Interesting tale of the genesis of the deliciously inauthentic appetizer.
Thanks for posting this. We just had some last night as part of our Chinese takeout dinner. The Sausalito, CA restaurant we get them from calls them crab cheese puffs. Good as always!
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I’ve eaten this once - in a place in Key Largo. Disappointing. Overly thick pastry enclosing a very small amount of underflavoured crab. Best bit was the Thai style sweet chilli sauce that came with it - almost certainly straight out of the bottle.
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Ratio is key, we have a local Thai spot that makes a lobster version. Very nicely done.
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I ordered some, on my last visit to Boston . They aren’t that easy to find where I live.
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What are your thoughts on Crab Rangoon?
- I like crab rangoon
- I think crab rangoon is meh
- I think crab rangoon is awful
- I have never tried crab rangoon
- I would try crab rangoon
- I would never try crab rangoon
- I would eat crab rangoon if it was free
- I would order crab rangoon
- Other
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voters
I like it.
I have eaten it once - see my 2021 post upthread. Once is enough.
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Same.
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Done right, Crab Rangoon is a guilty pleasure. The Sichuan restaurant near us does a tasty version that I let us indulge in no more than once a year. The dish so easily goes wrong that I don’t push my luck trying it elsewhere.
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This is the issue. Done well, they are delicious. But it’s SO EASY for them to go wrong. Mr. Bionda ordered them from a local Chinese place not too long ago (a place that is generally pretty good, as far as takeout Chinese is concerned), and they tasted like deep fried cheesecake - that sweet. 
So it’s a crapshoot and you should indeed take note when you get a good one!
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Considering the history of the dish, which I glean from Wikipedia (yeah, I know), is it expected that a “good” place would do it well?
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If the “good” place knows how to fry properly, yes!
I’m now craving Crab Rangoon. LOL.
I understand the once is enough feeling after trying something. That is how I feel about Grouse and Chowder Fries.
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When I say “good as far as takeout Chinese is concerned,” I mean good at making Americanized Chinese standards, so yes, they should also have good crab rangoon. I probably wouldn’t order crab rangoon at an ACTUALLY good Chinese restaurant (i.e. one with a dining room that makes high-quality renditions of Chinese regional dishes) - and many of them wouldn’t have it on the menu anyway! 
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I think my fellow Chowhound was shocked when I asked if we could order the Rangoon at the very good dim sum restaurant in Boston. LOL
It was one of 6 or 8 dishes that we ordered.
If one can’t find Rangoon where one lives, sometimes that’s one one has to do for a fix.
I sort of would be amused if a place that was known for a special regional dish couldn’t create a pretty decent Rangoon, Sweet + Sour Pork, etc.
A few fairly good Thai restaurants in Toronto have them on the menu. I haven’t tried the version at Koh Samui yet. It’s on my list.
https://www.koh-samui.ca/menu_temp/
I don’t think I’ve had any Crab Rangoon since my last trip to Boston.
Oh, they should be able to - but plenty (not all) of them choose not to, at least around here.
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I think the upscale Chinese or specific regional Chinese restaurants in the tri-state area wouldn’t typically offer Rangoon because there are plenty of mid-range and lower range restaurants offering it!
And, their typical client wouldn’t be looking for Rangoon, at least not for Rangoon at their restaurant.
The smaller town Chinese restaurants in Canada often didn’t have this option. They often traditionally serve bacon and eggs, and ham sandwiches, and fries, along with the Chinese Canadian favourites, and sometimes have a separate Chinese menu for the clients who want the Chinese regional dishes.
That has been changing recently with more people arriving from Mainland China, both for creating a market for more Mainland regional dishes, and opening more Mainland restaurants, in places, including smaller towns, that didn’t have restaurants focused on regional dishes previously.
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Understood. 
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I don’t really understand why one would expect that for example a restaurant which is known for Hunan dishes should be able to make good versions of crab rangoon
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It doesn’t take a lot of skill to make a decent Rangoon.
Why wouldn’t any good Chinese, Thai, Polynesian, Pan Asian or any other restaurant be able to do that, if they have Rangoon or any other kitschy dish on the menu, in addition to their regional specialties?
I can’t find Hunan food in downtown Toronto so I’m not expecting any Hunan specialists to be serving Rangoon. Neither are easy to find in Toronto afaik.
The only Hunan food I’ve eaten has been in the San Jose Area, fwiw.
