Today marks the Chinese New Year. While the fireworks went off 12 hours ago, there are still ways to join in the fun. Mainly, it's a reason to stop by your favorite Chinese restaurant to take part in the festivities. These four are a good start:
Mandarinism: No longer is there a dearth of good Chinese restaurants in Johnson County, thanks to owner Scott Lin and his executive chef Rodney Clodfelter. Though to call Mandarinism Chinese food is wrong. It's really a fusion of traditional Mandarin dishes with the best of other cultures. It was our best new restaurant in the year of the rat and it's still just as good in the year of the ox.
My parents began taking me to Princess Gardens before I could walk. Now
I go with friends and, after a few punch bowls, I'm again unable to
walk. I don't think a single thing has changed about the interior since
I was a kid and that's the way it should be. Princess Garden represents
a type of Chinese food that might not be fashionable but is
always good. There's even off-menu items like Waldman Crispy Chicken.
Kin Lin:
Is Kin Lin still a secret? For many years, there was no doubt that the
small restaurant near UMKC was a hidden gem but now the restaurant is
nearly as big as its portions. Still, the food is college-kid affordable and, as with Princess
Gardens, the standard fare tends to both recognizable
and good. I've always ordered the normal size and had plenty to take
home, so those ordering the large, be prepared for a week's worth of
leftovers.
Red Snapper: Let's be clear -- Red Snapper is not a chain, though you could easily win a bet
by getting a friend to wager that it is. The exterior looks like Red
Lobster's step-cousin. The interior is more akin to chef/owner
Casey Chao's food, which is to say upscale and sleek. Red Snapper
refers to itself as an Asian restaurant and serves as many Thai and
Korean dishes as it does Chinese, but the
specialty is seafood.
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