I used to order Chop Suey on the lunch plates because it was vegetarian, but I never thought it was very good in terms of flavor. The one here was fresh, but I always thought the vegetables were overcooked, did not have a very good sauce, and needed extra soy sauce for flavor. To me this is not real Chinese food, although I think you could do a lot worse at some other Chinese restaurants.

The Egg Drop Soup was one of my favorites out of the El Paso restaurants that served it. Made with chicken broth and chicken meat, this one had a flavor, color, texture, and smell that for some reason was hard to resist. Chinese Palace changed the noodles that came with it, and this was a big reason I liked the soup so much. I still think the soup is very good, though.

About 2000 Chinese Palace started making some changes, including elimiating the lunch specials. In its place the restaurant started serving a lunch buffet that of course was more expensive than the previous lunch specials, but allowed patrons to eat more food. The buffet is still being served, and is full of fried things, lots of meat with sickening sweet sauces, and of course, lots of MSG. Mercifully the lights are set really low so you don't have to see what you are eating. I'm half joking about the buffet (except for the part about the MSG), but in all seriousness, I recommend ordering from the menu.

Since I was not familiar with authentic Cantonese food until recently, I do not know if Chinese Palace has always had some of the more authentic items or if they were added in 2000 along with the other menu changes. In either case, these are the ones I am exploring at present.

Cantonese style tofu served on a hot plate with shrimp and chicken

One of the more authentic Cantonese dishes I tried was Tofu on a Hot Plate. This was the traditional Cantonese style of lightly braised tofu with vegetables, shrimp, chicken, and a brown sauce (the meat items can be substituted on request). The hot plate is a traditional Chinese style heated metal plate that not only keeps the food warm, but also causes some additional braising of the meat and tofu on the table. While the sauce was not as good as ones I have found in large city "Chinatown" restaurants, the tofu was cooked as it should be. I have been told that the tofu available in El Paso is not the same as that which is served on the west coast, but I thought the tofu at Chinese Palace was very good. Probably the strongest feature of the dish was the shrimp that was good quality and not overcooked. The chicken was also very good, but the vegetables were nothing that were very exciting.

Hong Kong noodles at Chinese Palace

Hong Kong Noodles is an item that I am not sure is on the menu, but can be made by request. This is a traditional Cantonese style pan fried noodle dish with oyster sauce and a combination of meat and vegetables. I have had this in several restaurants in El Paso, and so far none has been outstanding. Dynasty Chinese Cuisine in Las Cruces probably serves the best version of it in the region. Chinese Palace, though, probably had the best meat except for the barbecued pork. The shrimp and chicken were good, and the pork was OK (a little tough). I requested bok choy but I don't think it normally comes with the dish. Still, I was impressed that they were able to serve it. The noodles were burned at the ends on purpose, but somehow the middle part, which is supposed to be eaten, seemed a little flavorless compared to others I have tried (there are a number of different types of Chinese noodles, and it is probably a matter of taste). The main problem I had with this dish was not because of any flaw in its preparation, but that it came in a quite substantial portion with more meat than I really thought was necessary. The price of the dish was higher than at the other restaurants in El Paso, and maybe fifty percent higher than I usually pay in Oklahoma. I appreciated the effort the chef made in serving something more authentic, but it was too much food and was difficult to take home once the noodles were made soggy by the gravy (only the outside of the noodles remained crisp).

Szechwan and Hunan dinners are also on the menu, but I have not tried them. I have thought the Cantonese dishes were good enough to make me return, and are the specialty of the chef. I cannot say, though, that the dishes from other regions in China would not be equally good.