Great Wall Kitchen: Why it’s not just another Chinese restaurant

  

           Being a HUGE of Chinese food, I had high hopes when I took a short walk to Great Wall Kitchen, located near the New Paltz Plaza on Route 299, with my friends. Let me tell you, even with high expectations I was not disappointed. When I first went in and saw the décor on the walls it seemed like I was in an authentic Chinese restaurant. This helped make my stay there more enjoyable. There was one decoration that really stood out: a picture of birds flying out of trees into the sunset. This place was unlike any other Chinese restaurant I have ever been to. 

While the cash only policy may scare off a number of customers, overall it is a fantastic idea, because the business gets its money right away. When the customer leaves the establishment, the only worry that they have is trying not to consume their food too fast, but enjoy its savory taste as long as they can. There was one thing that really made this place really stand out. We, the customers, were able to see the food rendered by the chefs and being put on our plates. The kitchen was on the other side of the counter so I was able to see how my food was made into the delicious meal that I later devoured with a smile on my face. This made the stay there more enjoyable because, unlike most restaurants, where sometimes you worry that they do not make your food properly, you are able to see the food being made. I was able to see the sauce being added to the chicken, the rice boiling and seasoning added to it. Since I have never seen a chef preparing food before in a restaurant, this was something really amazing.

 There were menus readily available so the customers were able to pick out what they wanted to order without waiting to be seated. I found this helpful because we were able to quickly browse through the menu and order at a fast pace. How could you not visit this restaurant at least once The menu has more then 150 food items that all seemed delicious. SO MUCH CHOICES!!! They were broken down into 18 sections!!! The prices of the items ranged from 3 dollars to about 12 dollars, so whether or not you want a quick lunch or a fancy dinner this is the place for you. Hey, even if you don't want to leave your dorm Great Wall offers take out.The number is (845) 255-5171 or (845) 255 5173.

This variety made me extremely happy because I knew that I would be able to return here more than once. The sections that really grabbed my attention were Seafood, Sweet and Sour, Chow Fun, Chefs Specials, and Combination Plates. Even though I still do not know what Chow Fun means, How can you not like something with that interesting of a name? Some of the more intriguing items I found on the menu were Pepper Steak, Wor Shu Duck and Orange Beef. This restaurant caters to everyone’s food preferences, for instance vegetarians.  Since I have always loved Chinese food, I got really excited because I knew that I would be able to leave this place satisfied and still be eager to come back multiple times.

When I looked through the menu I immediately knew what I wanted to cull since my all time favorite dish is Sesame Chicken!!!!!! My friends, Adam and Josh, ordered Sesame Chicken and General Tso’s chicken. When we ordered the lady at the counter was very nice and asked us if we wanted to make it a combination plate, which we all happily agreed too.



Everything tates better with an eggroll

           This option included rice, vegetables and an egg roll. The meals were very reasonable priced at $7.50. I’ve been to many other restaurants around the town of New Paltz and for this LOW price you can not get better food. While we were waiting for the meal we drank some of the green tea that was given out freely to all the customers. This gives the customers another incentive to stay. When we were drinking it Adam stopped all of a sudden and exclaimed, “This tea is amazing!!” The tea relaxed us so much that the waiting time flew by, and in no time we received our meals.

When the food came to our table we inhaled the essence of it, and I thought, “Oh what heaven.” Those first bites, what a delight. The flavor made me crave even more and more. What really made me enjoy my order was the sauce that they put on the sesame chicken; I always, ALWAYS, say everything tastes a lot better with sauce.

 We were eating in silence until Josh exclaimed with joy, “Great Wall is the best”.  The sauce that was used to make this delicacy tasted very sweet and made my mouth water so much that when I was eating it, instead of becoming full, I wanted more and more of this chicken VERY much. When I devoured my meal I still had the egg roll to look forward to, and let me tell you that it was, simply put, INCREDIBLE!!!!!! Before I took a second bite, I dipped it in one of the most exquisite sauces found in the world, duck sauce. This sauce is made of sweet plums and, it can be used for a number of foods such as rice.I made sure not to squander any of that precious delicacy. Now one might ask, how can you top that exquisite egg roll? Let me tell you, the rice and vegetables which contained some of the sauce from the sesame chicken were so tasty that it would be a crime if I hadn’t gotten a combination plate.

As we savored our last bites we could not help but feel a little sorrow because we knew that our experience there was coming to an end. Even though this was true when we finished eating we got up, thanked the chef for an amazing meal and left “Great Wall Kitchen” knowing that, no matter what problems we encountered throughout the day they would be mitigated because of our amazing meal.