Craving Chinese Food? Check Out China Garden

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Sometimes you just got to have some Chinese food. It’s one of those cravings that hits you either out of the blue or when someone mentions it. Like now, aren’t you thinking about Chinese food?

China Garden is one local option to get your fix. Due to COVID, the restaurant only offers a pick-up option, but the restaurant makes it easy. Within a half hour of tapping out my family’s order, the feast was ready to go – packaged and stacked neatly.

As usual with a late lunch, my little family was “starving,” and quickly disassembled the packages of General Tso’s chicken, shrimp in hot sauce, hot and sour soup, and a “flaming appetizer platter.”

“Where are the sauces?” one of my younger fellow critics exclaimed? Alas, none were in the bags, a disappointment to a few. I was OK with the soy sauce I had in the fridge and doused it liberally. So, if you go, be sure to ask for sauces.

The flaming appetizer was a good mix and included spring rolls, tri-corner hat-shaped shrimp toast, shrimp tempura, speared barbecue spare ribs and beef sticks. Overall, this had good reviews with high marks for the spring rolls, declared some of the best in the area. The rolls had a flaky, crispy crunch on the outside, with tender vegetables and pork inside. The shrimp toast was a good comfort food for a cold evening – with thick, tasty, warm breading absorbing some of tender shrimp on the inside. The tempura was deep-fried and crisp – all dippable. The ribs were dry and didn’t have much taste, but the beef was tender and spicy.

Warm and full-flavored, the hot and sour soup was a winner with tofu and large pieces of mushrooms. The crunchy noodles, to me, are always a treat in hot and sour soup! If I had just this, I would have been satisfied.

Unfortunately, the shrimp in hot sauce was a disappointment because it wasn’t hot – no spice at all. The mix of shrimp, onions and bamboo shoots was slightly sweet, with a bit of a peppery taste. I’m not sure what I got, or if someone left the hot sauce off. It wasn’t a bad dish, especially when I added crunchy noodles and soy sauce. I ate most of it. But some like it hot – and I do.

The General Tso’s chicken with lo mein noodles was the best of all, and some of the best I’ve ever tasted. There was a generous amount of tender, lightly battered all-white chicken meat. The sauce was spicy with a tang and a little heat. The lo-mein noodles were perfectly cooked and hit the spot on a cold afternoon.

And my fortune cookie said I would always have success. That’s a great way to end a meal.

China Garden’s menu is extensive, and prices are reasonable. Find the restaurant online at www.chinagardenarnold.com.

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