I had heard from a friend who knows the downtown restaurant scene that tour buses filled with Chinese tourists often stop at The Great Wall - the Chinese restaurant on Main Street. Cynically, I thought the attraction might be more the quantity of the "all you can eat" lunch buffet rather than quality of its food. Not every country's currency lends itself to a comfortable exchange rate.
But on a recent weeknight visit, even without a busload of visitors from the Far East, we were the only Occidentals in the place. Local Chinese students enjoyed a Hunan-style crispy whole fish at one table while a Chinese family, from grandparents to toddlers, chose from a colorful array of dishes on a large lazy Susan.The decor is stark, unlike so many cluttered Chinese restaurants clogged with red lanterns and dragon figurines. The plain white walls featured a stylized black wire outline of the Great Wall of China. Several paintings of Chinese landmarks lend color.
Even before we ordered, our efficient waitress had served two versions of kim chee, one pickled and the other hot and pickled, along with some crispy noodles. When we asked about origins of the chef, perhaps from Korea, she calmly replied that he just liked Korean food.
Her enigmatic response was soon lost as we sampled a few of the many dishes on the menu, including a steaming bowl of Korean-style noodles in a lightly salted broth punctuated with prawns, calamari and sea cucumbers.
It was a nice and somewhat intriguing break with the usual.
The steamed dumplings ($2.95), served atop a bed of cabbage leaves, were filled with a nicely seasoned pork mixture. The hot and sour soup was a bit too hot for our tastes. But the Szechuan kung pao chicken and shrimps ($10.50) was just seasoned enough, and the rich reduction sauce complimented the tender shrimps and chicken pieces. Even the peanuts added to the effect.
The hot and spicy jumbo shrimp ($7.50) was slightly sweet and less hot; the tenderness of the shrimp compensated for any timidity in the sauce. Even usually soggy and mundane lemon chicken ($6.25) was nicely prepared. Thankfully the sauce was served on the side, preserving the moist slices of chicken breast breaded with a crispy crust. The chicken lo mein was also pleasant and plentiful.
Other specialties on the menu include General Tso's chicken, marinated in red hot sauce; a milder sesame beef; beef and scallop delight with vegetables served on a sizzling platter (each $7.50); two flavored shrimp ($10.50; spicy orange beef ($8.50), shrimp sauteed with shredded ginger, red pepper and snow peas ($9.50) and twice-cooked duck ($8.50).
More customary items like wonton soup, Mongolian beef, moo shu pork, shrimp with lobster sauce, moo goo gai pan, shrimp with snow peas, fried rice, share the menu with a comparable list of hot and spicy dishes, obviously the forte of the kitchen. Both Hunan and Szechuan dishes round out the menu, with prices ranging from $5 to $7. Combination dinners and luncheons are also available.
I had recently returned from a short trip to San Francisco where I wandered up and down Clement Street, one of the city's newer branches of the ever-growing Chinatown. I relished staring in the windows of the many Chinese restaurants. Even after my scrumptious Chinese dinner, my appetite was still whetted. For more than a fleeting moment, I relived that same memory at the Great Wall.
Rating: * * * 1/2
The Great Wall Chinese Restaurant, 238 S. Main St., 531-0980. Open for lunch and dinner Monday through Thursday from 11:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m.; until 10 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. Open Sunday from 4:30 to 9:30 p.m. Accepts check with guarantee card and major credit cards. Free delivery within a one-mile radius.