Panda Express

Time for lunch! It was a cold and rainy day this week, when my brother Mike and I wondered where to fill our bellies after a meeting at work.

"I'm not too hungry."

"Something fast..."

"Something close."

How about the panda?

Panda website

I know, I know... why are you reviewing a chain restaurant? Well, it's not the Santa Cruz "No Chains" Food Blog and sometimes you can't plan out for a better place. And when quickness is a factor, it's nice to go to a cafeteria-style eatery. Grab a tray, pick your food, pay and eat!

On a side note, let me join the mournful outcry of many in NorCal with the signing of our Panda to the Red Sox. The Giants won't be the same without you, Pablo! Okay, now back to the food...

Stepping up to the counter, your first choice at the P.Express is for here or to go. Then you choose rice or noodles or steamed veggies. Then how many entrees do you want - two ($6.70) or three ($8.20). I guess you can ask for all of your choices to be crammed into a bowl, but Mike and I wanted plates. Better to see what you are eating! Oh and there's two kinds of rice - white or brown. My dream of quinoa is still waiting.

Mike got the chow mein noodles, Beijing Beef and SweetFire Chicken. The noodles were good with chopped cabbage and onions mixed in. Not too greasy. The beef was cooked well and had red peppers and onions in a sweet and sour sauce. The chicken is a new flavor with pineapple chunks and peppers too. Mikey likes it hot! He also got two side sauces: teriyaki and sweet and sour because you can never have enough sauce.

I got the veggies, Eggplant Tofu and String Bean Chicken. The steamed veggies looked kind of plain, so I got some teriyaki sauce for them too. The chicken was good with no grisly pieces and the beans were not soggy at all. It was cooked in a ginger-soy sauce. The highlight for me was the eggplant and tofu in a sweet and sour sauce. There could have been more tofu, but the eggplant was not mushy and it absorbed the sauce excellently. I would get that again.

Mike and I both like to eat and for under $10, we both were satisfied with our lunch. Another reason we chose this place was because GameStop is next door. Hey, we needed to update our Christmas lists!

Scores out of 10:
Food: 6
Service: n/a
Atmosphere: 5 (think mall food court)
Value for price: 7
Overall: 6