FOOD
Reem Acra
NEW YORK
COUTURE BRIDAL AND
EVENINGWEAR TRUNK SHOW
FOODIE
APRIL 12TH AND 13TH
China Ruby
Esther Allweiss Ingber
Contributing Writer
Galia Lahav
COUTURE BRIDAL TRUNK SHOW
EXCLUSIVE
2013 COLLECTION PREVIEW
APRIL 19TH AND 20TH
YAKI RAVID
COUTURE BRIDAL TRUNK SHOW
APRIL 25TH THROUGH 27TH
EXCLUSIVELY AT
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I
MUER
EVENING
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Specializing in Cosmetic Surgery &
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34 April 2013
1 RtD THREAD
ou're hungry, perhaps on a date,
and don't have loads of money
to spend on a meal. My best rec-
ommendation is to visit China Ruby,
a Chinese restaurant in downtown
Ferndale.
In a storefront that once housed
an American-style diner, China
Ruby is noted for its delicious and
inexpensive Szechuan, Hunan and
Cantonese cuisine. For starters, try
the tangy hot-and-sour soup with
its generous slices of white meat
chicken. How often do you get
chicken in this kind of soup — and
for as little as $1.85?
Everything prepared or served
at China Ruby is given the atten-
tion typical of a small family-owned
restaurant. The owners, Tina Co
and Cuong Luu, are Chinese and
originally from Vietnam. They met
in the Ypsilanti-Ann Arbor
area. Co, with some as-
sistance, handles the front
of the house, where she
quickly learns the names
of regular diners. Luu is
a self-taught chef, who
works his magic behind
the scenes.
Open since 1988, China
Ruby went through a few
lean years before the hip
crowd discovered "Fash-
ionable Ferndale." Now,
the Chinese restaurant is
a fixture and blessed with an ideal
location. It's a short distance from
the funky retail stores, cafes, bars,
bookstores, ethnic restaurants and
other businesses that make the city
of Ferndale a fun destination.
China Ruby's well-executed, rea-
sonably priced food has brought it
the title of"Best Chinese"and "Best
Chinese Carryout" in several diner/
media surveys through the years.
"We keep the prices right for the
customer," said Co, noting that China
Ruby's 26 combination platters
come with a choice of three soups,
plus egg roll and plain fried rice.
Priced at $7.95 to $9.50, two diners
can enjoy a full meal for less than
$20.The same entrees ordered as a
"plate" come with plain white rice
only and range from $6.50 to $7.95.
Perusing the dinner menu,
categories include beef, chicken,
seafood, fried rice, chop suey, lo
mein (soft noodle) and vegetable.
Nine choices are in the latter group,
including Vegetable with Black Bean
I
or Hot Bean Sauce, Szechuan Veg-
etable, and Moo Shu Vegetable with
Five Pancakes.
At dinner, $12.95 is the top price
for a quart of either Yu-Shan Scallop
in Garlic Sauce or Hunan Scallop.
The entrees come with white rice.
Twelve of the 16 "house specialties"
are marked as hot and
spicy, including Kung Pao
Shrimp and Chicken, and
Hunan Shrimp with Black
Bean Sauce.
My favorite entree is
General Tso's Chicken,
lightly breaded chicken
pieces stir-fried in a sweet-
spicy sauce with broccoli.
I also recommend China
Ruby's Curry Shrimp and
Garlic Chicken. Among
the appetizers, Crab and
Cheese Wonton and Pot
Stickers (fried dumplings) are popu-
lar at six to an order for $1.85.
China Ruby does a large carryout
business and offers a full catering
menu. Open daily except Monday,
hours are 11:30 a.m.-9:30 p.m.
Tuesday-Thursday and Sunday; 11
a.m.-10 p.m. Friday and Saturday.
A striking painting of thundering
horses and some small Asian arti-
facts break up the plain white walls
alongside a row of booths. The most
memorable features of the decor are
the gold Laughing Buddha statues
on the check-out counter. Accord-
ing to legend, rubbing the Laughing
Buddha's great belly brings forth
wealth, good luck and prosperity.
Give it a try, if you like! RT
CHINA RUBY
157 W. Nine Mile Road
Ferndale, MI 48220
(248) 546-8876
No Website
$ out of $$$$$
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