Dining for $25 or less: China Chefs

By Karen Nitkin | Special to the Sun

May 29, 2008

China Chefs, which opened in 1989, is tucked behind the Howard County General Hospital in back of a shopping center that is mostly medical offices. In all its years in business, the restaurant has rarely advertised, and it gives the impression that it prefers to be a place that only the discerning have discovered.

On the wall, framed restaurant reviews from its early years claim that it is one of the best Chinese restaurants in the county, maybe even the state. (The key points are helpfully highlighted.)

Inside, on a Sunday night, nearly every table is filled, but the noise level is low. The sizzle of grease and the clatter of dishes simply don't exist here. Instead, there is soft jazz music.

Diners murmur their pleasure as they sit on upholstered chairs at tables with pink tablecloths and lit candles. The entire dining area is done up in muted shades of gray and mauve. Even the area where people pick up their takeout orders has comfortable seats and up-to-date reading material.

In case you're not convinced yet, here's another way to know you're not in the usual suburban Chinese restaurant. China Chefs doesn't serve egg rolls.

Aside from that unusual (but welcome) omission, the far-ranging menu has most of the usual down-market favorites, including kung pao shrimp ($12.95), moo shi pork ($9.95) and General Tso's chicken ($11.95). But it hits the higher-end notes, too, with Peking duck ($28.95) and lots of dishes based on lobster, lamb and soft-shell crabs.

Neptune's Catch ($21.95) sounded particularly tantalizing on the menu -- a lobster tail, plus crab, shrimp and scallops, combined with vegetables in a "light sauce." Unfortunately, that sauce turned out to be the same garlicky white stuff found everywhere, and the lobster tail, though prettily served in its shell, was overcooked and tough.

China Chefs has no lo mein. The chow funn ($12.95) would have been a reasonable substitute, but the fat noodles were gummy and stuck to each other. On the plus side, the accompanying shrimp were fat, sweet and tender.

Moo shi pork ($9.95) was less salty than versions I've had elsewhere, and the pancakes were notably thin and fresh-tasting. It was better than average, but not by much.

One dish I was eager to try was the zar-zian mein ($11.95), a soft noodle served with cucumbers, bean sprouts and a spicy meat sauce. But there was a holdup in the kitchen, and the rest of our food arrived long before that item. Eventually, our server suggested we forget about it, and took it off our bill.

China Chefs seems to have set itself apart from the competition by treating customers well and by giving the impression that it is a hard-to-find jewel. I like that it makes an effort to be different, and the restaurant is clearly doing something right, to survive as long as it has. But I'd like to see a little more effort in the kitchen.