The Rice Box - Seven Points Shopping Center

I had read several comments on the TimesDaily Food Talk Forum about the Rice Box. Comments such as, “Best Egg Foo Yung,” “Best Asian food in town,” “Packed all the time,” and others gave us the indication we could expect at the least an average meal if we decided to give it a try.

After receiving e-mails requesting an evaluation, I put it on the list as one of my future places to try. I have been on the road for the past couple of weeks and had not had the time to complete some of the evaluation articles I had already started. I had no intention of starting a new evaluation without finishing the others first, but as you all know life often does change your time frame on things.

I had gotten in late Saturday afternoon from Chattanooga and did not feel like slinging pots and pans. So it didn’t take much arm twisting for E to accept my offer of eating out, and off to the Rice Box we went. She was hungry and I was really hungry, which in my book means anything will taste good if it has sauce on it. The Rice Box is really not hard to find if you are familiar with North Florence. If you aren’t, simply head North on Wood Avenue from downtown Florence until you come to the Seven Points Shopping Center on your left. Turn into the Center and you will see The Rice Box on your right near the street.

The Arrival

As we entered, a young lady met us at the door. She inquired about how many were in our party and informed us there was a wait or we could go to the Sushi bar area, implying we would be waited on a lot quicker. We decided to take her suggestion and selected two seats at the bar just down from the sushi work station. We started watching the Chef as we waited to be asked for our drinks and given a menu. We waited, waited, and then waited some more. Several waitresses and a waiter walked by, with one even backing up to the bar next to us, yet never inquiring if we had been waited on.

After a lengthy time of waiting, I went over to the young lady who met us at the door and asked for a table, since we had no luck in getting any attention at the bar. We were directed to a small table for two and it was not long before the menus were placed on the table and our drink orders taken.

The Atmosphere

Let me stop here and make you aware that if you are expecting to enter a place that creates thoughts of Romance and lots of “A’more” for dessert back at the old home place, this AIN’T it. There is no soft oriental music or any culturally clad waitresses to settle your nerves down for the evening. Instead what you are going to experience is a toned down Décor that matches more of a small diner with the exception of a few oriental figurines displayed here and there.

One Food Talk reviewer stated this restaurant is always packed, and I believe that statement, as it was most certainly busy during our visit. Unfortunately that comes with the one thing that will be your constant companion if the interior has not been designed to absorb noise. The din of conversations, with each person attempting to talk louder and faster, creates the same atmosphere as if you were sitting in the middle of a packed college sports bar on steroids. Thus you get this magpie of sounds that ricochet off the interior walls like an 8 ball rack shot. All they needed was a bucking dragon and you would have just experienced the atmosphere of the Sundance Saloon at the same time.

The Drinks

E ordered an Asahi Japanese beer ($2.50), which according to history was first brewed in 1892. It is now one of the most popular beers in Japan and over the recent years has gained a following in America. This brew has a light straw color with a very thin body taste. Being made from rice, corn and light grains it has a grassy hops flavor with just a slight hint of apple. The finishing taste that lingers is a slight crisp dryness on your tongue. If you like the taste of lite beers you will love this one. It goes well with most oriental dishes, and in my thinking is more suitable for that category of food. If you lean toward a robust, deep bodied beer that can stand on your tongue and dance an Irish jig, then I suggest you don’t turn the cap on this one.

It was not long before the waiter brought our drink orders and set the Asahi bottled beer down without offering a cold or frosted glass along with it. My Sake was also set down on the table, and without a word the waiter left. Just so you can discuss the history of Sake at your next Sunday School Class I have taken the liberty of giving you a little information that will make you seem like a genius. The earliest recorded history of Sake being made was in the 3rd Century BC. The Japanese have a word for it--Nihonshu, meaning Japanese Sake ($5.99) which in English we call Rice Wine. The traditional Sake is the end product of a fermentation and filtration process using 100% rice, rice koji and water.

However, since World War II, the Japanese have started adding alcohol to it to increase its volume due to the reduction of rice being grown during that time. This process has continued with some brands today. In fact, you have a whole class of Sake’s listed as Special, Premium, etc, with each being classified on its quality of taste just as our spirits are. You can order the Sake two ways, cold or hot. I prefer the hot as to me it activates the intense flavor of the rice and gives you a warm glow as it hits the stomach. It is served in a small ceramic container to maintain the temperature of the drink as long as possible. You simply pour small amounts in a ceramic holder similar to a demitasse cup and sip it during your meal.

What really caught my attention was the fact the waiter had set the drinks down and walked off without waiting to see if the temperature of the Sake was correct, or if E needed a cold glass. (When you see this poor display of service, it falls back on the lack of wait staff training given by management.) Picking up the Sake, I poured a cup full and took a sip. The “Luke Warm” liquid caught me by surprise. In fact, another sip indicated that no real attempt was made to heat up the Sake as requested and was more room temperature than warm.

The Menu

When you open the menu, you find a slew of dishes all named and items designated as T-4 or P-5. Your choices are almost endless in nature, which will take you a while to read through. Most of the items are ala carte, meaning priced separately, so you have the choice of just how much you want to spend on your meal. Be careful though, because in a lot of ways this is an extremely good way for a meal to cost you more than when certain side items are listed with the dishes main meat.

The Appetizer

E ordered as an appetizer a small cup of Hot/Sour Soup ($1.59). There are many versions of this style soup--Chinese, Thai, etc. They usually start with a chicken broth, then add red rice vinegar, white rice vinegar, Tofu, Shredded Pork, Egg, Sesame Oil, Mushrooms, Bamboo, etc. It is very spicy in nature and is used to clear the lungs and head if someone has a cold.

When it was brought to the table it was neither Hot in temperature or Spicy. I would label it as one, if not probably the saddest versions of Hot and Sour Soup I have ever seen offered at any oriental place. In fact it was so bad, as you see the picture, we left it on the table. I was now getting the feeling things were headed down hill fast.

The Main Meals

E ordered the The Moo Goo Gai Pan Dish ($5.95) which is slivered slices of sautéed chicken, mixed with snow peas, watercress, slices of mushroom, carrots with a white sauce with the sides of fried rice and spring roll. She took a bite, and I could see by the look on her face that things were not going well. She pushed the plate to me and said, "You try it." I selected a portion and felt the “Luke Warm” white “GOO” of a sauce start to spread over my taste buds.

To describe the taste I have to give you something to compare it with. Take a tablespoon of cornstarch and mix it with tepid water until it is a thin sauce. Do not add anything to it, now take a big spoonful and place it in your mouth. That, my friend, is how you get to experience the same thing we experienced with this dish. It was totally tasteless and unappealing in any shape or form.

But in an attempt at being optimistic, she said, "Well, at least I have the spring roll," and took a bite. The spring roll piece she had bitten off, hit the plate at the same time she laid the larger piece back down. I thought, it can’t be that bad and took a bite myself. I was totally wrong and laid the remaining portion of the spring roll back on the plate. The roll was cold, and the inside ingredients were similar to soured grass.

I had ordered the Spicy Yellowtail Roll ($5.25) and in the process stressed to the waiter to tell the Sushi Chef to make the roll very spicy. I did this to offset the high oil content of the fish which tends to dilute the spicy sauce somewhat. Basically the Roll is yellowtail minced, mixed with minced scallions, slivers of cucumber, then blended together with wasabi and a spicy sauce. A sheet of Nori (Seaweed) is laid on top of a bed of sushi rice and the mixture is spread on the Nori and pressed down. It is then rolled in the sushi mat into a tight roll. Most Sushi Chefs, after making their cuts, will then place a drop of spicy sauce on each piece for additional flavor and looks.

What I actually got was a Yellowtail roll that had very little spicy sauce within the roll itself, and none placed on each individual piece. While the portions were adequate and the freshness was there, the taste of the roll in general would be considered bland in nature when compared to the same type of roll I have gotten at other sushi bars. In fact, the taste was so bland I had the waiter bring some extra spicy sauce for the dish, and he brought around approximately a tablespoon full in a small dish.

My second Sushi Dish was the Rainbow Roll ($10.95). The Rainbow is a standard among Sushi Chefs and is fairly easy to make. The foundation for the Roll is usually a mixture of a California Roll which mainly consists of shredded fish cake (imitation crab), avocado and cucumber. Once the foundation is tightly rolled, the top of the foundation is layered with salmon, tuna, avocado and a mild white fish of choice. The Japanese refer to this as Tazuna Sushi. The presentation of the roll is very colorful, thus the name “Rainbow Roll.” I had also requested that the rainbow roll be made very spicy, which is normally not done. As in the yellowtail roll, the word spicy was apparently left out of the order and it didn’t happen. The freshness was there, and in fact it was a good quality Rainbow Roll.

By the time we (or let's say I since E does not like Sushi) finished eating, E was about to starve. Not willing to order anything else she just wanted to get out of there and go get a burger.

The Service

I would say something about the type of service you could expect from the wait staff, but they never came back to the table after they delivered our orders, so I guess in a way I just did. I am one of those people who tip according to the quality of service that is given. Being in the food business myself at one time, I am very aware how hard these people work, so always use that as a guideline as to the amount of the tip. Thus, I will allow you to guess the percentage of the tip.

Recommendation

Needless to say, the possibility of A’more went out of the door about the second bite of the Moo Goo whatever it was. I was told in no uncertain terms that if I ever suggested coming back to this place I would be in a for a tongue lashing. If you ask E, the $35.00 spent was money wasted. So! I believe you can probably figure out and write my recommendation for me.

Their Hours

Their posted hours are 11:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. week days and 11:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. Friday and Saturday.

Epilogue

When I took on the responsibility of writing about the food experiences at the many places I visit, I made the decision to be truthful in my assessments. The above review was not a joy to write, as I had much rather have told you how good the Rice Box was and give it a glowing recommendation. I still could have done that, but that would not have been an honest viewpoint based on my one experience. The end result would have been that I was unfair not only to you but to the Rice Box management also. Keep in mind this could have been an off night due to many circumstances and this might not be the standard quality of service or quality of food they offer. This was just our experience, and you should give it the no more or less weight than it deserves.

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