I'm happy to give this place 5 stars... because in all the ways they could deserve such a rating, they did. However, if I thought the review should be based upon my particular like/dislikes, then they'd get maybe a 3.5-4 star. But c'mon. I'm not a B-hole. :)
I'm not one to show up moments before a place closes and take a seat at a table--unless I ask and they are extremely happy to have me. If I see even a hint that their hospitality is only cursory, I'm out. It may just be me, but breezing in and plopping down without asking first, with anything less than 30-45 mins before closing, is kinda douchey. Yes I know that they may well be open and willing to serve me at 9:29p, if they close at 9:30. But they've got family and/or other things to get to, so I'd rather not be one more thing in a likely already long day that delays them any further. This is of course just my opinion. I don't expect everyone to agree.
With that said... It was about 8:50pm when I decided I needed me some Chinese food, but all of my go-to places were moments from turning off their lights. I was left to choose from a rapidly diminishing number of options. This place was new to me, but it was already ahead of PF Chang's, on my list. Feeling adventurous... I arrived at their door around 9:05p (25 mins from closing). The place was empty. I immediately asked the lady who greeted me if she'd be willing to serve me, or if they'd prefer I came back another night. She smiled, thanked me, grabbed a menu and tea, then lead me to a table. I asked which items I could order that would be quickest and easiest for them to prepare, and was eating hot food within 10 mins.
I'd say the place offered a very clean, courteous, and value filled experience. In the areas of service/flavor/quantity/cost/cleanliness/etc... I give two thumbs up!! (5 stars) The staff... whom I assume are also the owners... were exceedingly gracious. It kinda felt like I was dining with the wonderful folks at Twin Dragon, just down the road. There was never a moment that they made me feel rushed, though I hurried myself along.
Where I'd dock a star or two, if I were being petty, is a matter of personal preference and not anything they could've helped. I didn't like the mar far chicken. Not at all. They served plenty of it, but it was in stark contrast to the kind I like best (at Kowloon). I like mine to be more meat and less fluff. These were pretty much the exact opposite. Also, the egg flower soup was a bit different than I like. I also ordered hot & sour soup, which I found to be very very good. All the food was good! But there were just those two examples of things I like done a bit differently--which again, isn't their problem.
I have only praise for the folks at Chen's. And I'm happy to have tried them out. While we may not like certain items at every place we dine, it's more a reflection of our individual tastes than a mark against the establishment itself.
I really liked:
-the incredible/genuine hospitality
-the overall value/flavor
-that they offer sesame sprinkles and pink sauce, along with all the usual condiments
-the hot & sour soup
-the staff gave me a pitcher of water so that I could refill as often as I like
I didn't like so much:
-the bread nuggets disguised as chicken
-the weird noodly texture of my eggflower soup read more