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| - Seriously fresh-tasting Chinese food that reminds you that there is more to this cuisine than bland brown sauce or deep fried sweet-n-sour surprise.
Located in a small strip mall just down from Presbyterian Hospital, this restaurant offers a mix of booths and tables for dinner parties of all different sizes. Decor is pretty generic and spartan- muted colors and bad painting of flowers. Definitely not distracting, but not exactly cozy either.
The menu holds all the well-known favorites you'd expect, with weekends offering the chance for the more adventurous to request an authentic Cantonese menu. Don't throw in the towel yet, though, as even the staples are served with a level of quality not often found amongst 88's peers. Veggies are fresh and snappy. Sauces have distinct and vibrant flavor. If you ask for spicy, they will hook you up- and not in the "couple extra shakes of pepper flakes" kinda way.
Standouts include their egg rolls- nothing deep frozen for months here. The owner told us they make them fresh each day, and it shows. The veggies inside are still crunchy and colorful. Nice! I also really like their egg drop soup- lots of flavor and it has always been served piping hot.
My only gripe here is the young male server who rushes service and interaction to the point you feel like you're in the way of him getting on to his next appointment- even though the place is near-empty. Orders are prompt and correct, I just don't see the need for the rush-hour approach to getting me back out the door, especially on the weekends. A little more customer service would go a long way.
Still, I didn't come particularly for the service, I came for the food, and the quality is there and noticeable. When I don't want to slum it for Chinese take-out, 88 is my new go to.
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