It took a while, but this legendarily great restaurant finally decided to incorporate a lunch menu onto its bill of fare. (The sweet and sour chicken is perhaps my favorite dish at China Bistro. It tastes amazing but I could never finish an entire dinner-sized portion in the middle of a workday). For anyone who never has tasted kosher Chinese food, China Bistro is the perfect place to start. Soft and delicious are the best two adjectives to describe the food here. It comes at a steep price, though. This isn't your run-of-the-mill Chinese joint found on every New York City street corner. You'll be hard-pressed to spend less than $20 after tax and tip on an entrée, but the cost is justified. Beef and chicken offerings abound and one is better than the next. Just don't plan on coming on Shabbat. The restaurant closes at 4 p.m. every Friday and doesn't re-open until Saturday at 7 p.m. Pros: Excellent food and convenient location inside the amazing Waterways Shoppes. Cons: Expensive and no view from either the dining room or the spacious patio out front. Good thing the marina is a scant one-minute walk away for a truly picturesque stroll.

- Written by Mary Smith
February 1, 2011