Green Tea Restaurant in Stony Brook: First bites
Cumin tofu at Green Tea Restaurant in Stony Brook in October 2014 Credit: Newsday / Joan Reminick
On a recent busy night, the new Green Tea Restaurant in Stony Brook reverberated. There was clatter from the open kitchen and chatter from the mostly college-age clientele, many speaking dialects of Chinese. I, however, was too focused on my food to care much about the decibel level.
To start, there was shrimp dumpling soup ($3.95), a verdant spinach-chicken broth topped with one plump and perfect shrimp dumpling. My companion’s hot and sour soup ($2.99) was deep and complex, making most other versions seem pallid in comparision. But the showstopper was cumin tofu ($11.95), spice-coated fried cubes of soy startling in their vibrancy. In comforting contrast was a dish of toothsome noodles with braised vegetables ($10.95).
In case you’re wondering, the aromatic green tea here is served in a tall glass. The restaurant also features tea time, Monday to Thursday from 2:30 to 5 p.m. Then, students and business people are free to work at their laptops while having tea and traditional Chinese snacks.
Green Tea Restaurant is at 1015 Rte. 25A, Stony Brook, 631-689-1111, greentea-restaurant.com
