Sunday, April 8, 2007

Easter at Imperial Garden, Middleton

Finally made it to Imperial Garden in Middleton, WI. Located on the corner of University Avenue and Allen. If you map it, make sure you state Middleton, since there is also an "Allen" in Madison.

The service was a little slow but very pleasantly delivered. Perhaps we caught a rush. Perhaps they are accustomed to people having drinks (i.e. booze) and chatting a bit before the food arrives. Maybe it was just because it was Easter Sunday. My dinner companion and I arrived very hungry and had already chatted earlier in the day. First course was Egg Drop Soup with Chicken. I was surprised to find a sizable quantity of tiny little bits of chicken floating about. There was a good portion of egg swirled in as well. The broth did not seem watery, but thankfully it also was not gelatinous like so many restaurants serve. The flavor was very light at first but it seemed to build. I did add a dash of pepper to each bowl. One large bowl and two individual bowls were brought. The individual bowls were actually bowls, not little cups. Each of us was able to fill our bowls 3 times from the large bowl - far more than I expected!

The main course was sesame chicken, mu-shu pork, and subgum (combination) fried rice. Again, all three of these had light flavors but they were all enjoyable. The wait staff did not make our first mu-shu pork "burritos", which surprised and slightly disappointed me. The upside was that they left the table sooner, thus allowing us to dig in sooner. The sesame chicken was breaded and fried long, slender pieces of chicken cooked just right. I suspect the dish sat for a bit in back as the crispy coating was not as crisp as it should have been, but crisp enough to be enjoyable. The fried rice was hiding a few perfect shrimp!


The sodas seem to be "bar sodas", poorly mixed and served in tall, slender glasses that probably hold about 8 ounces of liquid. My diet Pepsi tasted awful and I traded it for a regular Pepsi which was not good but not awful. No refill was offered when my glass was taken away, so I assume that additional sodas will be added to the bill. Perhaps it was because of my complaint about the first soda, but they left my drink off the bill - a nice surprise.

I was told that I could pay my waiter or I could pay at the cashier on my way out. I chose the latter. The woman operating the credit card machine was very pleasant and talkative. She invited us to come back and ask for the owner as she enjoyed helping customers find just the right dish.

I plan to go back take them up on that offer.

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