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| - I have to admit, that, over the years, my love of Chinese food has waned. I'm just not used to eating such heavy food anymore and for the most part have replaced Chinese restaurants with Vietnamese and Thai (though there's no comparison between the latter and Chinese). However, after reading the reviews on here, which said this restaurant was the closest thing to the NYC version, I couldn't resist trying it. Having grown up on Long Island, I had my fair share of Chinese restaurants and I, too, think the best in the country are to be found there (and, to a lesser extent, San Francisco).
The star of this place is the pu-pu platter. Hands down the best for a mere $9.90 for two people. Spare ribs with plenty of meat on them; large -- but albeit greasy -- egg rolls; skewered meats that in no way resemble most of the pu-pu platters in the Valley, where, if you're lucky, your skewered meat and ribs will resemble something some other customer ate 80% of the way through and was kept out of the garbage to be put into some poor schmuck's order the next day (and that's if you're LUCKY; don't ask what it'll look and taste like, if you aren't!).
The hot n sour soup certainly doesn't skimp on meat and other additions to it. But while it was good, it didn't wow me. For the main dishes, we had Kung Pao Three and the Emperor Chicken. Both were a bit salty, but that was our fault: we don't use salt at home, so --- as you've read in my other reviews --- we should've remembered to say "no MSG or salt, please!" Other than that, big portions; big pieces of meat. Just be aware that, unlike kung pao dishes, the Emperor Chicken has NO vegetables in it (if that's important to you).
Service was stellar and I had no problems leaving a 20% tip on the total (subtotal and tax combined). The server was friendly and gave lots of advice. In fact, I would describe her, too, as being typical New York: we can be very standoffish; but once we get to know someone or want to get to know someone, we can be very familiar and overly -- but genuinely -- friendly very quickly.
The restaurant is very well lit, but not obnoxiously so. I don't know why -- no doubt some personal, buried memory -- but well-lit Chinese restaurants always remind me of the Christmas holidays, so it felt warm and comfortable to be in so well-lit a restaurant.
Overall, while the food -- with the exception of the pu-pu platter -- didn't wow us, this place definitely ranks up there in the best of Chinese restaurants in the Valley. Well worth the drive from Goodyear and its "late" hours are an absolute godsend in a "city" where most restaurants close down by 8pm or 9pm, even on a Saturday!
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