Leong's Asian Diner is "Home of the Original Springfield Style Cashew Chicken!"

"Springfield-style cashew chicken comes with a well-documented story. Area natives love the regional favorite, and newcomers ultimately come to adopt it as their own. Residents in Springfield, Missouri have long recognized Mr. David Leong as the originator of Springfield-style cashew chicken, and as such they embrace the Leong family as a part of their own.

David Leong immigrated to the United States in 1940 from Guangdong, China. He became a naturalized citizen, then served his adopted country during World War II. (During the Normandy invasion, he was in the fourth wave of troops to hit Omaha Beach.) In November 1963, he opened Leong’s Tea House, a 350-seat white-tablecloth restaurant on the suburban fringe of Springfield, Missouri in what had once been a cornfield.

Inspired by the economy of the cashew chicken and the success of the Teahouse, a number of cashew-chicken-centric restaurants followed Mr. Leong’s lead. By the 1970s, the Leong family’s dish had become such a part of the Springfield culinary scene that there were literally hundreds of Chinese restaurants serving their version of cashew chicken, and many still do today."



So, of course, I had to try the cashew chicken. It is deep-fried chicken chunks covered a sauce made from chicken stock, soy sauce, oyster sauce and cashews. It's savory and umami and satisfying.



The dish is popular in the Springfield area and is often cited as the unofficial "dish of the city." Springfield even hosts an annual festival that is centered on this chicken dish: Springfield Sertoma's Cashew Craze.



Grade: A

Ming's Asian Bistro is a Chinese-American restaurant that has been open for dine in and takeout since 1996.



The menu features standard options, like beef & broccoli and General Tso's chicken.



I ordered crab rangoons and honey chicken - both of which are guilty pleasures. If I find these on a menu, it's impossible for me to order anything else.



The rangoons had a nice pocket of sweetened cream cheese, and the honey chicksen had breaded chicken in a sweet, rich honey sauce. Can't go wrong.



Grade: A

China Star is a buffet & takeout restaurant in Beaver that offers standard Chinese-American fare. I found myself in the area after hunting for one of the newest Almost Heaven swings that was installed at Glade Springs. I ordered a honey chicken with white rice and a roast pork eggroll. The chicken was the same white meat type you'd find in a chicken & broccoli dish. It's like flatter, moist and tender. The sauce was very sweet; no heat. But no real texture to speak of, either. The eggroll was basic; I miss great eggrolls (like Chin's in Charleston). Crab cheese rangoons = average. Grade: B

Happy Garden Chinese Buffet in Glen Dale is a standard small-town Chinese-American restaurant.



I picked up several Styrofoam to-go boxes from the main counter and filled them with food from the buffet: General Tso's chicken, seafood delight, crab rangoons, etc. Those are my core go-tos: a little sweet, a little savory, a little creamy, a little crunchy.



After weighing each box, the cashier rang me up. I think this is the best way to go because you can enjoy the variety of a buffet in the comfort of your own home. Plus, you can have leftovers. With a buffet, though, comes my oft-recited complaints - a bit dried out, a bit chewy. But par for the course.



Grade: B

Peking Nagoya is a Chinese buffet in Weirton. Fun fact: I used to work at the former K-Mart that was next door throughout high school.



So, I have been to this restaurant throughout its various name changes in various forms. The decor is standard for Chinese–American restaurants with some big chandeliers and half-wall partitions throughout the dining space. I haven't noticed much of a change in the food over the last 15 years, but I wanted to check out this latest rendition.



I ordered coconut chicken, general tso's chicken and honey chicken to split with the family. Plus, steak hibachi with rice & veggies.



Every entrée was pretty average. The quality of the chicken is usually what sets the food apart for me. But these were a bit stringy, at least as far as the chicken goes. The steak hibachi was OK. I did like the veggie mix, but the steak was just kind of steamed so it didn't get much of a sear.



The steak lo mein may have actually been my favorite because the steak seemed less soggy and the noodles had a slight bite to them.



Grade: C

I recently stopped at the Great Chinese Buffet in Moundsville - but not for the buffet. Rather, I ordered takeout. Buffets are hard for me to swallow in a post-Covid world. But, I do love the variety you can get out of buffet.



I tried the General Tso's Shrimp, which is not something you see everywhere. I really like the idea of this because I'm not a huge fan of the quality of chicken in this particular dish, but the breading on the shrimp was just overwhelming. It was mostly soft breading covered in sauce, which made it soggy. There was virtually no actual shrimp.



Chicken with peanut sauce was interesting. It ate a little dry and slightly bland, but if the flavors were punched up, this would have been great.



The wontons may have been my favorite part of dinner; they are reliably crunchy and creamy at the same time. Plus, this is one of my favorite shapes because you get a ton of filling.



Grade: B

Chou's Kitchen offers authentic northeastern Chinese cuisine. Unlike in southern China, the staple crop in northern China is wheat, which supplies the majority of the starch found in northern Chinese diets, found in the form of noodles and steamed buns. Popular dishes include pork and chive dumplings, suan cai clay pot, and cumin & caraway lamb. Due to the environment, northeastern Chinese people also like to eat spicy and preserved vegetables, according to their website.



My friends and I tried a few different dishes. First for me was kung pao chicken, which is a spicy, stir-fried dish made with chicken, peanuts, vegetables, and chili peppers. It was a far cry from the super saucy and sweet Chinese dishes I usually order. A bit too spicy and dry for my preference.



Next up were dumplings, which I cannot get enough of. The Pan-Fried Chives Egg Pockets were super savory with that slight pungent onion flavor that I love. I also went for some pork dumplings, which always hit the spot. A little chewy, a lot satisfying. I love sinking my teeth into the thick dumpling dough.



Overall, a new and slightly different Chinese dining experience than I've had in the past. These dishes definitely pack some more heat than my typical tolerance, but they also bring the flavor.



Grade: B

Every I-79 road warrior is familiar with Flatwoods. It's often a midway point for travels and has easy access to gas and food.



Usually, that food stop for me looks like a quick drive-through meal because I'm on a schedule. But I've always been curious about the China Buffet nearby.



It almost serves as a focal point for the whole plaza - or maybe that's just me because I've been curious. It is a decent size inside, too, with several rows of offerings greeting customers as soon as they walk in.



I got a to-go box and sought out my go-tos. I love a stuffed mushroom and crab rangoon. I also am a fan of imitation Krab. Plus any sweet and sticky chicken entree is finding its way onto my plate.



For everyone else, though, there is beef & broccoli, soups and fried rice. Plus the American clasics like mozzarella sticks, salad, fruit, and fries.



I was happy to see a lot of the classic Chinese-American dishes, as well as others that added something different. Overall, standard buffet fare that imcluded some of my favorites.



Grade: B

I've been woring my way through Chinese–American take out restaurants in the Northern Panhandle for some time now. Whenever I go to visit my parents, I will often stop and grab lunch for us. I try to pick the new place each time, and it can't be too far away from home so that it doesn't get cold. That means I usually end up in the Moundsville-Wheeling area.



Such is the case with China Wok in the Bethlehem neighborhood of Wheeling. they offer the standard fare, including fried rice, lo mein, specialty chicken, beef, and pork dishes, and more. It also has the added benefit of online ordering, which makes it easier for me. I usually order a few different entrées; this time included General Tso's chicken, crab rangoons, peanut butter chicken, sesame chicken, and steamed veggies.



I would say everything was as expected. I liked that the peanut butter chicken was an option because I don't see that often, but it was a bit dry for my taste. I did enjoy the lo mein, which had some more moisture. Both of sesame chicken and General Tso's were pretty similar save for the sesame seed topping. A little sweet, a little stringy. My favorite bites, though, were are those bites of white rice drenched in the General Tso sauce.



Grade: B

New China in Parkersburg is a Chinese-American restaurant serving up many of the classics: General Tso's chicken, pork fried rice, and the like.



For their crab cheese wontons, they use the folded-over method, which I like. It seems to have more cream cheese inside. I didn't notice much - if any - crab, but I do not mind. I like the fried cream cheese with sweet-and-sour sauce.



The egg roll was pretty run-of-the-mill. It seemed to have a lot of cabbage, and not much else. But that seems to be the norm locally.



For my entrée, I ordered sesame chicken but with white meat chicken. this is my favorite hack when it's available. All the delicious flavor of the sweet and tangy sauce, but over top of white meat chicken. No stringy or gristley pieces. Just fresh, tasty bites of chicken with some zing.



Do you have a favorite Chinese-American menu hack?



Grade: B