Out to Lunch: Shanghai Pavilion

Fast service and good food – these are the two qualities that a restaurant must possess in order to make it as a lunch spot. The Shanghai Pavilion, located at 46 Main Street, has them both. It also has an upscale atmosphere. This is no tacky Chinese takeout place – there are tablecloths on the tables, pleasant music in the background, hardwood floors, and a requisite fish tank complete with overgrown goldfish.

The service is speedy. You walk in and are seated almost instantly. It is never very crowded at lunch – only about five of the 16 tables were occupied on my recent visit. After being seated, the wait staff brought tea and water. The only thing I missed was that the waiter did not put noodles and dipping sauces (Chinese mustard and sweet and sour sauce) on the table as they had done in the past. I'm not sure if this was just an oversight on this occasion, or if they have stopped doing it.

There are 24 lunch specials, ranging in price from $5.95 to $6.95. The lunches include such standard Chinese classics as Lo Mein, General Tso's Chicken, Sweet and Sour Chicken and Roast Pork with Mixed Vegetables. But in addition, there are some more unusual choices, such as Crispy Duck with Salted Pepper, Shanghai Fried Chicken, and Fish Filet with Chili Pepper. Lunch comes with a choice of either soup (Hot & Sour, Corn, or Wonton) or a Vegetable Roll or Egg Roll. It is served with a small salad of mostly iceberg lettuce with a sweet, almost French-like dressing, and either white rice, brown rice, or Roast Pork Fried Rice.

My lunch companion and I both started with the wonton soup. We agreed that it is outstanding – it achieves that perfect balance of rich and flavorful, without relying too heavily on salt. It's my belief that this is the best wonton soup in town, and I'll often just pick up a pint to go.

For my lunch, I ordered the tangerine beef, which is labeled as a "hot and spicy" dish, but really was not particularly hot. If you want it spicier, just ask. It was served on a square plate with the aforementioned salad and rice. The beef was in thin slices, lightly breaded and fried with a mildly spicy brown sauce flecked with bits of tangerine peel and hot red peppers. The waiter gave me a butter knife to cut the meat, and indeed, I didn't need anything more than that. The portion size was just about perfect. I finished everything except some rice.

My companion had the sesame chicken – chunks of white meat chicken, lightly breaded and fried, and served in a brown sauce dotted with sesame seeds.

As soon as we were finished eating, the waiter brought the check and our fortune cookies. Total time from walking in to paying the check: less than 40 minutes. Total cost for two: $18, including tip. Appropriate for a business lunch? Absolutely.

An additional note – Shanghai Pavilion received a "very good" rating from the New York Times and has been reviewed favorably by various other papers. If you come for dinner, consider trying the Dim Sum, especially the highly rated Juicy Dumplings, a Shanghai specialty.