Inside: Noble House

For more than 30 years, Noble House in Hudson has been enticing diners with Chinese food that’s far beyond the expected fare.

Food: Noble House dubs itself continental Chinese cuisine and offers everything from traditional, expected dishes to imaginative creations not replicated elsewhere. In fact, on our visit, we found that the usual Chinese dishes were just average while the more distinctive offerings would get us back in the door any day.

We started with an order of the chicken velvet egg drop soup ($5.75) and the Chinese corn and crab soup ($5.95) plus the Beijing ravioli for the table ($6.25).

The egg drop soup was rather ho-hum. The chicken was rather tough and the scallions overpowered the other more delicate flavors. The creamy and smooth Chinese corn soup, on the other hand, was quite unexpected and enjoyable. Our last appetizer, with a marinated ground pork, shrimp and cabbage filling, was also on the bland side. The homemade pasta skin was way too tough and we would have preferred a more creative dipping sauce instead of soy sauce.

Dinners consisted of beef tenderloin steak ($26.75) made with stir-fried filet tips with onions, zucchini and broccoli in a black pepper sauce and eggplant yu shiang ($18.95) made with large chunks of eggplant and minced pork in a garlic sauce topped with scallions.

Where the appetizers fell short, the dinners more than made up the difference. Though somewhat on the pricey side, each portion was quite large and could easily be shared. The tender beef was cooked perfectly and was boasting with flavor. The only thing that would have made this dish even better would be a bit more heat. The eggplant and minced pork proved to be a perfect pairing, especially as the eggplant sits and soaks up the sauce. Note, this dish can also be served sans pork for a nice vegetarian option. Each dinner is served with a choice of white, brown or fried rice; we opted for fried.

While we didn’t sample on this visit, on previous visits we’ve also enjoyed the Asian sea bass, which is grilled over an open fire; and the lightly breaded walnut shrimp that’s stir fried in a sweet creamy white sauce topped with broccoli and caramelized walnuts.

Libations: Nothing extensive, but expect to find a decent amount of options including a full bar and a handful of beer and wine options.

Décor: Noble House has been around for awhile, and the décor is the first sign of that. The traditional styling appears to not have been touched since the late '80s. It’s dated, rather stale and in need of a major facelift.

Service: Service is efficient and friendly and food appears quickly after ordering.

Insider tip: If the rather pricey dinner options have you thinking twice, almost the entire menu is available for lunch during the week.

Bottom line: It’s not cheap Chinese by any means, but the entrées deliver and you truly get what you pay for.