Bites Nearby: Where East Meets West

Draft beer drinkin' buddies ordering cheeseburgers and shaved steak sandwiches at a Chinese food restaurant? Yep, it's all about harmony this week, folks. More specifically, a place that blends two opposite things and makes them work as a cohesive whole. This is an impressive order for any business to accomplish, let alone a restaurant; but Lee's in Riverside manages to do it perfectly.

On the outside, Lee's looks like an all-American place; and to be fair, half of it is. By day/mid-evening, Lee's is a top-notch, sit-down Chinese food restaurant, serving your freshly made Eastern favorites at reasonable prices. By night, it's a lounge and sports bar, drawing locals for dancing and socializing until 1 a.m.

In fact, we were pleasantly surprised at how popular the lounge portion of Lee's was, especially during the early week. It wasn't even 9:00 p.m. on a Monday night, and the parking lot was full and the bar crowded. The lounge side of the building doesn't seem out of place, as there's something organic and down-home about Lee's that's able to blend the sports bar crowd with the family establishment steps away through a separating door.

The menu, of course, is wonderful. Lee's has extensive poultry and beef options and its appetizer list goes above and beyond what you'd expect from a place of this culinary genre. For example, you can start off with a fried banana in lieu of egg rolls, and that's pretty cool.

Lee's also has an American section on their menu, seven items in all. At first glance, it may seem insufficient, but the shaved steak sandwich is a favorite among lounge patrons, along with the cheeseburger. Again, it just works.

So if you're in the mood for some great Chinese cuisine or a fun night out with friends, check out Lee's in Riverside. Either way, you'll get what you're looking for.