Restaurant Reviews By Chef Paul

August 5, 2010

Panda Chinese Restaurant

On a busy afternoon while in Lincolnton, I decided to stop by the Panda Chinese Restaurant (104 Stanford Road, Lincolnton, NC) for some lunch. I have heard that Panda has some of the best Chinese food around, so I had to check it out for myself. When entering the restaurant you will notice a huge selection of Szechuan, Hunan, and Cantonese style dishes offered on the lunch and dinner menu. Panda offers a little bit of anything that a customer may want.

I loved the wonderful aromas that were coming from the kitchen and the friendly staff who helped me. After going over their menu I decided to try the General Tso’s and Orange Chicken dishes. Usually when I have Chinese I go for the seafood dishes but I though this time I would test out their sauce making skills, and they were perfect. The chicken was cooked perfectly and had just the right amount of spice. The Orange Sauce did not overpower the chicken and had chunks of pineapple which gave the dish a nice sweet taste.

Each entree was served with rice and fresh vegetables, two items that we all need to eat more of. Just imagine if everyone ate a healthy lunch like I had at Panda, and stopped eating all of the greasy fries, how happy and healthy we all would be.

At Panda there are many choices so please give everything a try. They offer dishes that range from beef,lobster, shrimp, pork, poultry, and even vegetarian dishes. I really enjoyed my lunch at Panda, and I think you will too.

Da Vinci’s

Located at 2968 North Center Street in Hickory, Da Vinci’s is a small slice of Italy right here in our town. Serving a wide range of great Italian dishes and Pizzas this place has it all. Dining on a recent Saturday evening, I felt as if I had just walked off a plane in Italy. The restaurant is beautifully decorated and they have a large bar area for people who just want a relaxing glass of wine. Our waiter dressed in pressed slacks and a white shirt and tie reminded me about what service should be like in a fine restaurant. He knew everything about the menu and made suggestions to us on wine and the cuisine.

When ordering from the pasta section of the menu, the dish also comes with a salad. I decided that a fresh caesar salad would be great and it was. The lettuce was cut into bite sized pieces as it should be and the dressing was creamy and full of parmesan flavor.

After the wondeful salad, I ordered the Ravioli Campagnola, which is cheese stuffed ravioli with sauteed mushrooms in a pink sauce. The pasta was al dente which means it wasn’t over cooked. The sauce was rich and went great with the fresh bread we were served.

I want to go back and try one of their homemade pizzas I saw being made. They looked fantastic and the chefs seemed to be having fun making them.

So now the secret is out, if you want a romantic night out or just some dinner with friends, Di Vinci’s is the perfect place to go for great food and great service.