A & J Restaurant

06/01/09

Prices Can't Be beat

by CaptPoco at Citysearch

A very small (maybe 30 tables) place that serves authentic asian food, something that is hard to get in the US. Yup, no General Tso's Chicken here. Instead you get a brown piece of paper with some Engrish and Chinese characters and no pictures. Unfortunately this menu means that ordering at A and J is basically a crapshoot unless you are fluent in Chinese. Beef Slice Soup? Herbal Plum Drink? Steamed Bean Bun? Your best bet is to order things off other people's tables.

Speaking of ordering, don't expect the staff to be more helpful than the one at your local McDonalds. Questions about food or menu are met with incredulity and more Engrish. Just order your food and leave me alone, the waiters seem to want to say.

There are two reasons for going to A and J. One is the food. It is uniformly delicious without being ordinary like something you'd get at Panda Express. Yes, they manage to make their dishes both exotic and familiar in a way that has people coming back year after year. The other reason is price. After about 6 visits, I've found that the average bill is around $7 a person ($10 if you want to pig out). This is for an appetizer, main course, and dessert. A and J is not a place I would take a date, but it beats other "casual dining" places by far.

• Pros: Cheap! Cheaper than fast food, even
• Cons: Nearly everything else