Phoenix Asian Restaurant

Cheap eats? I have a good one this time. Out on Mission, there's a Chinese place called Phoenix. It has a great deal for lunch. $5.99!

Phoenix Asian Restaurant

Jim said he'd never been in there before, so we went to lunch last Friday. It's right across from Ferrell's Donuts if you want some dessert afterwards.

It's nice enough inside. They recently updated the tables and chairs and you've got to love the good luck cat on the counter. We were there early around 11:45, so we had our choice of spots.

The lunch special is $5.99 from 11am to 3:45pm. For UCSC students with ID, they can get that deal all day (except weekends). It includes rice, appetizer, soup of the day and a fortune cookie. Good deal! The soup was Hot and Sour and it had good size pieces of mushroom, tofu and bamboo all swimming inside. It had a kick from the pepper.

Jim got the General Chicken, which is his "go to" for new Chinese places. Two crunchy wontons came with it and the plate was full. He happily finished it off.

I ordered the Sweet and Sour Chicken and was not disappointed. The chicken pieces were cooked well and the coating was still crunchy, even in the sauce. Nice chunks of green peppers and carrots with it too.

Scanning the menu, they run all the traditional dishes including seafood, chicken, pork, beef, rice and noodles. Even Foo Yung and Mu Shu. This place was tasty and worth checking out!

Scores out of 10:
Food: 8
Service: 7
Atmosphere: 6
Value for price: 9 (lunch menu)
Overall: 7.5

Ocean City Buffet

So long ago, when the kids were younger, we took them to a Chinese buffet in town. They had fond memories of counters full of french fries, noodles and endless soft-serve ice cream. My daughter was reminiscing about it, so I suggested we try it again. We pulled up to the place on Water Street, but sadly, they had converted to just a Japanese sushi place now. Never fear, I exclaimed, I know of another!

Ocean City Buffet (Yelp)

So, it's not the best decor, but you aren't paying for that. You are paying for many different kinds of food with no limit! I'm not going crazy, like I did in high school (remember King's Table?) or even like I did in my 30s. I prefer quality over quantity these days, but sometimes you do things for the kids.

The buffet was $11.95 for lunch. Sushi, Chinese, soups, noodles, meat and veggies, seafood, fried foods and desserts! The sushi was okay - nothing spectacular, but decent.

My second plate was mostly Chinese food with an errant steam bun on the side. The teriyaki wings and beef and broccoli was good. All very passable, if not amazing. Again, you are going for variety here, not perfection.

The trays of food were clean and appetizing, very important for a buffet. What's the good of abundant amounts if they don't look good? Everything was warm too. Who likes cold Chinese food?

Here's my kid's favorite part - the deep-fried section! Onion rings, french fries, wontons, crab wraps, chicken nuggets, etc. They had tempura veggies too by the sushi section, so that's two kinds of crunchy onion rings!

Okay, here's my favorite thing of the trip - see that little round ball in the middle of the plate? Sesame Ball! It had red bean paste in the middle, which was only slightly sweet, making for a delish dessert! Better than the jello? Yes. Better than the coffee cake? Yup. Cookies too? Affirmative! Next time, I'm sneaking in a large Ziploc bag and making off with two dozen...

Buffets are difficult to review since there are so many different foods. Some are good, some not so much. Overall, Ocean City was a positive experience. The decor leaves a bit to me desired, so don't come looking to be inspired. Just keep going back for those Sesame Balls.

Scores out of 10:
Food: 7
Service: 5 (just water refills)
Atmosphere: 4
Value for price: 7 (bring those Ziplocs!)
Overall: 6

O'mei Chinese - Westside

One of the great things with catching up with friends is reliving the funny stories from our past. They usually start with "do you remember..." and end with both of you laughing. Paula is one of those friends to me and we met at O'mei Chinese Cuisine last week for some Gan Pung and some giggles.

O'mei Chinese Cuisine

The front entrance to this place is very nondescript. I wonder why they don't spruce it up a bit? Well, they have been here since 1979, so they must know something. We got there at 12 noon and there were plenty of seats.

I liked the decor inside, a bit minimalistic, but tasteful. Our starter soup came a few minutes after we sat down.

I asked the waitress what was in it and she said sauerkraut and pork. It was sort of watery, but still had flavor. Sweet and sour is what they were going for, but didn't quite make it. And there were little red rings of fire (spicy pepper) hiding between the cabbage.

Speaking of peppers, I ordered the Gan Pung Express, which came with steamed rice ($8.95). This has been a favorite of mine for years and I always have to order it. Chunks of breaded, fried chicken, water chestnuts, green onions and peppers in a sticky, sweet and tangy sauce. If you bite into one of those peppers, you win a fire-mouth prize! Needless-to-say, I pushed them to the side.

Paula got the Lemon Chicken Express ($8.95) with brown rice ($1 extra) and liked it very much. Not too sweet, like some I've had, and a nice natural lemon flavor. It was on some shredded cabbage and veggies.

The lunch express menu says it's smaller portions and cheaper versions of their normal menu, but the food was still plenty for us. I was at that point where I was full, but there wasn't enough left to take home. Oof, one more bite then!

A nice touch was the orange slices at the end of the meal. Reminded me of playing soccer as a kid and loading up on these at halftime. It was juicy and fresh.

Over 30 years and O'mei is still going strong. For the dinner service, they turn the lights low and make it more of a fancy place. But lunch is a better value. Good quality Chinese - you owe yourself a trip if you haven't been.

Scores out of 10:
Food: 8
Service: 6
Atmosphere: 7
Value for price: 7 (lunch express)
Overall: 7

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

The Panda Inn - Aptos

Ever since starting this food blog, I have been getting suggestions on new places to eat. Santa Cruz has no shortage of wonderful dining destinations and even more in neighboring cities. This one is from my mom and her favorite Chinese food in Aptos... The Panda Inn.

Website

Nestled in the Deer Park Center, up around back - follow the signs, you'll find the Panda Inn. Once you enter, prepare to see pandas peeking out at you from everywhere. On the walls and hanging from baskets, you can't escape! Luckily, none were found on the menu...

My lunchtime companions included mom, dad and the offspring - all Chinese food fans. Let's see how my mom's recommendation does with this crowd.

Starting with the hot and sour soup, it was good, but much like others I've had around town. It did step up with its generous helping of chicken pieces throughout. It could be more like a meal in a bigger portion. We all ordered waters to drink and they were refilled without a thought - nice.

The lunch menu ($8.95) comes with soup, rice and an egg roll. Kelly got noodles, just noodles without any vegetables. I have failed to convince her that veggies are good for you. Well, she probably knows, but still avoids them at all costs. She did like the huge helping... "they go on forever!".

Mom got the Chinese Chicken Salad ($7.90) and it was big! She said a nutritionist had told her once that this was the healthiest meal in town. Who is she to argue? Loaded up with lettuce, almonds and chicken, it had a nice lemon soy vinaigrette dressing. The crispy bowl wasn't greasy at all.

Dad went healthy too with a custom order of fish and broccoli in a garlic sauce. It's a good thing when places let you customize what you want. He ditched the rice and got a bit more fish I think. He gave it a thumbs up.

One of my measuring sticks for Chinese is General Chicken. Most every place has it and I think it should be crunchy, spicy and sweet. The Panda got it right! I will say the dark, sticky sauce was less runny than most and slightly vinegary, but still very good. I missed mixing the sauce with the rice, but I'll live. The egg roll was also crunchy and cooked well.

I can see why The Panda Inn comes recommended. A cool interior with bamboo and pandas everywhere, good quality food and the service was no-nonsense.

Scores out of 10:
Food: 7
Service: 8
Atmosphere: 8
Value for price: 7
Overall: 7.50