Reviews from The Chinese Quest website

Every restaurant visited by The Chinese Quest gets a rating (1 to 5) and review on the website thechinesequest.com, written by one of the Mees. Here are some excerpts:

Red Tiger Dumpling House, Stony Brook

Chinese Quest score: 3.760

The soup dumplings "were tasty," but "a bit doughy, with not enough soup inside."

"The shredded beef was delicious. The meat was cooked great, and the shredded peppers gave this dish its FIRE. It was spicy, but not overly so."

"The cumin chicken, however was a Five Alarmer . . . If I keep eating like this, I will have to keep my gastroenterologist on speed dial!"

"Now for the best part; the entire meal cost only $75 for four people, and we ate like we were going to the electric chair!!"

-- Mee Tsu Yan

Yao's Diner, Centereach

Chinese Quest score: 3.49

"The look of the place is about as basic as it gets."

Dry-sauteed string beans "may be the best veggie dish I ever ordered anywhere, Chinese or otherwise."

Chicken in spicy hot pot with mixed vegetables "was fabulous! There were more flavors in that pot than cars on the LIE. Absolutely delicious, but ultimately too spicy for this quinquagenarian [50-year-old]."

- Mee Tsu Yan

Moonstone, Great Neck

Chinese Quest rating: 3.85

"The perfect mix of glitz and good taste."

"The spareribs were totally fabulous. (I was lucky that they actually saved me one as I had to answer a phone call from the nurse at my son's camp -- not to worry, he's fine!"

Thrice-cooked pork tenderloin "was not a triple . . . it was a home run! Just right amount of spices . . . the pork was succulent. I could have eaten this dish all night."

-- Mee Magnum

P.F. Chang's, Westbury

Chinese Quest rating: 1.73

For obscure reasons, Mee Tsu Yan decided to review P.F. Chang's (which he dubbed "The Olive Garden of Chinese") in verse. Some highlights:

Two types of ribs to be served

one was dry, the other wet,

Neither one it turns out

was really a good bet.

The shrimp in lobster sauce

was actually not bad, and quite tasty,

In spite of the sauce

being a little too pasty.