Quick Take: Nathan’s Chinese Cuisine reminiscent of a first date

By Maria G. Manio

Dining at Nathan’s Chinese reminds me of going out on a first date. You have great hope, suffer a little disappointment only to be reaffirmed and ultimately have a satisfying enough experience to give it another try.

Located on Bruceville just north of Laguna Blvd., Nathan’s offers the typical laundry list Chinese menu. What attracted us though were their other non-typical items.

Along with a welcomed emphasis on seafood, there is a whole section on shark and abalone, an assortment of lamb dishes, clay pots and several attractive picture menu items. It was the pictured items that first caught our eye.

When we asked our server, Randy, what they were, he told us the pictures were on the menu just to make it look attractive and they were not actually available. Isn’t this like those men who go to online dating services and post pictures of themselves resembling Brad Pitt only to find out they are more like Steve Buscemi?

Undeterred, we proceeded to order a lamb dish. Unfortunately, Randy informed us, alas, they were out of lamb.

After going through this routine with three other dishes and experiencing the same results, we settled on two clay pots dishes – oysters and pork and vegetables.

After placing our order, we were quickly served our sizzling hot dishes. Both dishes met our expectations, with the oysters being particular tasty. They were obviously fresh and just the right size.

Like the first date, we hope to go out with Nathan again because while it didn’t meet every expectation, it was satisfying enough to give it another try. Next time we just hope they have the lamb.

Nathan’s Chinese Cuisine, 9105 Bruceville Rd. #A-2, Elk Grove, 916- 683-8298