chshea who purports to have the ability to review a restaurant wrote: > > BAD review for Yangtze River Chinese restaurant in Lexington Center, > Mass. > > Went to Yangtze River in Lexington center last night for the dinner > buffet. It was horrible. The dishes were not fresh, and they were NOT > refilling the buffet. I had called ahead on the phone to get an idea > of what they had on their buffet & was even lied to!!! They mentioned > dishes which weren't even on the buffet. Also, they said "we have well > over 30 dishes".. aside from the fact that this is an untrue statement, > many of the "dishes" are cheapie deep fried appetizer types (fried > wontons, crag rangoon, etc.). We left without actually eating. We Now that's an interesting statement! "We left without actually eating." Having had numerous wonderful dining experiences at Yangtze over the years both from the buffet and off the menu I think I'll just have to discount the opinion of someone who didn't even try the food but deemed themselves expert enough to condemn the dinner buffet as "horrible". As for not refilling the buffet - Yangtze takes an approach to buffets where they try to keep the food a lot more freshly cooked than some others. Instead of large lots meant to last hours they cook in smaller lots and replenish the buffet more frequently. Every time I've been there including within the last couple of weeks they've had someone practically full time running food from the kitchen to the buffet. Perhaps chshea caught a moment where some empty trays needed refilling with the wonderful food that Yangtze is noted for. If so, in a rush to condemn Yangtze he/she may have missed a great dining experience. For those of you who really enjoy fine Chinese dining you might like to try the following at Yangtze: Peking Duck - excellent - served the right way - not dripping with grease like some other Boston area spots. Kung Pao Lamb or Hunan Lamb - yes, some of the best lamb dishes of any cuisine. #214 - Yunan Shrimp with black bean sauce - my personal favorite, lots of garlic, served on a bed of lettuce (sounds strange, tastes great). This one is no longer on the takeout menu, possibly because it's not great at surviving in the little white containers, but you can still ask for it. It's excellent when served at the restaurant and is a great dish for groups where you don't want to have to say you get 1 shrimp, you get 1 shrimp... etc. This dish is a bit more expensive than most other shrimp dishes on the menu but has usually had 2 dozen or more shrimp of good size. I'm practically reaching for the phone to order takeout now. You may guess that I'm a bit partial toward Yangtze. Having eaten in great Chinese restaurants from coast to coast I still rate Yangtze among the top ten. Do they have off nights? I can remember one out of more than 200 times I've eaten there over the years, it was the Friday night of Thanksgiving weekend and the regular chef must have been off - that night I rated them mediocre. About 90% of the other experiences I'd rate excellent with the balance very good. A pretty consistent track record in my book! > considered ordering off the menu, but the place had already completely > turned us off. Well look at the positive - I won't have to wait in line behind you at Yangtze!
Boston, MA
Yangtze River Chinese- Lexington
Ten or fifteen years ago, Yangtze River was THE place to go for Chinese food in our part of the 'burbs... attested to by the long waits on Friday and Saturday nights. But times change, and, as much as I've liked Yangtze in the past, I think it's come down a notch or two from its previous pinnacle. There's a lot more good competition out there, and the restaurant is rarely THAT crowded at dinner time. We've mostly taken our business to the Great Wall in Bedford (which I heartily recommend to anyone disappointed with Yangtze). On the other hand, I think Yangtze continues to use some of the best (most tender) cuts of beef in their dishes. On buffets in general... I think it's difficult to keep food both hot and fresh on a buffet when a restaurant's not crowded. My general rule is not to have the buffet unless it's busy. Also, at a restaurant like Yangtze (or the Great Wall, for that matter) they generally pick middle-of-the-road dishes for the buffet... rarely examples of the most creative cuisine the restaurant has to offer. I've not seen any creepy crawlies at Yangtze in all the times I've been there... either in or out of my food.