The experiment has been a success--not only does Summer Palace cook Chinese dishes on par with some of the best places in larger cities such as Austin, but it has picked up a large clientele since its opening sometime around 2002. In fact, I hear that there has since been another Chinese restaurant open down the street following the same concept (China Town, 5217 82nd), but I have not had a chance to try it.

Although everything I have sampled has been fresh and full of Chinese flavor, not everything has struck me as being outstanding Chinese food. One of the first things I tried was Kung Pao Vegetables, ususally a safe choice for me since I like the sauce very much. The one here was not among the best I've had, but still good.

On a later visit, however, I asked them to make Ginger Tofu for me (not on the menu, as usual), and this dish was quite impressive. Although I am limited because I do not try a lot of meat items, I feel that the vegetable dishes should be just as flavorful, and this one is. This one dish catapulted Summer Palace ahead of the Saigon Cafe as my favorite Asian restaurant in Lubbock, and there are likely other excellent dishes to be found by exploring the menu.

It really is kind of an adventure to try to find the best item at each restaurant, and for Chinese food Summer Palace is a good place to do so. I should note also that the décor at Summer Palace is very nice; it is something that doesn't really matter to me since they have correspondingly high prices (except at lunch), but it does provide for a nice relaxing meal.