Imperial Garden has been around a long time and seems to be a local favorite. That struck me as a very bad sign when I came to Madison almost 20 years ago, and that continues to be the case. The food is insipid, blandly spiced to appeal to unadventurous midwestern tastes and with a menu reminiscent of the Americanized Chinese palaces of the 1950s. I end up there with various groups on occasion, but try to keep it to no more frequent than once every five years (more frequently in my first years in Madison, less so now). It's not that there are vastly superior authentic Chinese options (although I prefer P. F. Chang's, recognizing its limitations), but one does better with other Asian options when in Madison--particularly Thai/Laotian, but also Indian (with many new options in recent years).