The following reviews appeared in the Evansville Courier & Press, Sunday, October 14, 2007 and on the Courier & Press website.

The Dining Club

Eleanor Zitek and Pat Savage
Pat and I made our first visit to the Szechwan Chinese Restaurant one Tuesday evening in September. As you might expect, the decor is Chinese. It's bright and cheerful, made elegant with white tablecloths.

As is required by law in all Chinese restaurants, we shared everything we ordered. We started our dinner with appetizers of Candy Crispy Shrimp and Lettuce Wrap Chicken. Both appetizers were delicious. The Candy Crispy Shrimp was just what the name suggests: shrimp fried crispy in a delicious sweet sauce. The Lettuce Wrap Chicken contains minced chicken stir-fried in plum sauce. The chicken, topped with pine nuts, was served on a large lettuce leaf, and is eaten with the fingers after making a taco-like wrap of the meat in the lettuce. The chicken is bland but tasty, slightly sweet, and served hot, and the mix of hot chicken and ice-cold lettuce is interesting on the tongue.

Neither Pat nor I like super spicy food, so we ignored the foods marked "Hot and Spicy," which eliminated much of the menu from consideration. I ordered Happy Family, which contains shrimp, beef, chicken, and vegetables in a special House sauce. Pat chose Rainbow Beef, which is beef tenderloin stir-fried with shoestring-cut vegetables. The beef in both dishes was a bit tough, and neither dish was even a little bit spicy. In fact, they were a bit too bland for us, and we decided that on our next visit we would bravely order from the "Hot and Spicy" selections.

To accompany our food, Pat and I ordered a bottle of Currency Creek Estate Ostrich Hill Shiraz that we hadn't tasted before. It was a very good wine, even warm. The wines are stored on top of a 3/4 wall that separates the dining room from a service area, and our bottle came from up there. The wine went well with the appetizers, but totally overpowered the entrees.

Last week we visited again. For this second visit, we decided to have Tsingtao beer, figuring correctly that Chinese beer would go well with Chinese food. Again we started with Candy Crispy Shrimp, it's just too good to skip. To that we added the hot and spicy Seafood Rolls, which came with a heavenly (and quite spicy) chili sauce. Delicious!

For our main course, Pat ordered the Willow Beef and I had the Empress Chicken. The menu says that they "adjust spiciness according to your tastes," so we asked for "medium hot." As on our first visit, the beef was tough, but the dish was well-flavored and the sauce was good. The Empress Chicken was tender, the breading was crisp, and the sauce was sweet and spicy at the same time. "Medium hot" turned out to be a little too hot for Pat, just about right for me. Of course, he found a little teeny spice bomb in the Willow Beef that brought tears to his eyes. He'll be choosing "mild" from now on.

After two visits that included seven different dishes, we have decided that the service is excellent, the sauces are very good, and the Empress Chicken is wonderful, but the beef could use a little more tenderizing and for our tastes the wine should be chilled. We'll eat there again, but we'll probably not order anything with beef and we'll drink beer instead of wine.

Ellen Roper
We went to Szechwan on a Tuesday for lunch. We were promptly greeted and shown to our table. The restaurant has such a calming atmosphere, it is a nice escape from the work day. Lunch is such a deal here it is hard to know what to order. First off, always, is an order of the Szechwan dumplings. They are served to perfection in a wonderful garlicky, spicy sauce.

We chose to order from the Super Luncheon Combo, which includes your choice of soup (Hot & Sour or Egg Drop), a vegetarian spring roll, Crab Rangoon, rice and a fortune cookie. I selected the Kung Bao Shrimp ($7.95) and Mike had the Empress Chicken ($6.25). First, I must say, the Crab Rangoon was excellent. The shrimp was so fresh and prepared perfectly; you could just taste the freshness. It had a slightly spicy sauce that included onions, peppers and mushrooms. The Empress chicken was also a spicy dish, with a hint of sweetness. The chicken is lightly battered and fried. Mike really enjoyed that dish. This is the first time he has tried anything other than the Mountain Snow Shrimp, which is truly a taste experience not to be missed.

One thing about Szechwan's is that when a dish is brought out you know it is going to be wonderful. The ingredients combine to make a very special presentation. There are no little bottles of soy sauce or other condiments on the tables, not even salt and pepper. And as many times as I have been to Szechwan's, I have never had to ask for any of those items. The service is excellent, attention is paid to every detail, whether you need more drinks or plates need removing. We will definitely return, it is always a treat to stop in for lunch or dinner.

Patricia Sides
I became addicted to Jimmy Jeng's award-winning Szechwan cuisine during my first visit there, shortly after it opened seven years ago. In a city so fortunate to have as many fine and diverse restaurants as it does, the Szechwan Restaurant is my absolute favorite. Regardless of how busy it is, from the moment you walk through the door, you're treated amiably by all the staff, especially owner Jimmy Jeng and his wife Tina.

On a recent visit, I decided to order my favorite entree, Shrimp with Lobster Sauce, although my companion and I enjoy sampling from the extensive menu. The dish consists of plump, tender shrimp sauteed with eggs, peas, mushrooms, and ground pork in a savory lobster sauce. My companion ordered the Rainbow Beef, succulent chunks of beef stir-fried with vegetables in a non-spicy but flavorsome sauce. Before the entrees were delivered, my companion and I lingered over another favorite, the Szechwan Dumplings, which are packed with flavored ground pork and vegetables and steeped in a sauce that is too scrumptious to describe. Another favorite is the Dan-Dan Mein, noodles combined with a spicy peanut butter paste and vegetables -- simple but mouth-watering fare. For vegetarians, the menu lists a pleasing assortment of meatless dishes, such as Ma-Pow Tofu, freshly-prepared with chili paste and black bean sauce.

All dishes are served at the perfect eating temperatures, and despite the crowds that this restaurant often attracts, the waiting time for food is minimal. Creating a memorable dining experience for customers is a top priority here, and the staff's consistently superb service reflects this aim. This is one of the few Chinese restaurants in Evansville that doesn't offer a buffet (which is one reason we eat here), probably because Jimmy Jeng and his staff wouldn't be able to devote as much personal attention to each table of diners. Even when the room is humming with activity, the ambience is always warm, relaxing, and elegant.

Lou Ann Green
We arrived at Jimmy Jeng's Szechwan Chinese Restaurant for lunch on a recent Thursday. It was refreshing to be shown to a table and handed a menu, and not have to navigate the ever-present buffet lines prevalent at so many Oriental establishments. We started off our meal with a couple of standard appetizers, an order of Crabby Cheese Rangoon ($4.95) and an order of Vegetarian Spring Rolls (two for $2.50). The Crab Rangoon was fresh, with crispy fried outer wrappers, and a creamy, cheesy filling which melted on the tongue. The Spring Rolls were also crisp on the outside, with crunchy bits of mixed vegetables in the center. They were served with a slightly plum-flavored Sweet & Sour Sauce, which was a bit on the thin side, but very light, avoiding the overly sweet, cloying taste found at many Chinese restaurants.

We took advantage of the Daily Luncheon Specials, which include a variety of chicken, beef, pork or shrimp dishes served with either Hot Sour or Egg Drop Soup, Fried Rice and a Fortune Cookie. Dan chose the Shrimp with Garlic Sauce ($6.25) and Lou Ann opted for the Sweet & Sour Chicken ($5.25). Although the slight reddish color of the Egg Drop Soup was a bit disconcerting at first, we discovered it to have an excellent flavor. Mild, not overly salty, and served up hot, it was an excellent start to the meal.

Dan's Shrimp with Garlic Sauce included an extremely generous portion of good-sized shrimp, combined with broccoli, carrots and water chestnuts in a rich, brown garlic sauce. The portion of fried rice that came with the meal was flavorful, with bits of egg, veggies and meat mixed in with the rice.

Lou Ann's Sweet & Sour Chicken included a generous portion of deep-fried white meat chicken pieces along with slices of pineapple and green pepper, all accompanied with a light, slighty sweet/slighty sour sauce which was the perfect addition to the dish. The portion of fried rice that was included with the meal made this a satisfying mid-ay repast.

The service was attentive without being overly obtrusive, and we had sufficient time to enjoy our meal while still finishing in plenty of time to return to work. Jimmy Jeng's is a wonderful find, and we will be going back, if only to try more of the dishes offered.

Gary and Susan Thomas
Susan and I had dinner on Sunday with our good friends Tom and Linda. We like Jimmy Jeng's for many reasons. The staff is efficient and attentive. The menu offers many of the traditional dishes. Susan chose the beef dinner, which included a main course as well as the usual sides. There are ample selections to test your sense of adventure. I chose the Seafood Double Fried Noodle. I had no idea what it was going be like but I loved every bite. The food is good, the price is reasonable, there is always plenty to take home and Jimmy will make you smile.

Ronald and Earlene Miller
Neither Earlene nor I are really big fans of Chinese cuisine. Most of our experience with Chinese food has been of the buffet variety. We usually find several items that we like and the price is reasonable at the area buffets. We made our initial visit to (Jimmy Jeng's) for our evening meal recently. We were immediately greeted and seated by the owner. We were impressed with his friendliness and the decor and cleanliness of the restaurant.

Earlene settled for the Super Dinner with chicken. It consisted of soup, egg roll, crab rangoon, and white meat chicken with cashews. There were also miniature ears of corn and other veggies. A lot of food for $9.95! The hot and sour soup was very good with just about the right balance of flavors. As a matter of fact, Earlene pronounced every one of the items in her dinner to be excellent. She even had some left to take home. I chose Pan Fried Salmon Steak ($14.95). It was accompanied by steamed rice and a small salad mix, which was on the plate with the fish. The salmon was in a very tasty sauce that was somewhat sweet but had a bit of a bite to it. The sauce had the effect of clearing my sinuses! The owner told me that I could request my preferred degree of spiciness next time.

We were impressed with the quality of the food, and the service was impeccable. Also, they don't use MSG in their food. Szechwan is definitely worth a visit if you enjoy Chinese cuisine. This might just be the place that will convert us from buffet to menu. Who knows, we may even learn to use chopsticks!

IF YOU GO:
Where: 669 N. Green River Road
Hours: 11 a.m. to 9:30 P.m. Tuesday through Thursday; 11 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday; 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday; closed Monday
Reservations: accepted, call 479-7600 or Fax: 479-7601
Payment: VISA, MasterCard, Discover accepted
Disabled: restaurant and restrooms accessible
Alcohol: beer and wine served
Air quality: non-smoking
Style: Asian cusine with Szechwan province emphasis

These reviews were reprinted with the kind permission of the Evansville Courier & Press.