Chow is savory mix of Chinese, Southern styles

During your first visit to downtown's Chow, the ambience blending Southern and Chinese styles might take a moment to sink in.

Upon first glance, from the restaurant's exterior at 1020 Fremont St., the understated signage is reminiscent of chef Natalie Young's other downtown spot, Eat, and it doesn't indicate much as to the food. Once you enter, your gaze is immediately drawn to the large red dragon slinking his way across the ceiling. If the dragon doesn't give you a hint, the other decor featuring Chinese stylings mingled with down-home country might clue you in that the menu is going to be straying from the norm.

And unique it is, though it follows suit with understated descriptions of the items. Rest assured: The flavors are numerous in each dish. With a focus on diversity and community, as stated on the restaurant's website, the ingredients support that thinking in that they are fresh and "responsibly sourced and consciously, carefully prepared."

Upon entering and being seated, my dining partner and I were welcomed warmly and promptly by staff. Our waiter returned immediately with drinks, as it wasn't too busy on that particular Wednesday night. Though we had Cokes, the menu offers sweet black tea, green tea, regular and bubbly waters, fountain sodas and Kool-Aid as well as wines and beers. In addition to drinks, the menu is broken into "firsts," "seconds," "thirds" and "sweet stuff." It is of note that the firsts section seems to contain items that are larger, the seconds smaller, and so forth. We didn't pay much attention to this theme, ordering at random what sparked our interest.

Our waiter was happy to speak with us about the menu, offering his favorites and insight into anything spicy, as my partner's taste is sensitive. Personally, I prefer kick to my dishes, so I immediately honed in on the Sriracha macaroni and cheese ($3, off the thirds section), which proved flavorful if not terribly strong in the spice arena. We also tried the Crab Rangoon Dip ($13, off the firsts section) with fried eggroll skins, ponzu and citrus sauce. The skins were tasty with spices on top but a little weak for the thickness of the dip, which was amazing. We would have loved more with which to dip, perhaps something stronger or thicker, such as bread sticks.

The third item we shared was the sweet mini corn muffins ($2, off the thirds menu), which I wish I could savor by themselves, as by the time I got to them, I was already feeling too full to really enjoy.

This diner went for the pho-style tofu ($9, off the firsts menu), as it was a cold night, and pho always satisfies. This large bowl of soup certainly satisfied, too. Again, the flavor was so immense in this dish, it seemed as though I was eating more than one item. That isn't to say the flavors didn't go together — it simply reflected the diversity of the ingredients, which included cabbage, carrots, red peppers, enoki mushrooms, vegan pho-style broth and seared tofu. Mushroom lovers, this soup's for you.

My dining partner tried out the Chinese (fried) chicken salad ($12, off the seconds section), which was large and tasty enough to fulfill. She said the "chicken was juicy and ample," nicely fried and not soggy, and the salad not overdressed.

Frankly, we ordered too much and were profoundly stuffed by the end of our meal.

Hours reflect Chow's difference from Eat: At Chow, they are clearly geared toward the dinner crowd. The restaurant is open from noon to 8 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and closed Sunday and Monday.

Visit chowdtlv.com or call 702-998-0574.