Huge Menu, Wonderful Buffet, Worth the Trip

Like everyone in the greater FM area, I got the bug last weekend. “Hey, it’s above two degrees-let’s head to the lake!” So off we went for the weekend just to hang out, go to a fun party and, of course, to eat.

I do want to preface this by saying that although I say “we” I generally mean “me” when I am referring to food.

Anyway, my husband Mike and I had a blast at the party (Thanks, Dennis and Karen!) and ate some wonderful food. There was even a chocolate cake made in a crock pot as the party went on. That is going to be in the next column.

One of the things too that is fun about taking these short vacations is that I love to find those places to eat that I could not find in Fargo. Well, I found it, the Chinese Dragon in Washington Square. Opened over 15 years ago. it used to be on Hwy 10. Unfortunately, that building burned down and then the owners Mai and Hoa Ngo moved it to Washington Square.

When you walk into their space you are welcomed by people with a big smile and a “how are you today.” The servers that are working all wear traditional Chinese tops, each one a different color. Ours, Jamie Pollock, was one of the most pleasant people I have ever met. Any question I asked, she was right on it to know the answer.

Not knowing for sure what we wanted, we looked at the menu first and then checked out the buffet. Their menu has over 180 items on it! Something that Mike was happy to see was duck-- he loves that.

They have a large vegetarian selection too: tofu steak vegetable, fresh tofu topped with vegetable bok choy, broccoli, cauliflower, celery, mushroom and pea pods, and mok sui Vegetables, a variety of vegetable slices served with Chinese pancakes. I liked it that under the heading of the vegetarian selection they have “This kind is good for dieting.”

For lunch specials they have fifty choices. The price ranges from $6 - $8.50, and you even get soup with it if you are eating in. And on Sunday, they have their Buffet going. Okay, I know that you’re thinking, “How is it different?” Well, their items on the buffet were some I have not seen before in this area: cabbage soup, rice soup, beef with sweet potato, chicken curry lo mein, crabmeat broccoli and cauliflower, black mushroom with tofu and onion, spicy beef with lemon grass and chicken with fresh asparagus. Gosh, it makes me hungry just to tell about it!

As good as all that looked, we were quite taken with their Wor wonton soup. It comes In a very big bowl. The soup has some of the best-tasting broth I have tasted in Asian cooking. It is not overwhelmed with too much salt or sesame oil. The broth has a smooth, soothing flavor. It has sliced barbequed pork, shrimp and chicken with Chinese vegetables in it, fresh green pea pods, crunchy water chestnut and chewy bok choy. Wor wonton soup comes with a smaller bowl to dish it up in. Well, in my world I never need the small bowl.

We added one thing to the meal and that was an order of egg rolls, two to an order. We rounded the meal off with a large pot of tea. Mike and I both had our own bowl of soup, shared the egg rolls and tea. Our bill was UNDER $20. I could not believe it.

I could of course go on , but you get the idea. I know that this is a place I will go back to more than a few times. I want to try much more from this menu. I will also try and see what else the lakes have to offer that is different and yet close to home.

Right now I know that I need to eat lunch and it will have to be straight out of my kitchen. I’ll save up for the next outing. Until next week, eat well and stay safe.

If You Go

WHAT: Chinese Dragon Restaurant
WHERE: 808 Washington Square Mall, Detroit Lakes, Minn.
WHEN: M-Th 11-9, F-S 11-10, Sun (buffet day) 11-8.
INFO: (218) 847-2177