Great Wall Chinese Restaurant, a staple for 15 years in Vandergrift, opened in Parnassus two years ago.
The Lunch Bunch crew decided a take-out was in order, so we drove to Great Wall, placed our order and waited. Great Wall offers more than take-out though. A side dining room has plenty of booths if you want to eat-in. There is no air conditioning, so it can get pretty warm inside on a hot, humid day with just a fan blowing.
The House Lo Mein ($4.35 per pint) was one of the best we've had. These soft, tasty Chinese noodles were covered in a tasty brown sauce and held all of our favorites -- tiny shrimp, chicken and pork, along with bits of vegetables.
Shrimp Fried Rice ($3.75 per pint) was peppered with lots of shrimp in the savory rice with bits of veggies. It was gone before we knew it.
The Pineapple Shrimp ($8.50) looked more like chicken at first glance, since the baby shrimp were coated in the same batter as the General Tso's Chicken. The platter held a medley of colors -- bright pineapple chunks, green pepper strips, snow peas and onions. Unfortunately for us, our white rice was missing -- so we had it plain.
A mild, sweet yellow sauce covered the ensemble. When we ordered this dish from the chef's special menu, we imagined large, naked shrimp with pink tails still attached amid chunks of pineapple and peppers and onions. Although this dish was fine and the tiny shrimp were plentiful, we wish they hadn't been so thickly battered.
Lunch specials are available from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and include the entree choice, white or fried rice, and a choice between a can of pop, wonton soup, egg drop soup or a pork egg roll.
We sampled three of the lunch specials. The General Tso's Chicken ($4.80) featured dark meat battered and swimming in a mildly spicy sauce. We found broccoli at the bottom of our container. The chicken was done more than we like. We opted for wonton soup as our side and enjoyed a rich, yellow broth with large filled wontons floating in the cup.
Pepper Steak with Onion ($4.50) had beef so tender it fell apart at a touch of the fork. Large chunks of green peppers, and onions in a mild sauce provided a welcome flavor accompaniment. Our side cup of egg drop soup was a very mild golden broth with the egg threads floating near the top of the cup.
Chicken with Cashew Nuts ($4.50) featured a very dark brown sauce in a medley of slivered bits of chicken, cashew pieces browned by the sauce, straw mushrooms, baby corn, carrots and celery bits. The pork egg roll we had on the side was stuffed with chopped cabbage, veggies and tiny bits of pork.
The Bourbon Chicken ($4.80) was a lunch special. We ordered ours with white rice and a pork egg roll. The pieces of chicken were very dark in color and didn't look like chicken at all. We think perhaps it was because the chicken was thigh meat and was covered in dark sauce. The bourbon sauce was tasty, but we prefer white chicken meat.
Compiled by Rebecca Killian, Sis Reola, Carol Pinto-Smith and guests.
Meals are paid for by the Valley News Dispatch and are unrelated to advertising.
Additional Information:Great Wall Chinese Restaurant
Address: 413 Freeport St., Parnassus area of New Kensington
Phone: 724-339-2430
Hours: 10:30 a.m.- 10 p.m. Mondays-Thursdays; 10:30 a.m.- 11 p.m. Fridays-Saturdays; noon-9 p.m. Sundays
Credit cards: All major cards are accepted
Smoking: No
Handicapped accessible: Yes
Prices: Appetizers, $1-$9.75; chef specials, $6.95-$11.25; lunch specials, $4.25-$4.95.
