Eat Local: Quick Chinese Food With a Family Feel

Between dodging rain storms and getting the kids where they need to be every day, the week can get hectic very quickly. No time for a nice homemade meal? Never fear. Rohnert Park Patch knows a great place to grab a quick bite. Each week, we focus on the city's great local finds. Here's this week's choice: 

Hunan Kitchen

Overview: The bottom line here is simple quick and easy Chinese food. Think Panda Express with the quality of a mom and pop restaurant and portions that will not leave you hungry.

Decor: A little dark and a little warn, Hunan Kitchen sits tucked in an out of the way corner of a large strip mall off of Expressway. A buffet greets guests as they enter. It's piled high with steaming food, and if it isn’t, it soon will be. Beyond the counter are a number of plain tables and mostly bare walls.

The Drinks: The standards are all here soda, tea and water. The cooler to the right of the door serves up energy drinks and other bottled beverages. Recently they have left the Arizona Ice Tea behind and started stocking Admiral brand canned teas which is an improvement as these teas have a more natural flavor tasting more like tea then Kool Aid.

Appetizers: Hunan’s keeps the appetizers simple offering crab puffs ($1.95), veggie spring rolls ($1.95) and pot stickers ($2.50). The crab puffs are tasty and spring rolls are crisp but what really stands out are the pot stickers. Soft on top and crunchy on the bottom, they are filled with a tasty moist meat filling that can fill your mouth with flavor with our without sauce. There are only two dangers with the pot stickers: eating to many and the liquid that can shoot of them when you take a bite.

Entrees: While the kitchen can cook up a wide selection of Chinese food from hot basil chicken, to Mongolian beef, the easiest way to go is a box meal. These meals give you one ($4.99) or two ($6.39) entrées from the buffet line and your choice of steamed rice, chow mien or fried rice. A quick tip if you can’t choose between the sides — you can get two half portions so you can have your rice and chow mien. The choice on the line may very day to day but mostly it is stocked with the classics like sweet and sour pork, orange chicken and broccoli beef.

Sides: More classic Chinese food here. Fried rice, steamed rice and chow mien are your choice of sides. The chow mien here is some of the best around. Good texture and body with a bit of flavor but still mellow enough to the hotter dishes on the menu. The wonton soup is also quite tasty and has a good balance of broth and wontons. It's perfect for a cold rainy day.

Service: Lunch is counter style service. You order your food, and they box it up. You can get in and out of Hunan’s pretty fast if you need to.

Signature Dish: The orange chicken.

Hunan’s Kitchen is located at 6650 Commerce Blvd. Suite 19. 

Cost: $