qualified for the "on fire" warning on the menu, so proceed with caution. Though the flavor was delicious and I enjoy some spice, one was enough for me. That said, Adam lives for spice and was talking about these dumplings for a solid week after devouring them. 

Then it was on to the Tiger Salad: Crispy duck, plum vinaigrette, apples, cashews, peaches, and celery. This salad is inspired. The crispy duck wins, but really the mix overall is tasty as all get out! If you're craving some greens, I would recommend the Tiger Salad without question. It will take you to a happy place.

Now for the entrées, which we shared between us. First up was the General Tso's Cauliflower with chili oil, scallions, ginger, and bok choy. Don't be fooled by the cauliflower — this dish has a ton of flavor, great texture, and left me craving more. If you're the type who likes to order fried chicken in sauce when you do Chinese take-out, the General Tso's Cauliflower is for you. 

Our last and arguably favorite dish was the BBQ Pork Fried Rice, which we had made gluten-free (there are indicators throughout the menu of items that can be made gluten-free, as well as symbols for dishes that are spicy, on fire, containing peanuts, or are vegan). It's hard to describe this fried rice except to say the flavor is unlike your typical Chinese fried rice. Everything at DanDan is next level, for sure. This rice is the most comforting, scrumptious, melt-in-your-mouth pork dish — and I'm drooling now, so thanks DanDan.

A couple other things to note: There's a drink you can order where they light a cinnamon stick on fire. Every 10 minutes or so, the place lights up with this gloriously sweet smoked cinnamon aroma — it drives your senses crazy in the absolute best way. Then there are the prices at DanDan. Yes, you'll find Peking Duck on the menu for $69 — but our fried rice was $12, the cauliflower $14, the salad $8. It's not outrageous, and the flavor and experience is so worthwhile. Lastly, the service rocked, too. How could I love anything more?