Chinese Gardens

Average Chinese food. Three people watching the Beijing Olympics developed a hankering for Chinese takeout and tried Chinese Gardens for the first time. When we showed up to place our order we found that the wait staff were welcoming and the service was friendly. They seemed to do a lot of to-go orders, which we found encouraging. Surprisingly, the building looked like a converted motel from the outside and inside we found the decor dated and perhaps maybe a bit on the shabby side. Once we looked over the extensive menu, which included most of the typical dishes one would expect to find, we placed our order and prepared to wait. The food came quickly and we felt the prices were average. Our opinions on the food varied. We all agreed that the Green Beans in Black Bean Sauce were killer. The black bean sauce was wonderful. The Kung Pao Chicken was mediocre. It had too much zucchini and the sauce seemed as if too much thickener was used. It wasn?t as flavorful as we had hoped although it did have a nice amount of heat. The garden veggie dish also had a thick sauce but the veggies were well cooked and they were very accommodating for substitutions and special orders. The egg rolls were huge, easily one and half inches around. They came three to an order and were very full and crispy and will definitely be ordered again. The General Tso Chicken was very good; we found the pieces were a good size and tender. Over all, we would try the place again although they have not satisfied our quest for a great Chinese restaurant in our neighborhood.…