Haup Po's Spin on General Tsos

n is a small, long-standing Chinese take-out restaurant located in the Hauppauge Shopping Center. A red sign marks it only a "Chinese" as it seems to a typical pick-up: a few tables and chairs with counter that gives a clear view of the the kitchen. 

Patch dropped in to grab lunch on the run, and see how it would measure up. 

The Dish: General Tso's Chicken lunch special ($5.35) 

What's Inside:  Pieces of mixed white and dark meat chicken breaded and covered in General Tso's sauce, served with pork fried rice. Diners can choose white or brown rice for no additional cost.

How's It Taste: When ordering out Chinese food at a relative's or party, one of the first questions that always comes up is 'How do they make their General Tsos?' An Americanized regional dish, the name leaves a lot to the imagination. 

Haup Po's General Tso's sauce has a deep orange-brown hue that has is rich, thick in texture while nearly transparent in color like honey. On first taste its a little sweet before the mixture of spicy provides a tangy note. It's enough to prevent it from being two sweet, while providing a spicy taste without being hot.  The moderate combination of sweet yet spicy hits a nice balance, not too much like sweet and sour sauce while not jalapeno hot. 

The pork fried rice that accompanied the dish was very basic. It consisted mostly of yellow rice with a few pieces of pork, cooked between medium to well done, with little to no vegetables. The rice was moist and yet absorbed the sauce well.

Eat This Because: Haup Po's lunch special provides a hearty and filling Chinese meal  for a low cost. 

Sides: Haup Po's lunch specials are served from 10:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. coming with either a free canned soda or a choice of soup: wonton, hot and sour or egg drop soup. Pick up any soup to round out your meal.