2 Guys from Hong Kong: Take-out done well
by Michael Alian,Outpost staff
Photo by
Michael
Alian
Chinese take-out usually delivers three things: a decent meal, Styrofoam, and a fortune cookie.
Two Guys from Hong Kong does this cookie-cutter delivery service well.
What it doesn't do well is its dine-in service. What does that mean?
If you live in South Reno and spend more than $12 in Chinese food, you can get it delivered to your door by one of the helpful delivery guys from 2 Guys from Hong Kong.
That's what a couple of my friends and I did one evening.
We didn't have trouble finding our favorite Chinese delight. Literally hundreds of options litter the take-out menu. You won't have trouble finding the Tea Smoked Duck or the Chicken Chow Mein for the kids. Everyone will find something they enjoy on this menu.
We chose the Crab Rangoon for starters. These little appetizers are great, but maybe alittle on the greasy side for health food nuts. They're basically a fried Won Ton stuffed with cream cheese and imitation crab. Dip them in sweet and sour sauce and you have a great way to start your meal. Actually, these could probably be the entire meal. That's because the entrees aren't anything to get excited about.
I went with the Shrimp Special. For $7.95, you get a ton of food. Six fried prawns, one egg roll, two fried won tons, chow mein, and fried rice. The prawns were greasy. The won tons were greasier. The egg roll was the greasiest of all. Not that I'm a healthy eater, but all that grease would really put a Jack in the Box meal to shame. It's really a shame all the items were so oily. I was inhaling the fried rice to try to absorb the grease. Maybe that wasn't such a good idea.
One of my friends had the Cashew Chicken. This mixture was sweet tasting, not what you usually expect for an entree. But the 2 Guys weren't stingy on the chicken. There was a healthy mixture of chicken and a little less of the vegetables and cashews. Isn't the chicken what most of us pick through the vegetables for?
Another friend of mine went with a simple Teriyaki bowl. She gets an "A" for her decision. It was only about $6 and probably the best meal of the bunch. The reason it was done so well is because it was probably the easiest to make. The bottom of the bowl was full of rice. On top there was a combination of chicken, carrots and broccoli. Just a hint: get the Teriyaki sauce on the side. This way you can regulate your intake. Most places serve up too much or too little Teriyaki sauce. This way you have no one to blame but yourself if you put too much sauce on your meal.
It's cheap. That's one thing that makes 2 Guys from Hong Kong so desirable. Our meal topped out at about $25. That's a steal for three people to get full. It's not Cal-Neva cheap, but its also less deadly than a $.99 ham and egg breakfast. Funny thing, they both seem to import their grease from the same place. Don't forget to tip the delivery boy. Remember, you should never make anyone in food service mad at you. They can do the unthinkable to your food.
Delivery took about 45 minutes. Not bad for something that doesn't arrive in a special bag meant to keep it hot, a la Dominos Pizza.
Dining-in is a totally different story. After eating the take-out, I decided to check out 2 Guys from Hong Kong in person. I took another friend along, a 2 Guys virgin.
The service was excellent. We were promptly greeted and seated.
When you dine-in, you get warm tea with your meal. They call it tea, you might call it tea,I call it yellow water. That's about as tasty as it was. When the server comes to your table and wants to pour your tea, turn your cup upside down.
The food is essentially the same as the stuff you get when you go with take-out. The only thing missing is the Styrofoam. Unfortunately, you can tolerate problems with the food when you know it was take-out, but dine-in should really be so much better.
2 Guys from Hong Kong
6015-B South Virginia Street (Corner of S.
Virginia & Del Monte) 775-851-3030 High point: Take Out
Reno, Nevada 89502
FAX: 775-851-7142
Low point: Dining In
Prices: $4.25-$13.95
Payment policies: Visa, Mastercard, American
Express
It wasn't.
I stuck with the Crab Rangoons for an appetizer when I ate in the 2 Guys dining room. But this time, my dining companion and I opted for the sweet and sour chicken.
What a disappointment. The sweet and sour sauce was overbearing and there was anendless search for chicken parts in the sea of vegetables.
Also, when you dine-in, you need to expect more out of the atmosphere than you do at 2 Guys from Hong Kong. In the background, they even had Frank Sinatra tunes. I didn't know Frank was so popular overseas?
Your best bet is to stick with the take-out, that way you can tolerate the little and rather greasy imperfections in your meal.
Posted
April 29, 2000
Copyright 2000
Nevada Outpost
|
|
|
|