What makes a restaurant unique? If there are, say, a half-dozen Chinese restaurants within a reasonable drive, why choose one over another? And if two of them are under the same ownership does that make it harder to choose?
I asked myself those questions about Cathay Kitchen and Raymond's Hong Kong Café, separated by just two exits on I-75. They have the same owner, but they are different as night and day.
Cathay Kitchen has three features to recommend it: It's clean, the service is thoughtful, and it's quiet. The décor isn't elegant, but I liked the fierce red paper dragons and the large windows letting in natural light. Too many oriental restaurants have become buffets with glaring lights, steam and lots of noise. Cathay offers menu service only, and it's quiet and relaxing.
We visited at midday on a recent Sunday and, while they have advertised dim sum at that hour, we were only offered a regular lunch menu. We were among the first guests, but the place soon filled up with an after-church crowd straight out of Bible school -- men in short-sleeved white shirts with wide, polyester neckties, and women whose stockings covered their legs and skirts covered their knees.
But what about the food, you ask? Well, if I mention the beehive hairdos before I mention the appetizers, you can bet it was pretty ordinary, with the usual Chinese restaurant choices seen all around town.
From a list of predictable starters, we ordered Crab Rangoon ($3.95) and Lettuce Wraps ($7.95). (Prices in this review are for lunch, unless otherwise noted.) The poor little rangoons were challengingly chewy. The wraps were better, with minced chicken and water chestnuts in a light sauce. Lettuce wraps vary a lot from restaurant to restaurant, and this was by far the mildest version I've tried.
The Singapore Noodles ($6.95) achieved a respectable level of spiciness, thanks to plenty of onion and curry. The Chicken Ho Fun ($6.95) -- served over noodles like sauce over spaghetti rather than mixed in -- was fair, while Yang Chow Fried Rice ($5.95) was the same as fried rice the world over, inspired by neither ying, yang nor chow.
The highlights of the meal were the Sesame Balls ($3.50) we ordered for dessert. Cathay Kitchen served four ping-pong-sized balls instead of the usual two tennis ball sized servings, and they were much lighter and very crispy -- absolutely the best I've ever had anywhere.
On the way out, the owner gave us a free appetizer card for his new restaurant, Raymond's Hong Kong Café. Desperately seeking something noteworthy for this review, I headed to Walton, Ky., for carry-out a few days later. Night and day! The place was dark, and the stingy manager wouldn't honor the free appetizer card from the nice guy at Cathay. But the food was much better!
I had an incredibly delicious dish, Hong Kong Style Walnut Shrimp ($8.95), that just wowed me. Big fat shrimp in a bright, lemony sauce were accented by crisp, toasted walnuts. My office was filled with happy campers as we sampled the outright best General Tsao Chicken ($7.95) any of us had ever had: The sauce was sweet and yet peppery, and the batter was as delicate as a breeze. Another favorite was the Pepper Steak ($6.95), with both red and green peppers accenting tender beef. I especially liked the black beans in the sauce.
There are things on Raymond's dinner menu I'd love to try: Szechuan Eggplant Clay Pot ($13.95) and Sizzling Black Pepper Beef Short Ribs ($13.95) sound especially intriguing.
Also, oddly enough, Raymond's serves breakfast daily. Choices range from the traditional Mexican favorite, Chorizo and Eggs ($6.95), to the European Raspberry and Cream Croissant ($4.95), through omelets ($6.95) and pancakes ($6.95), to actual Asian morning fare, like Steamed BBQ Pork Bun (3.50) and Ham & Eggs over Noodle Soup (5.95). I'm not making this up!
Cathay Kitchen
Go: 8049 Connector Drive, Florence, Ky.
Call: 859-282-0770
Hours: 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 11 a.m.-10:30 p.m. Friday-Saturday, 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Sunday
Prices: Reasonable
Payment: Major credit cards
Red Meat Alternatives: Vegetable "Hot Wok" Noodles; Buddha Delight
Grade: C
Raymond's Hong Kong Café
Go: 11051 Clay Drive, Walton, Ky.
Call: 859-485-2828
Hours: 7 a.m.-9:30 p.m. Monday-Sunday
Prices: Reasonable
Payment: Major credit cards
Red Meat Alternatives: Many, including Malaysian Curry Clay Pot and Hunan Vegetable Wraps
Grade: A--
These restaurants share a Web site: www.hongkongcafe.us
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