Good chinese food (Raleigh, Durham, Fayetteville: prices, sushi, farm)

[elle67]

Originally Posted by jinxor

Just wanted to point out that it is Red Dragon on Davis Dr, Morrisville and Red Palace, New Bern Ave, Raleigh.

Any reviews on Red Palace? I saw it made the list for this years top 20 in the N&O, but that doesn't necessarily indicate it's authenticity... I'm lookin' for the stuff that Grandma would make, not sesame chicken.

Red Dragon is pretty good, not the best...we get our take out from there, but I feel that the staff is very rude.

[DanielChang]

I haven't been to Red Palace yet.

I will just say that I haven't been terribly impressed with Red Dragon.

[J_Lurk]

Originally Posted by jinxor

Just wanted to point out that it is Red Dragon on Davis Dr, Morrisville and Red Palace, New Bern Ave, Raleigh.

Oops! Thanks. Clearly I've been to neither. I meant to say Red Palace.

[DanielChang]

BTW, the [relatively] new menu over at 35 Chinese Restaurant (1135 Kildaire Farm Rd, Cary) has positively the most authentic chinese flavors/tastes I have had in a long time. I went this past Monday and the only complaint I have is that it might be a little too "chinese" for my friends of other ethnicity/nationalities. Items such as pig ear, tripe, lotus seed, etc. are probably not very popular among people who are not chinese.

They're "chinese" menu has english translations and they have a more traditional american-chinese food menu as well. You may ask them for both menus.

[Dire Wolf]

I had Red Dragon tonight. I really like it, but have only done takeout. I like Orient Garden a bit more, but not enough to drive across Cary for.

[DGMayor]

Originally Posted by Dire Wolf

I had Red Dragon tonight. I really like it, but have only done takeout. I like Orient Garden a bit more, but not enough to drive across Cary for.

Not sure if it was mentioned previously, but there's an Orient Garden in Morrisville on 54 between Airport and Aviation.

The wife and I started getting take out from Red Bowl on High House and love it. We'll order it online and walk out the door a few minutes later and it'll be ready and waiting (we live maybe 10-15 minutes away).

[rockyhillgal]

We had dim sum at the Hong Kong Cafe today and enjoyed it very much! It does a very brisk business, so apparently others do too. It's dim sum menu wasn't the most expansive I've ever experienced, but given the Hong Kong Cafe's small size I can't fault them on that. They appeared to have most of the tried and true standards and a few more unusual things occassionally from which to choose.

I also had lunch at the Hong Kong Cafe earlier this week. The jury's still out on that one. I don't think it fair to evaluate based on one lunch plate special. I will say, though, that the price was right--just under $5!

Neo China openly identifies its approach as a hybrid East/West cuisine on its web page. That duality doesn't prevent me from enjoying its food immensely! I even find fortune cookies to be smile inducing, tasty treat, although they are a Chinese-American creation and not strictly Chinese (Fortune cookie - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia). So the observation that Neo China isn't authentic is accurate. Someone desiring a meal more authentic meal might want to go elsewhere. However, that lack of authenticity doesn't mean that a meal there will be unenjoyable. One might even be surprised by some unexpected combinations!

I am thrilled to find any type of Chinese restaurant with fresh ingredients, unique sauces, and dishes that aren't drowning in grease. I just wish there were some that are more conveniently located in SW Durham.

Originally Posted by J_Lurk

In the Triangle, the most authentic food I've eaten is at Hong Kong Chinese on Guess Road in Durham. I've also heard really good things about Red Dragon on New Bern, but haven't tried it yet. I have traveled to China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan, so I have some idea what authentic is, though I don't think I'm an expert.

As others have said, MaMa Wok was good but it is closed. We also liked the dim sum at China One, but they had some bad sanitation scores and we hadn't been in a while. Apparently we weren't alone since I learned from this thread that they are closed too.

NeoChina deserves several positive adjectives, like fresh and reliable, but it is very Americanized Chinese.

[danadana]

Have you tried Orient Garden off of Hwy 54 in Southwest Durham? It's in the shopping center with Kroger and Blockbuster. I drive from North Durham for their chinese food! I especially love their hot and sour soup.

[hula]

Originally Posted by jinxor

Yikes! That is upsetting. China Town buffet (Cary Pkwy / NC-54 Chapel Hill Rd) is decent, and the price is okay at lunch but I find the dinner sort of pricey (for that style of food).

Tried China Town last night and was very disappointed and worse yet shocked at the price of dinner ($14.99) for how poor the quality of the food was. Initially it looked like it would be great, but upon tasting things it was not. Huge variety, but very sub-par food.

[rockyhillgal]

Now that a few months have gone by, I have a little more foraging to report out on...

We've been to the Orient Garden on Hwy. 54 a few times and found it to be slightly too greasy for our tastes.

Our absolute favorite is Eastern Lights in Durham! Love the food and love the service. We also like Neo China very much, with the understanding that it intentionally offers fusion cuisine and is not trying to be authentic.

The key for us is fresh ingredients, different sauces on dishes instead of putting the same brown sauce on everything, lack of grease and good service.

Originally Posted by danadana

Have you tried Orient Garden off of Hwy 54 in Southwest Durham? It's in the shopping center with Kroger and Blockbuster. I drive from North Durham for their chinese food! I especially love their hot and sour soup.