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| - I recall when Chop and Wok opened back in the 80's and I loved it. It was always a hit with my friends and me. I moved away for college and work, and came back to town 2 years ago. Shortly after arriving, I gave Chop and Wok a shot. I left half-hungry and disappointed. About every 6 months I try it again for some reason. Today was probably my last visit.
Lunch today was with two companions. One left the very greasy egg roll untouched and the dry, stale-tasting wontons barely nibbled. The other ate all of his General's Chicken, but complained of an "off" flavor and too much breading. My Mongolian Beef lunch special was a few strips of beef that tasted rather freezer burnt, a green onions, and a couple water chestnuts in a morass of thick, brown sauce. Some of the onions looked to be of a newer vintage than the rest, being firm, crisp and bright colored rather than limp, dark and wilted. The brown rice was supposed to be fried rice, I think. I did see a small piece of what I think (and hope) was scrambled egg at one point.
The odd-tasting beef aside, about 1/3 the way through, I bit into something very crunchy. Crunchy enough to hurt my teeth. A quick examination yields what appears to be a bone shard. Digging around, I find a couple more small pieces and I segregate them. (At that point, I convinced myself that they were shards of bone from a cow.) I tried to give the other side of the entree a try, but my heart wasn't really in it so after eating just the onions I concentrated on the brownish rice. That is, until I bit into a clump of hard, previously-cooked and now stale rice. That meteorite-like nugget killed any desire for more rice, so I moved onto the egg roll. My companion was wise to leave it untouched. It was very greasy, and also tasted like it had been freezer burnt. An entire packet of hot mustard made it palatable enough to eat.
As to why I didn't ask for a refund, or for something else, I had a limited amount of time for lunch and had to get something down. If it had been a weekend, I'd have probably sent the meal back and asked for a refund. As it stands, I had to pick through and find edible parts or be late in from lunch. I made it on time, but I'm already hungry just hours after eating what I could.
My chief complaint, bone (I hope) shards aside, is the pervasive taste of freezer burnt meat. I actually ordered the Mongolian Beef because the last time I got Kung Pao Chicken and the chicken was off to the point of not being edible. Leave a chicken thigh on a plate in the freezer for a month, dice it up and fry it to get an idea of the taste. The time before that, I had the Shrimp and Snow Peas. I ate most of the rubbery shrimp. So today, starving because I missed breakfast because I woke up late, when I got out voted 2-to-1 on the lunch venue I thought that I'd give the beef a try. It's strips of beef, in a really dark and savory sauce. How could that possibly wind up being off? It was.
So the main reason I won't be back is that the only entree protein left to try is the pork. I'm not ashamed to admit that I'm just not that brave. As I type this listening to the churning of my insides, I'm doubly convinced I won't be back. It's a shame since I live and work very close by, but it's just not worth it. Perhaps if I knew when they got their Sysco delivery (which must be massive if it lasts long enough in the freezer for some large portion of it to become as dessicated as it does), then I'd confine my visits to a short period thereafter. Which is to say that a lot of people might not find the food off-putting since they are eating when things are a little fresher. Such an experience hasn't been in the cards for me yet.
I do love the atmosphere and the vibe, but in the end I have to be able to actually eat my lunch.
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