[kidyankee764]

Originally Posted by NewJeffCT

A lot of authentic Chinese restaurants will have two menus - one for Chinese customers (often mostly in Chinese) and one for non-Chinese customers.

If I go into Lao Szechuan first and ask for a table for four, I will get four non-Chinese menus and my wife would need to ask for a Chinese menu. They'll also probably give me those dried noodles to start on the table. If my Chinese wife goes in first, they'll give her four Chinese menus, and I'd need to ask for a menu in English. They'd also probably put tea on the table instead of the dried noodles. The English menu will have your normal Chinese restaurant items (lo mein, fried rice, etc) and maybe a few authentic items mixed in, but often with an American twist (Americanized Chinese dishes often have a brown sauce put on them, while more authentic ones will often will have a white/clear sauce, which is less sweet.)

Depending on my mood, sometimes I'll order from the "English" menu, and other times from the Chinese menu, and I've always had a good experience there.

So you're saying Lao Szechuan has two menus, and distributes different menus to people based on how they look?

[DawnMTL]

Originally Posted by kidyankee764

We're supposed to meet friends at Thai Emerald in North Haven tonight but I just read the reviews at Bangkok Gardens and I'm going to send a mass text asking to go there instead! I love Thai.

Oh my god, if you go, please, please, PLEASE have the Chaya noodles. Yeah, sure, I'll be envious but... oh god, I'm drooling again. Let me know if you go!

[NewJeffCT]

Originally Posted by kidyankee764

So you're saying Lao Szechuan has two menus, and distributes different menus to people based on how they look?

yes

[kidyankee764]

Originally Posted by NewJeffCT

yes

Do they all have the same food, just different languages?

If they have the same food, just different languages, I'll say again that any place with "authentic" Chinese will not have General Tso's chicken on their menu. Actually I don't think "authentic Chinese" can be found anywhere in the US...

[NewJeffCT]

Originally Posted by kidyankee764

Do they all have the same food, just different languages?

If they have the same food, just different languages, I'll say again that any place with "authentic" Chinese will not have General Tso's chicken on their menu.

No, there will be different items on the different menus. As I said above, the one in English will include your typical items like lo mein, fried rice, general tso's chicken, etc. What I was not clear about was that the Chinese one most likely will not have those items, and will have different "authentic" dishes on the menu.

[kidyankee764]

Originally Posted by NewJeffCT

No, there will be different items on the different menus. As I said above, the one in English will include your typical items like lo mein, fried rice, general tso's chicken, etc. What I was not clear about was that the Chinese one most likely will not have those items, and will have different "authentic" dishes on the menu.

So depending on what you look like determines what kind of food they think you should prefer? That's incredibly offensive.

[kidyankee764]

Originally Posted by DawnMTL

Oh my god, if you go, please, please, PLEASE have the Chaya noodles. Yeah, sure, I'll be envious but... oh god, I'm drooling again. Let me know if you go!

I think we're going to go - I'll post back about my experience.

[NewJeffCT]

Originally Posted by kidyankee764

So depending on what you look like determines what kind of food they think you should prefer? That's incredibly offensive.

well, you'll find that at just about every "authentic" Chinese restaurant in Chinatown in Manhattan or Chinatown in Flushing, too. It's not like you can't order from either menu, it's just that you get menus with different items on them depending on if you are Chinese or not.

[DawnMTL]

Originally Posted by kidyankee764

I think we're going to go - I'll post back about my experience.

Drooling...

True confession: When I lived in West Hartford, we once traveled THROUGH A SNOWSTORM to New Haven to get their Chaya noodles. (No other Thai restaurant that I've been to makes it. When I've asked, they all say something like, "Oh, that was my comfort food when I was a child." but they don't make it.)

[Stylo]

There's plenty of authentic items on Lao's English menu. The things I usually order have no brown sauce and are usually non sweet and very spicy. Never tried their Tso as it seems pointless to order there.I also really like Iron Chef, which just moved to Orange. Interesting Taiwanese, though the place has ZERO atmosphere.

I had pretty good Thai at Jeera, Thai Taste, and Rice Pot in New Haven. Thai Awesome in Hamden. Tried Mai Thai in Orange, and despite great reviews I thought it was just OK. Would rather do Taste of Thai in Milford.