Chinese Food….Where to find the best of what you’re craving….And a story, too…

For those of you who live in the Hudson Valley…..You know there are SEVERAL Chinese restaurants. Every so often, I get a hankering for Chinese and …. depending on what I am craving… I have my favorite restaurants. Please feel free to post below whether you agree and some special menu items that you like from a particular Chinese place…

1. General Chao Chicken – My favorite is from “C Gourmet” on Albany Ave. near Chambers School. (Kingston)

2. Egg Rolls – By FARRR the best are from ENGS on Broadway. (Kingston)

3. Crab Rangoon appetizer – My favorite is from Wing Shui on North Front St. (Kingston)

4. Fried Rice – I like fried rice from “C Gourmet” and Engs. They are both really yummy.

5. If you want a different, more FRESH tasting Chinese, try China Rose.. (on Albany Ave. across from Dunkin)…Everything there makes you feel good about what you’re eating. Nice, freshly prepared food … Different but DELICIOUS !!!! Is it still called China Rose? It may have changed names but the food is still amazing.

6. My sister is a vegetarian and she loves the Spicy Bean Curd from Wing Shui.

7. Sweet and Sour Chicken – Not sure who has the best… When I was a kid, the best was the Kingston Tea Garden uptown on Wall St., Kingston. … They had the best everything !!… But they have been closed for many years.

8. Many people like Spicy Chicken and Broccoli. I think many places make it good, but haven’t found the BEST..

Please comment below about what and where your favorites are….I love trying new places and new menu items…

Oh, I also have a Chinese Restaurant story…. This was way back in 1988 ( I was 17 at the time). There were a few Chinese restaurants around town that were not strict about asking for ID when someone ordered an alcoholic beverage. Well, my high school friends and I found the places that had that reputation and would go and enjoy an evening of Whiskey Sours and Mai Thais with dinner.. On a side note, if my own kids ever try this… = NOT GOOD..I would freak.

One place we went to was called Panda restaurant. You may remember it was near IHOP . Actually Starbucks probably sits on that very location now. That building was knocked down a long time ago . Anyway, we went there one night and we all put in our orders of Mai Thai’s  with our meals.. There was about 8 or 10 of us girls, all in our late teens…. We got our dinner and drinks..Sitting at a big round table.. We were living high on the hog.., doing “cheers”, acting all cool and what not, .. We eventually put in an order for a second or third round…..Then…. We looked over and saw the owners talking to a person that was whispering to them… It all looked very suspicious to us. It appeared the owner’s young daughter was telling them something.. Well, it turns out….What she pretty much was whispering to her parents went a little something like this…. ” Mom and Dad, I see ALL of those kids in my classes at high school.”.. Well, the owner proceeded to come over to our table and say ” My daughter see you in high school. No more drink for you, You too young” . We awkwardly finished up, paid our bill, and left.

Well, there went THAT hot spot..

We eventually found a new one .. “The Dragon” restaurant in Saugerties.  Then, that place proceeded to burn down…”The Dragon” had REALLY GREAT Mai Thai’s!!!…

We eventually turned 21 and didn’t have to do that anymore ..Oh, those were the days….