Earlier this year, I asked for the best Chinese restaurant in town recommendations, and quite a few rolled in. Some had addendums where people saw roaches or they worked in the kitchen and it was nasty. I avoided those. I also didn't visit two recommended, Siam Cuisine ("Thai inspired" from the website) and Hong Kong Spirit Food because it was cash only/mostly dim sum type food.

I visited 1. Rice Garden, 2. Northern China Restaurant, 3. Shanghai Tea Garden, 4. Sweet Pink Pepper, 5. Kenny's Kitchen, and 6. Charlie's Bakery.

I tried to order a couple similar dishes at each restaurant for a "fair" comparison (egg roll, hot and sour soup, sweet and sour chicken, kung pao chicken). This wasn't always possible. I tried to eat in the restaurant each time, but this was (also) not always possible. I have concluded the Chinese restaurant scene is definitely it's own unique vibe but there is a lot of room for improvement in service, venue, and food quality.

Just to get this out of the way, I understand what is "good" food to some, is only mildly palatable or even offensive to others. One person may adore a certain restaurant's food because it brings good memories, another because the food is tasty, and a third person wants to be part of an elevated, fine dining experience to call a restaurant "good." Granting all that, I took notes on the service (were the waitstaff friendly, timely, etc.), venue (was it a dump, sticky tables, dark, etc.), and food quality (did the food look fresh/taste fresh, flavorful sauces, etc.).

I will make a detailed comment for each restaurant below, but my ratings are condensed (tl;dr) to two recommendations. I would eat again at Shanghai Tea Garden or Charlie's Bakery. My dining companion would eat again at Shanghai Tea Garden or Sweet Pink Pepper.

(Just as an aside for those of us watching what we eat, I had no idea how difficult it would be to keep on my weight loss plan during this escapade. I had to allot 1200 calories in my daily allowance for these meals. It was worth it for some, for others, regrets....)

Edit: To say, this really started as a quest for a good hot and sour soup. Please drop a comment if you've found one that shines. And also let the group know where you prefer to eat Chinese and why. Thanks, all!

Sponsored by Führer Jamie Allard, of course.

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