Yeah, I know... another review for a Chinese American take out. Reading the reviews, I was…read moreexpecting a somewhat mediocre attempt, but I don't always believe what I read.
I ordered the curry beef lunch special which is very affordable at around $10.50 (like the others stated, cash only). You have a choice of soup (egg drop, wonton, or hot and sour), egg roll, or soda. I chose the hot and sour soup.
When I returned home, I was surprised. First the soup serving was large and generous. There were several button mushroom floating on top, and even though they weren't the traditional black mushrooms, it was a nice extravagance. Plenty of egg drop throughout. Everything about the soup was right and ample. Plenty of vegetables (bamboo), and very large slices of tofu. Usually you'll find a few small cubes, but this felt really intentionally hand sliced. Great balance of the sour, mildly hot, and a hint of sweetness. The flavors were all there. Sometimes Chinese soup can be a throw away where the owner is trying to save expenses, but not here.
With the curry beef, I had a choice of white rice or fried rice. Usually I get white rice, but I was curious about the fried. Typical soy based stir fry with bits of onion and bean sprouts. No meat in it, but that's OK because it has to work for vegetarians.
The beef was really well prepared, with the typical baking soda and cornstarch tenderizing. Lots of veggies including onion, carrots, green onions, celery, bamboo shoots and water chestnuts. Very healthy and nice balance between meat and vegetable. Just enough curry to make this a truly enjoyable lunch.
Listen, I've been to Hong Kong and eaten Cantonese , Szechuan and dim sum there; eaten Chinese food in Los Angeles, San Francisco, and New York. But Chinese American food is also an art and has its own tradition, especially from NYC where much of it began. I know the cooking team can vary from year to year or even month to month, but today I had a really good and relatively healthy meal at bargain prices. Looking at their clientele, most of them are non-Asians and are in particular looking a specific traditional populist experience and this definitely meets that need well. Most of the reviews at the time of this writing are from 2023, so do yourself a favor and try this restaurant for yourself. I'm glad I did.
