For those that give this place a low rating, I'm thinking that they might be viewing this with an unusually harsh lens. I actually like the place, thought the food was tasty, the service was courteous and the prep time was incredibly fast.
I grabbed some take-away food from here on 2 different occasions. Since I did not dine in, I cannot comment on the dining room aspects and table service but it was easy to find, had ample parking, and the greeter was Johnny-on-the-spot quick to acknowledge me and take my order. Even more impressive was the less than 10 min turnaround time from placing my order to having a bag of food in my hot little hands and walking out the door.
As for the food, it is a bit on the expensive side (but understandable since this is Vail and almost none of their ingredients would be able to be had from a local producer) and it certainly caters towards more westernized palates. I generally dislike Asian restaurants that try to cross borders and be all-Asian to all people so when I initially reviewed the menu and saw Vietnamese Spring Rolls as an option, I was skeptical. But the food hit the spot and in watching the kitchen and front of house staff, it is certainly being prepared by real Chinese people who seem to know their way around a wok. I've had worse in some Chinatown joints around the world and I think that says something. The best dish I ordered was the Lo Mein which had plenty of toothsome and flavorful noodles with a generous amount of chicken. I would not have a problem eating that dish again.
So in summary, was it the best Chinese food I've ever had? Of course not. It did not have live seafood tanks, dim sum carts, or roasted ducks hanging in the window. But given that it is about the only Chinese food option within 150 miles, it was very serviceable when you have the need for it and are in the area. Based on that fact alone, it gets 3 stars for even trying to make a go of it in the hipster heavy Vail area among all the places with food that costs more than my mortgage. It gets the 4th star for all of the other positive factors listed above. And for those that are ultra-critical of this restaurant, just think about how high you would rate the other Chinese restaurant options in the area? Since that possibility approaches zero (because there are none), unless you like having pizza and burgers as your only available fast take out option when in Vail, you might want to check yourself at the door and give this place another try to see if you can find something to like. read more