China Chef

What seems from the outside like an unremarkable building lining Georgia Avenue conceals a quiet, nice-but-not-overly-dressy dining room suitable for a leisurely dinner. The ample menu at China Chef offers the usual American Chinese food standards, which the kitchen seems able to produce well enough. The crispy fried wontons are a little bigger than others I’ve tried. The sweet-and-sour pork itself isn’t bad—filling, if a little heavy—though the carrots and other items on the plate are nice to have on hand if you want something a little lighter. An old warhorse like chicken with cashews is addictively flavored. The chicken morsels were a little soft, but on a cold November night, the dish was a reminder that Chinese food can be comfort food, too. Options like these may not break new ground, but you’ll leave much happier than the fish swimming in the tank by the entrance.
—Joe Dempsey, December 7, 2007