Lunch at a "old school" 'Chinese restaurant

[GON]

Like Greek diners, Chinese restaurants are becoming rarer every day.

In San Diego this week and thrilled to come across this old school 'Chinese restaurant. Very clean, exceptionally well run, and the food is awesome.

 

[fdcg27]

Looks pretty old-school.
Restaurants of this sort typically have extensive menu selections at very reasonable prices.
Did you find this to be the case?
Portion sizes are typically generous as well, as looks to be the case here.

 

[GON]

Looks pretty old-school.
Restaurants of this sort typically have extensive menu selections at very reasonable prices.
Did you find this to be the case?
Portion sizes are typically generous as well, as looks to be the case here.

This was a item from the lunch menu.

Yes, and extensive menu, to include a family portion menu

Awesome meal and dining experience.

 

[Passport1]

This style of restaurants feature menus that are very labor intensive. Often they are generationally owned. When the old owners are unable to keep them going, the younger owners are frequently unwilling to put in the work to prepare such complex dishes. In another decade or so there won't be any of these legacy places.

Enjoy them before they disappear.

 

[QwikKota]

My favorite is Moo Goo Gai Pan. Bamboo shoots and water chestnuts give it good texture and crunch. Along with velvety chicken breast, it's pretty good.

 

[Vil_Riker]

These restaurants were opened by first generation immigrants to earn money for their kids' education. As these owners retire, restaurants like this will start to disappear. There aren't many new immigrants in similar situation to perpetuate these establishments.

 

[JeffKeryk]

OMG @GON stop! You're killing me!

 

[CKN]

These restaurants were opened by first generation immigrants to earn money for their kids' education. As these owners retire, restaurants like this will start to disappear. There aren't many new immigrants in similar situation to perpetuate these establishments.

The kids (who graduated from college) ask themselves-"do I want to work in the restaurant business for 18 hours a day? OR-just close the doors?"
Here in Utah-much farmland is being sold to developers by the (grown) children of the farmers. It's the same scenario. "Do I want to get up at 4 a.m. and milk cows? Or-sell to a developer who has a check made out for several million dollars?"
In both examples the choice is easy.

 

[crashz]

The kids (who graduated from college) ask themselves-"do I want to work in the restaurant business for 18 hours a day? OR-just close the doors?"
Here in Utah-much farmland is being sold to developers by the (grown) children of the farmers. It's the same scenario. "Do I want to get up at 4 a.m. and milk cows? Or-sell to a developer who has a check made out for several million dollars?"
In both examples the choice is easy.

I think many will regret that decision. They'll get to be my age and realize that a simpler life will yield greater fulfillment.

 

[shortyb]

We have a little hole-in-the-wall generational Chinese restaurant in town that has been there for over 20 years. Very loyal following and probably the best take-out around. All of the folks that work there are in fact Chinese, the older ones emigrated here from China, and brought lots of family recipes with them. When they close, the entire workforce gathers around a table in the back of the restaurant and shares their meal. All is plentiful and served "family-style". I used to have a standing invitation for the after hours meals when I worked nights. The meals were always authentic dishes vs. the more American-Chinese fare that most people recognize/desire, and is absolutely fantastic. Also, my family and I have been invited to their Chinese New Year's feast in February on several occasions. Great folks, great food. Haven't found one close to their level anywhere.

 

[JohnnyG]

Nope.
Not exactly sure what that dish is, but the chicken included is lab grown garbage.

 

[tcp71]

Fried wontons, hot and sour soup, Fried rice and a lemon/S&R/etc Pork or Chicken. Not sure what I'm missing, but that is normal for a chinese restaurant here. What does a "new" school one look like?

This would be a traditional one here:

https://tianci.dril.com/

for example:

 

[DCDG]

Like Greek diners, Chinese restaurants are becoming rarer every day.

In San Diego this week and thrilled to come across this old school 'Chinese restaurant. Very clean, exceptionally well run, and the food is awesome.

View attachment 349320View attachment 349321View attachment 349322View attachment 349323

food looks great. my dinner menu included fried rice tonight. not too shabby for an American Italian

 

[Patrick0525]

I used to be a dishwasher at a Chinese restaurant and Jimmy Yang is on the money in his stands up comedic description.
There were many highly educated Chinese broken English uncles who had ‘zero’ corporate America pathway but work as a cook at as chef in a restaurant.

 

[SC Maintenance]

I miss these. None around here. There are a few in Charlotte still. Although I prefer Vietnamese.

The breaded chicken is from Sysco at most places now unfortunately - even the authentic places I bet.

 

[KCJeep]

Chinese all you can eat buffets have ruined Chinese food and made America fat. I still love them though.

 

[CarLuver]

chop suey joints been dying off since the late 90's . this is when the kids of the owners who came to America finished school, and went on to the white collar world. few wanted to slave away at a restaurant after seeing what the parents went through . Many of my friends are these kids . many of them make more in one year than their parents made in 5 .

The new gen of mainland Chinese are better educated and don't need to work in restaurants for the git go Chinese restaurants put a lot of Chinese kids through college . We thank them for their sacrifice .

 

[Klutch9]

Like Greek diners, Chinese restaurants are becoming rarer every day.

In San Diego this week and thrilled to come across this old school 'Chinese restaurant. Very clean, exceptionally well run, and the food is awesome.

View attachment 349320View attachment 349321View attachment 349322View attachment 349323

If you're looking for a Greek diner, come to the Detroit area. Most all of our Coney Islands (what we call diners) have greek food on the menu.

 

[PMT133]

There's something about walking into a place that only has 3 menus and 2 tables and that xenon backlight sign with photos of like 5 menu items. Most of those are gone now. We have a fantastic newer (still been there for like 30 years) place a few towns over much like that one and everything is great. I do miss the occasional buffet visit but there are like 3 left and nothing is prepared how it was when I was a kid.

There is a gentleman on youtube like 15 years ago who dropped like 50 different recipes for takeout style Chinese (Looks like he ran the place as it was done in the kitchen of a restaurant) and then up and left. But every single one I tried came out exactly how myself and dad remembered back in the day.

 

[earlyre]

This style of restaurants feature menus that are very labor intensive. Often they are generationally owned. When the old owners are unable to keep them going, the younger owners are frequently unwilling to put in the work to prepare such complex dishes. In another decade or so there won't be any of these legacy places.

Enjoy them before they disappear.

the good ones around here have done exactly this... the one we used to drive 30 min to go to, shut down a bit after Covid... replaced by an indian place, that shut a few months later.
the one that's much nearer to my house, as stated above, kids grew, up, owners retired, bought by a Mexican family, then within a year sold again, not been back to see if it's holding up. ( but it's just around the corner from the House the "Mrs to be" and I are buying..)

now, more recently, we just got 2 Indian restaurants open recently. one bought a "local institution" type place, and rebranded, that fell apart, and then they went strictly Indian, we've been once, for the lunch buffet, it was....okay...

the other, bought the "Rapid Fired Pizza" location that closed about a year ago, opened by a family that has another Indian restaurant in Cincy. been once, so far, Much Better than the other place. good enough food, they didn't spend much to redecorate, it still has the Rapidfired logos on the walls, etc. but, it's good enough for the whitey's in this town.