Lucky Garden - @@@@@

I was working late on Wednesday and most of the team already had dinner plans, so I was left to myself for dinner.  No problem, I will go to a Chinese restaurant that I have been to in the past.  For me, this is what differentiates a 4 and a 5 restaurant.  From a RI perspective, this restaurant is no where close to where I was or where I was going, however a "favorite restaurant" is one that you will go out of your way for.  That is what Lucky Garden is.

Lucky Garden is a non-descript Chinese restaurant in North Providence that I discovered on Yelp about 4 years ago.  It serves mainly Cantonese food, however on this trip I didn't even look at the menu.  As I walked in, I simply ordered my food and sat down.

I ordered a peppered beef dish (not pepper beef), Chinese broccoli, and rice.  This beef dish is one of the few Chinese phrases I know and am clearly unable to translate it to English.  It is beef tenderloin served sizzling in a clay bowl with onions, peppers, and a thick, heavily peppered brown sauce.  The sauce thickens as it bubbles and seems to soak into the tenderloin, giving a rich peppery flavor to what I consider to be a blander cut of beef.  It is amazing and they make it really well here.  The side was Chinese broccoli sauteed with garlic, oil, and cooking wine.  Again cooked extremely well, the broccoli still had a snap but was tender enough to bite into.

I have ordered this exact combination before, and it still is amazing.  The consistency is what helps make my meal great as I am never dissatisfied.  I give it a 5 out of 5 as it is one of my favorites in the area.  It also gets a second photo as an added bonus.  The only items not finished at the end of the meal were the onions and peppers.  I would recommend this place to try if one is in the mood for some good Chinese.

amazing plate - notice heavy use of black pepper