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New England dining >>> Chinese restaurants in Massachusetts

The unofficial Massachusetts great Chinese food tour

By Eric H.

A wise old man once told me that a Nebraskan warehouse shipped Chinese food via pipeline to every Chinese restaurant in the United States.

Given the uniformity of the Americanized Chinese cuisine, I believe this to be true. What is also true is the odd charm the typical American Chinese restaurant offers: the plastic tiki Gods, waterfalls, extensive menu selection and obligatory fortune cookies at the end of each meal.

Massachusetts is the Chinese restaurant center for New England. Forget about Maine, Vermont, Connecticut, Rhode Island and New Hampshire -- for the most part, their Chinese restaurants pale in comparison to Massachusetts. Please don't ask for an explanation, it's just the way it is.

Without further delay, we offer an account of some of Massachusetts' Chinese restaurants:

The Great Wall, Bedford, Mass.-- I think the "great wall" is located in the lobby of the restaurant. They wouldn't tell me when I asked. A fine buffet highlights this cavernous strip mall establishment, which probably has a higher population than the Town of Bedford itself.

Fortune Palace, Peabody, Mass. -- Everytime I enter this longtime North Shore favorite, it seems like some elderly couple exits burping with one of them saying, "You know, honey, this place was pretty good." Word of mouth is such a powerful medium.

China Ruby -- Maynard, Mass. -- A good place to meet and complain about life. People come here to complain about lousy barbers, head colds, crummy kids, etc. I have no complaints about the food, although I might if I paid attention to it more than the surrounding complainers.

 

 

 

China Blossom -- North Andover -- The buffet features Chinese food, American food, ice cream, unlimited crab legs and so much more. The food is tasty, the wait staff friendly and the patrons stomping like buffalo en route to the buffet table. One of the highlights in my life was whenI once saw a cover band here sing the Beach Boys' "Kokomo."

Jade East - Tewksbury -- Had a bad date here who talked about felonous ex-boyfriends from Billerica and Wilmington wreaking havoc after stunted high school hockey careers. This was a blessing, however, as it allowed me to focus on the well-stocked pu-pu platter. Certainly not great gourmet quality food, but more a tribute to the bad Chinese food we knew as children -- which is actually pretty good.

Ah Gin Wong, Ayer, Mass.-- Rumor has it that a cow once came here to eat and had to ask for a doggy bag. Huge portions, even more huge digestive problems. It's a great place.

The Kowloon, Saugus, Mass. -- The Disneyworld of Chinese restaurants. From the Chinese embassy look of the entrance to the multi colored waterfalls, the Kowloon pulls out every Chinese restaurant interior design trick in the book. You would expect the food to be a secondary factor here, but it is quite good. They even serve decent Thai food! WE LOVE THE KOWLOON!!!

Mary Chung, Cambridge -- Will never go back. We weren't sure what to order. The waitress yelled at us to "hurry up." If I wanted to be treated that way, I would have called SportsRadio WEEI.

Jade Groton , Groton, Mass. -- To place an order took 20 minutes, to get the food, four. What a ratio.

Yangtze River, Lexington, Mass. -- Yangtze River serves average food, but somehow its endearing atmosphere keeps bringing customers back. Maybe because it is in upper class Lexington, we say, "Gee, if it's in a town like this, it must be good." It never is, but, gee, it is indeed in Lexington. Even the gas stations have a special touch in that town.

Chopsticks, Leominster, Mass. -- While on the subject of gas stations, Chopsticks will turn you into one. I still have some chicken fingers in my digestive track from 1997.

 


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