I'm feeling generous tonight, and am willing to splurge on the second star.
Mom was in the hospital across the street, and really wanted some hot and sour soup and chicken chow mein. Went across the street with my roommate in tow, and we decided to have a drink while waiting for our food to go.
Our order -
Small hot and sour soup
Canton sampler (ribs, fried shrimp, egg rolls, crab puffs)
Pork dumplings
Chicken chow mein
2 hard alcohol drinks
Well - the drinks were right - and poured on the heavy side. That accounts for one of the stars.
The bartender was a sweetheart, which is the other star.
I can't report on the hot and sour soup. Mom had about two spoons of it, said it was fine, but didn't want anything more. And insisted I take the chicken entree home with me, she had no appetite at all.
The sampler. Mostly tasteless and unremarkable. Except the crab puffs. They were memorable because they were so incredibly sweet I couldn't even finish one. The filling seemed to have as much powdered sugar as cream cheese. Not something I'm used to, and not pleasant.
Pork dumplings I can't comment on - as we got BBQ sliced pork instead. Sigh.
Chicken chow mein - I know it's supposed to be a mild (bland) dish - but they even managed to get the flavor out of the veggies! And something was missing. The chow mein noodles! Seriously? A noodle dish and you forget to include the damn noodles?
I had to specifically ask for a plastic spoon for the soup and chopsticks.
Too bad I didn't check the packages - would have also asked for hot mustard, sweet and sour sauce, and maybe a suggestion for a decent Chinese restaurant next time I am in the area.
When the Applebee's in the same parking lot is an experience in gourmet flavors in comparison, you know you're doing something wrong. Mom won't be back at that hospital - hopefully no one else I know will either, so I can confidently say I will not be back.