Review of Mei Tzu (East Windsor, CT)

Mei Tzu is a small Chinese restaurant in East Windsor, CT. It also has an excellent sushi bar and a few Thai offerings, such as curry. It's located in a strip mall between a tattoo parlor and a gun shop, but ignore the surroundings. The restaurant inside is pretty, cozy, and serves the best Asian food in the area.

Although you can get such typical fare as General Tso Chicken (and it's very good), you really want to try the house specials. The Mongolian Beef is crispy, spicy, and a real treat. The Basil Beef and the Garlic Shrimp are delectable and my whole family adores the Boneless Duck. My personal favorite is the Thai Casserole, a delicate but complex blend of spices, coconut milk, vegetables, chicken, and shrimp. If you're eating alone, this is a balanced dinner in a single pot.

From the regular menu, I confidently recommend the Spicy Jengdu Dumplings and the Hot and Sour Soup (yes, I know the latter is vegetarian - trust me, you won't even miss the meat.) I love the Garlic and Ginger Sauteed Bean Sprouts with Chicken and I've yet to feed it to somebody who doesn't end up liking it. The chef is very good with noodles: try the Drunken Noodles, the Chow Fun, and the Pad Thai.

The sushi is also great, with some really creative special rolls like the White Forest Roll, the Fujiyama Mama, and the eponymous Mei Tzu roll in addition to the usual fare.

The lunch menu has a wide range of options. The basic lunch is a great deal at $7 for a plate of pork-fried rice, brown, or white rice and your choice of entree. You can add on an egg roll (don't bother) or soup (all three options are very good) for just a dollar. I recommend the Beef with Broccoli, the Vegetable Delight with Tofu, the Kung Pao Chicken, or any of the Thai Curry options.

The menu is clearly marked with both gluten-free and vegetarian options, and the servers will help you select dishes that fit your dietary needs.

My only complaint about this restaurant is that they use wide, shallow serving bowls that take up an unreasonable amount of real estate on the table. But this is a small matter. The servers are friendly and efficient; the food is delicious and reasonably priced. What are you waiting for?