The Undercurrent

Issue date: 5/2/08 Section: Features

China House

China One

China House
China House is located right on W. Milwaukee on the south side of the street. It's not really near anything too recognizable, but it is almost directly north of campus, so head that way for a few blocks until you get to Milwaukee, and you should be able to find it.

Located in an old Pizza Hut, there are plenty of booths and tables for all. There's even an extra room to seat larger groups. The service has been great every time I have been there, and they never keep you waiting too long. If you plan on ordering something and picking it up, you can typically expect your food to be ready within twenty minutes.

The buffet is always good and I can usually find plenty I like on it. They always have one type of popular chicken (General Tso, Sesame, Orange, etc.), some vegetables, a variety of other meat dishes as well as egg rolls, crab Rangoon, shrimp and more. They also have a new ice cream machine with a choice of toppings.

If the buffet is not quite good enough, then check out the menu. There's a wide variety of options to choose from, whether you want soups, rice dishes or noodle dishes. You get what you pay for as well. With most meals ranging around the $7 - $8 mark, I often see people taking their leftovers home because of how much you are given.

The downside to China House, I have heard, is a lack of variety with their buffet. In their defense, it is hard when the competition, China One, is only a buffet with no options from a menu there. If you want quantity over quality, then head to China One Buffet, but if you want the best Chinese food in town, head to China House. I highly recommend the Sesame Chicken and the Moo Shoo Pork

China One
Located next to the Dollar General store on Lake Ave. and near Plaza Mexico is the China One Buffet. Offering a large variety of Chinese and American cuisine, it is easily one of the best buffets in town. Always ready with white and fried rice or lo mein, the buffet offers a large variety of meat or vegetable stir-fry toppings. It has three buffet lines to choose your meal from, each containing several options.

The salad bar line presents fruit and pudding choices. On a recent visit, they even had longans, or an evergreen tree fruit native to southeast Asia, from southern China south to Indonesia. They were peeled and usually come in a round, thin, brown-colored shell.

Longans are often used in East Asian soups, snacks, desserts and sweet-and-sour foods. If unfamiliar, they are the white eyeball-looking fruits in the salad bar line. They look intimidating but taste surprisingly good.

American choices offered include garlic bread, French fries and fried chicken. Standard Chinese options include crab Rangoon, egg rolls, Chinese donuts, sweet and sour chicken and egg drop or wonton soup. Otherwise the stir-fry toppings are bound to be different on each visit. Options in the past have included items with chicken, beef, pork, broccoli, shrimp, mushrooms and steamed vegetables.

For dessert, an ice cream cooler is offered with a variety of flavors. Since they are kept continuously cold, it is often hard to scoop the ice cream out. But who saves room for ice cream at a Chinese buffet?

The restaurant is open for buffet daily for both lunch and supper. Prices are reasonable but higher for the evening meal, and drinks are not included in the buffet price. Be sure to bring cash or plastic as no checks are accepted.

For a delicious meal with something to please everyone's needs at a tolerable price, try China One Buffet. You will not be disappointed.

Page 1 of 1

Article Tools