Omnivore - Christmas Eve at Chef Liu’s

• Cliff Bostock’s iPhone
• Chef Liu’s celery and tofu

• Cliff Bostock’s iPhone
• Hot & spicy noodles

I understand that the popular habit of dining Christmas Eve in Chinese restaurants originated in the American Jewish community. Whatever the origin, Buford Highway was swarming with people this year, and Wayne and I ended up at the popular Chef Liu’s (5221 Buford Highway, 770-936-0532).

The restaurant is famous for its dumplings, especially the soup-filled pork ones. (They’re not identified as such on the menu, so ask the server.) Above is a dish of celery - Wayne insists it was slightly pickled - with thin-cut tofu, carrots and peanuts. I’m not much of a celery fan, so the dish didn’t appeal to me.

We also ordered (something like) dandan noodles, a Sichuan dish with hot and numbing peppers. Also: the leek pie and a sesame pancake stuffed with spiced pork that bore a keen resemblance to carnitas. By the time we were done with these not-so-small plates, we were unable to think about ordering more substantial dishes.