Garlic Chicken at China City
It was a snowy evening in Saginaw and my wife and I had just spent an hour shoveling. We wanted hot food and we wanted it fast! My wife suggested a Chinese buffet but we decided on China City on Michigan Ave in Saginaw.
China City does have a buffet at lunch time but this was evening. There was a lot of take-out activity but we decided to sit down and eat.
I love hot food and decided on the Garlic Chicken. As a meal the garlic chicken comes with an egg roll and fried rice. In minutes I had a steaming hot plate of food. There were big flat pieces of white meat chicken with a generous amount of broccoli, onion, green pepper, pea pods, baby corn and celery. The fried rice also had large pieces of diced chicken in it. I had ordered the garlic chicken made hot but it was still a bit mild. The flavor of he sauce was rich without an overwhelming garlic taste. The vegetables were fresh with a little crunch. I would highly recommend this meal but I was expecting a little more heat to the dish.
The egg roll was cooked through and had a nice flakey texture. I’m not a fan of overly greasy egg rolls and this one did not disappoint! The flavor had a bit of a peppery taste and was loaded with cabbage. I’m not sure if the egg roll was pork, beef or chicken.
Dinner with a pop was just over $7 per person making China City a low priced restaurant.
China City – 318 S Michigan Ave, Saginaw, MI 48602 – google map
Review and photo by: David Defoe
Romano Crusted Whitefish at Sullivan’s
It was New Years Eve 2009 and we decided to check out the food at Sullivan’s Restaurant on Gratiot Avenue in Saginaw. Sullivan’s had a special menu for the evening. This was nice because the place was packed and it allowed the kitchen to get the food out quickly for those who wanted to eat and get to another venue.
I chose the Romano Crusted Whitefish. The dinner included a choice of potato, salad bar and fresh baked bread. My choice of potato was mashed and I asked for a side of sour cream to go with them.
The meal started with a trip to the salad bar. The salad bar is not huge but has a good selection which included peas and peanuts, two pasta salads, cole slaw, potato salad, garlic toast with cheese spread and a few other items. The peas and peanuts is highly recommended!
Service was quick and the food arrived hot! The crispy romano crust kept the fish moist and firm and was not soggy at all. Overall the blend of the cheese and fish was pleasant so that the flavor was neither fishy nor bitter.
I had ordered a site of sour cream for my potatoes no knowing that they were going to be served with gravy. The mashed potatoes were real and the gravy was not to heavy.
Overall the meal was fantastic and is highly recommended.
Meal Price: $14.95 (not including beverage, tax or tip)
Bruschetta Chicken Pasta
I was listening to AIR1 on my way to work and heard that TGI Friday’s was offering buy 1 get 1 free coupons on their website. I got to work, went to the website and downloaded the coupon. I had not been to TGI Friday’s in about a year and it sounded good. Arriving at the restaurant the parking lot was packed. It appeared that the coupon campaign was good for business!
I was very hungry and everything on the menu looked and sounded good. I decided to try the Bruschetta Chicken Pasta. When the meal arrived it didn’t look as good as the picture on the menu . . . but it tasted great! The tomatoes tasted like they were fresh cut and not from a can, there was a good amount of garlic but not to much, the chicken was grilled and had a slight smokey flavor. There was a light flavor of basalmic vinigar that actually added a mild sweetness to the pasta dish.
When I first got the plate of pasta it didn’t look very big. This was deceiving because the plate was deep and it was a substantial portion of food. In fact the portion was just right, I was full but not over full and didn’t have any left overs. For me this is a good thing because left overs have a tendancy to get thrown away because they just set in the fridge.
With the buy 1 entre and get one free coupon my wife and I were able to eat, get a side of sweet potato fries and an iced tea for just under $25 including the tip. Without the coupon this would not have been a budget meal but with the coupon it was very affordable and very enjoyable.
TGI Friday’s is located on Tittabawassee in the same parking lot as the Saginaw Mall.
