My wife decided to take a mini-vacation this past weekend and so my daughter and I had a daddy-daughter date night that included some Chinese Takeout at China Wok. Honestly, I didn't even know this place existed until I researched the area a little bit. We have been to Ho Wah, but with their recent and ridiculous changes to the menu I have been passively tasting other area Chinese restaurants. Although China Wok has its merits, I still have to say that China Tea House is still the clear-cut winner for Chinese food in this region.
Food: Every time I try a new Chinese restaurant, I always order about the same thing. It allows me to judge a new restaurant against a baseline. As such, I ordered a General Tso Combination Platter (included fried rice, egg roll for 7.95) and some Boneless BBQ Ribs (I love these darn things!).
Boneless Ribs: They were a little bit undercooked. I like mine when the outside gets a tiny bit of char on it, and the fat is fully rendered - kinda like bacon. If the fat in pork dishes is not fully rendered, then it ends up being a little bit chewy and gross. This was not in the 'gross' range, but it was close.
General Tso: Unlike many of the other Chinese restaurants in the area, the coating on their chicken was not as crispy as I like. It was soggy. In terms of flavor, and if my taste buds are not mistaken, they put pineapple juice in their General Tso sauce. Not sure how I feel about that. It definitely deviates from what I am used to, and after careful consideration, I think that although this is unique and different; I would prefer that flavor not be in my General.
The Pork Fried Rice was good. It was definitely under-seasoned, but included a lot of things that I love in a fried rice - bean sprouts being one of them! Also, there was a fair amount of pork in the rice. Also, they get points for actually having PORK fried rice included in the meal. So many places charge extra for the pork now.
The egg roll was a disappointment. It was definitely homemade, but it similar flavors to that you would buy in the frozen department of a grocery store and cook yourself at home. It was not bad, but again, it differed from the flavor I was expecting / desiring.
All of that said, everything seemed to be pretty fresh. Though, I am suspicious of the way they prepare their popular (volume) dishes. You know, the dishes that are most frequently ordered? I ordered my General Tso, and it was done 6 minutes later - during dinner rush. My assumption (and I hope I am wrong) is that they mass fry a huge batch of the chicken in preparation for their dinner hour, then hot-hold it, then toss it in whatever sauce the customer orders.
This would explain several things. First, it would explain the soggy breading, and the impossibly fast fulfillment time of my order. No hard evidence, but just a guess...
Food: 3 / 5
Service: Extremely fast. If you are looking for an extremely fast, prompt, efficient experience ... this is it. 6 minutes for my order. For me, expediency does not matter if the food is only mediocre.
Service: 3 / 5
Atmosphere: For a Chinese TAKEOUT place, this was above average. It had a large seating area for those who wanted to eat-in. It had decent booths too. Usually, Chinese takeout restaurants have limited seating, and it is usually pretty uncomfortable. This was nice - contextually speaking.
Atmosphere: 4 / 5
Price: For about $13.00, this food met expectation, but gets a bonus point for having pork fried rice as the standard - not just fried rice or white rice where the business then forces you to pay extra (usually a ridiculous cost) for pork.
Price: 4 / 5 (3+1 for pork)
Final Thoughts: For solid Chinese food that will quell your craving, this is a good choice in the area that will likely fill you up. For me though, I am still going to make the trip out to China Tea House when I am looking for some seriously good food and service. read more