My wife and I had a chinese craving and decided to our luck out on some of the local spots. Having moved to the area recently from Gaithersburg, we're looking for a new Chinese Take-Out joint. After reading the reviews on Yelp, Mee Shane Restaurant looked promising.
Prices are great here! We ordered two dinner combos: 7.99 for the dish, fried rice and egg roll. For 50 cents more, you can add a side of soup. Ordering was quick and easy. Service was friendly and 15 minutes later, my order was ready to pick up! It was hot, packaged and ready for me to take out the door. There are two small tables up front to sit at, in case you feel like eating in.
I had ordered the Orange Chicken Combo (with Hot and Sour Soup) and my WIfe had ordered the Orange Chicken (with Egg Drop) When we pulled everything out of the bag, we were impressed to see how large the portions were! There was plenty of food. The soup alone is enough for two people! Definitely worth the 50 cent upgrade. The large portion of the main dish is accompanied by a healthy side of fried rice and a crisp, hot egg roll. Presentation was nice. Nothing was slopped together or swimming in sauce.
The Hot and Sour soup had a nice sour taste to it, but it soon waned, leaving you with the taste of bland corn starch. It was missing something, but I couldn't quite put my finger on it. The chicken was hot and crisp. It was prepared in a nice tempura batter, which made for little fluffy, crisp dumplings. The sauce was sweet and tangy and wasn't overpowering. The chicken stayed crisp and did not get soggy, like it can be with some other places. The fried rice was your standard fried rice, enjoyable, but nothing outstanding. The egg roll was hot and crisp, as well. It was not overly greasy, nor did it lack on filling. All in all, we enjoyed our meal and definitely had plenty left over (because we were quite full!)
So why three stars? Well, several things. None of my food was bad. I enjoyed it all, but wasn't "wowed" like I have been at my old chinese take-out restaurant.
First: The spicy dishes lack spice. It's as though the papers were waved over them. I'm one of the few who likes a little heat in his dish. This didn't have any.
Second: The General Tso's and Orange chicken were essentially the same dish. This is pretty common and most chinese places, but really good ones will have distinct dishes. The Orange Chicken and Mee Shane had a little orange peel after taste (and the general tso's had a little smokey flavor), but if you put the two dishes side by side and I was blindfolded...I wouldn't be able to tell the difference.
Third: The soups. They're relatively bland. Good flavor up front, but nothing that tantalizes the pallet. You're left wondering what happened. They also don't' come with the fresh, fried won-tons that most restaurants provide. These were pre-packaged noodles, similar to La Choy noodles you find in the stores.
Finally: Egg rolls. Great Egg rolls are hard to find. Theses were decent. They were crisp and not greasy, but were full of cabbage. I think at the end of mine, I got a nice bite of pork, but other than that, it was relatively uneventful.
All in all, it's a pretty decent joint. Will I go back? Of course! I enjoyed my meal. There are more items to try and decisions to render on the place. The prices are great, portion sizes are huge, and it will fulfill your chinese craving if you want take-out. Worth a try if you're in the area! To get a 4 or 5 star review from me, though, it just needs to make a few improvements. Then it will be stellar! read more