Monday, October 7, 2013

A Little Chinese Tonight Anyone?!

Time for another short break from our recap of our summer time trip to Alberta Canada… Laurie and I had gone over to Maryville Tennessee for a movie matinee. (When one is retired, it’s good to save a buck or two!) After the 4 PM matinee, it was time to eat.  Laurie had noted a little Chinese Restaurant in a small and relatively new strip center…so off we went.

FYI, the movie was “The Family” with Robert De Niro and Michelle Pfeiffer.  It was violent, quirky and funny.  Perhaps we’re a little ‘off’…but we enjoyed it!

Based on its size and location I guessed that Sunrise China was primarily a takeout operation.  With its brick construction this strip center is a bit upscale in appearance.  One end of the center is anchored by a Papa Murphy’s Take ‘N Bake Pizza shop…

The interior of Sunrise China isn’t much wider than the front windows and entrance.  There are about 8 tables and, as you can see, the décor is minimalist for sure.  A couple of takeout orders were picked up while we were eating and a young couple came in to dine as well.
As with most Chinese restaurants, the menu is extensive!  There are 12 appetizers, 7 different types of soup, 9 fried rice dishes, 10 lo mein, 6 chow mein or chop suey, 6 egg foo young, 3 sweet and sour, 4 moo shu, 13 poultry, 13 beef, 12 seafood and 9 pork entrees…

I didn’t quite trust the waitress’s interpretation of my request to avoid bell peppers in my entrée.  I got the impression that she wasn’t differentiating between hot peppers…which I like and wanted…and bell peppers…which I detest.  To be safe, I ordered Orange Chicken. ($8.99) I knew it just came with broccoli and white rice.
I asked for my dinner to be extra spicy… As you can see, the portion was generous.  The orange flavor combined with the hot peppers was just right!  This was a flavorful and satisfying dinner…
You might be interested to know that the menu also contained 46 (forty-six) Special Combination entrees…highest price $7.29; 20 (twenty) Chef’s Specials…highest price $12.99, and; 7 (seven) Diet Dishes?  There are also 42 (forty-two) Lunch Specials with the most expensive costing only $5.25! 

Laurie went down a similar path when ordering her dinner… She had the Orange Beef. ($9.99) Again the spices and flavors were just right!  Her beef was very tender & she would order it again.  She liked it very much! The waitress and the owner did ask us if we liked our food.  I told the owner/cook that the spices were just right and he thanked me for the complement…
Sunrise China is definitely a family business.  It’s open for business 7 days a week for a total of 79 hours.  Add the purchasing, paperwork/accounting, prep and clean up time needed and they have one heck of a long work week!  Even with the minimal dining environment, (no music either), we enjoyed our very casual dinner and we’ll stop by again soon to try another couple entrées from the menu.  One cautionary note: If you order hot tea, you’ll receive a Styrofoam cup with hot water and a tea bag…  
Sunrise China is located at 2602 U.S. Highway 411 South in Maryville Tennessee.  It’s just a little south of the Super Wal-Mart on the same side of the highway.  Phone Numbers: 865-984-2508 or 2509.  A website could not be located…
Just click on the food to whet your appetite for a bit of Chinese food…
Thanks for stopping by for dinner!
Take Care, Big Daddy Dave

2 comments:

  1. Sounds like a delicious place to get Chinese...plus you can't beat the price. During the recovery of Hurricane Sandy Chinese food was all we ate while we were waiting on our new kitchen to be installed. Orange chicken is the best...I also love General Tso's Chicken.

    Take care Dave & thank you for stopping by! Always good to hear from you!

    ReplyDelete