The Best Chinese Food Ever
by Karla Von Huben

San Diego's multiple-award winning Panda Inn is one of the best restaurants you'll ever visit. Beautifully presented, fabulous food, superior service, generous portions and reasonable prices make the Panda a dream come true.

Rather than traditional decor, Panda's designer opted for cream walls with touches of Chinese red, and contrasting niches that hold lovely vases and other artworks. An antique kimono is framed in the main dining room. The result is spare, classic elegance, sophisticated yet welcoming.

The food deserves its beautiful setting. You'll find familiar favorites (Mongolian beef, etc.) available a la carte, but don't limit yourself to what you know - sample the Panda's specialties and you'll be amply rewarded. For a refreshing treat, try the Mango Duck Salad: pieces of mouth-watering duck, cooked to perfection with just the right amount of crispy skin remaining, served warm on a bed of greens tossed with chunks of mango, topped with a sweet vinaigrette dressing ($6.95 at lunch, $8.50 at dinner). Or enjoy Three Ingredient Tastes: shrimp, sliced chicken and tender beef sautéed with Chinese vegetables ($8.50 lunch, $12.25 dinner). And don't forget the soup! Forgo your egg drop and order one of the big, two-person bowls of such treats as Three-Flavor Sizzling Rice Soup (shrimp, chicken and abalone), or Crab and Asparagus. (The soup is always available, but not always on the menu; ask for it - they'll be glad to cook it for you.).

For the ultimate, ask for the Special Menu that the Panda's executive chefs develop each summer and holiday season. For $18.88 per person, you'll enjoy three appetizers, a salad, your choice of entree and dessert. This year's appetizers include Shrimp and Pear Nuggets (ground shrimp mixed with ginger, garlic and sweet pear, browned); the salad is Cool Sticks (julienne veggies and fruit) with Prawns; and the entrees include Duck with Lemon Grass, Ginger Beef, and Tofu Wrap (shredded chicken, black mushrooms, bamboo shoots and snow peas rolled in a tofu sheet, steamed in savory sauce and served over bok choy).

Your fortune, which comes wrapped in a white-chocolate dipped cookie, says you will come back to the Panda Inn.

PANDA INN. Top level of Horton Plaza (4th & Broadway) in downtown San Diego.
HOURS: 11 a.m. - 10 p.m. every day; Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m. -10:30 p.m.
PRICES: Lunch entrees from $6.50 - $12.00; dinner from $9-15; special menu higher. Three hours' free parking with validation.