Restaurant Review

Friday, January 19, 2001

Lunch at Mao Tai a satisfying experience

Top selections include egg rolls and Hunan-style chicken and shrimp with fried rice

At a glance 4601 SPID Phone: 852-8877 Fax: 993-2717 Entrees: $ Credit cards: yes Checks: yes Hours: 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Wheelchair access: yes Food: 2 ½ stars Service: 2 ½ stars Atmosphere: 3 stars

As far as Asian restaurants in the area go, Mao Tai enjoys positive word-of-mouth. So on a recent visit, our expectations were high.
   We were impressed as soon as we stepped through the door. A large and happy Buddha statue greets visitors as they enter the dining area. The partitions appear to be carved and are painted red and highlighted with gold dragons. This temporary fantasy of being in China quickly drifted away with the sound system piping in a folk song by James Taylor.
   Our waiter seated us in a booth in the non-smoking area. Our drinks and egg-drop soup quickly followed. With the outdoor temperature in the low 40s, this soup was a perfect start for the meal: thin sheets of boiled egg and a few peas in a thick chicken broth.
   I ordered hot and spicy chicken with steamed rice on the side. This was a kinder and gentler form of hot and spicy chicken, but it was delicious. Unfortunately, the steamed rice was of the boiled variety. It did not have the sticky consistency of rice that typically accompanies most Asian dishes.
   My companion ordered the Hunan-style chicken and shrimp with fried rice. The dish met our expectations, with a balanced blend of spices and generous portions of chicken and shrimp.
   The egg rolls accompanying our meals were a scrumptious blend of rice, vegetables and meat wrapped in a crispy shell made from rice batter. The requested spicy mustard was in a plastic squeeze dispenser. One must always beware with plastic dispensers, and the spicy mustard was no exception with its very runny consistency.
   When we inquired about dessert choices, our waiter suggested the cheesecake - an unlikely choice following a Chinese meal and one that we declined.
   The dinner menu offers more choices than the lunch selections. There are a good variety offerings, including sesame seed balls for dessert. This dessert is made of sweet bean paste, flour and sesame seeds and would have worked with our lunch.
   According to the menu, the highest dollar item for dinner was the two-entrée dinner for two at $24.50. This meal includes a flaming-plate appetizer; won ton or egg drop soup and entrees of chicken and shrimp Hunan-style with fried rice and Hunan-style filet mignon.
   The beverage selection included mostly American beers, a few domestic wines, sake and plum wine. Also on the beverage list were Singapore Slings and Texas Tea.
   Overall, the lunch was a satisfying experience, but we made a mental note to return for dinner, where we would have enjoyed a wider choice of selections and a dessert that seemed more appropriate for the meal.
  
  

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