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Today, I had the pleasure of dining at Chopsticks Restaurant, which has been a Placer County favorite for over 30 years, and is well-known for serving authentic, Mandarin Chinese cuisine. As many of my fellow Roseville "foodies" have told me, at Chopsticks Restaurant, Beijing meets Roseville. As with all restaurant reviews I publish, I have no affiliation with the restaurant reviewed, and there is no monetary gain on my part, as I am simply a person who likes to eat, and I love to write-up, and publish my dining experiences.
Photo: It's just past the 11:30 late morning opening time of the restaurant, on Saturday, December 11, 2021, and I've "opened up" Chopsticks Restaurant to enjoy some amazing Chinese cuisine today. Chopsticks is located in the Sunrise Cirby Plaza in Roseville, CA. From the outside, the store front looks quite small and generic, but as you enter, you'll notice the dining room is quite elegant.
Photo: As you enter the restaurant, you'll be greeted by a friendly member of the staff, and welcomed to the beautifully decorated dining room. The single television monitor was tuned to a basketball game, which seemed a little out of place.
Photo: The dining room is very large, and the furniture is booths near the walls, and tables in the middle, with low particians dividing the room into several sections. Each table is set with a couple menus, and utensils. The decor is pleasantly subdued, and the atmosphere is relaxed, which makes for pleasant dining. During the time of my visit, I was the only dine-in customer, but there was a steady stream of customers picking up to-go orders.
Photo: The menu is two large pages, and features selections typical of most Chinese restaurants. Since today was late Saturday morning, I went with the "Lunch Specials" section on the menu, which features 38 different lunch selections. If I only had the time to sample all 38 selections! To see the complete menu offered at Chopsticks Restaurant, click on this link.
Photo: Less than five minutes after I'd placed my order, my friendly hostess, Chrissy, brought out a small bowl of "Hot and Sour" soup as an appetizer. This was an unexpected surprise, as the menu didn't list appetizers being included with lunch. The soup arrived steamy hot, in a small bowl, smelling SO DELICIOUS! The broth was rich, a cheerful brown in color, and the soup had lots of tofu, chopped to various sizes, along with finely diced celary. The soup was hot, delicious, and made to perfect start to my lunch on this chilly, late Saturday morning in early December, 2021.
Photo: As I was allowing my soup to cool a little bit, I got up and wandered around the restaurant, and caught a glimpse of some of the staff, at work in the kitchen.
Photo: Meet Chrissy, my friendly hostess, who brought my main entree of "Happy Family" to my table with a smile. I was surprised as my complete lunch arrived very quickly, in only about ten minutes after my appetizer was placed on my table. It arrived so quickly that I was only half finished enjoying my delicious bowl of soup.
Photo: I'm a happy guy, as I'm ready to enjoy my "Happy Family" lunch, which is known as "L28" on the "Lunch Specials" section of the menu. "Lunch Specials" are offered Monday through Saturday, from 11:00 until 03:00 in the afternoon, and are the perfect size and price for a hearty lunch.
Photo: From the "Lunch Specials" section of the menu, I went with "L28," which the menu lists as, "Happy Family," with the main entree of shrimp, beef, chicken, BBQ pork along with an egg roll. A pitcher of red, sweet sauce was served on the side, with a small bowl of "Hot and Sour" soup as a surprise appetizer. "Happy Family" was simply a delicious meal! Not shown in the photo was a typical fortune cookie when the check arrived.
Photo: Like all selections on the "Lunch Special" section of the menu, my "Happy Family" included a large helping of vegetable chow mein, and the choice of pork fried rice or steamed rice - I went with pork fried rice - and an egg roll. Combined with the appetizer of "Hot and Sour" soup, "Happy Family" was a big lunch! The shrimp, beef, chicken and barbecued pork in this lunch were simply amazing, as each had it's own individual taste, and they all worked together to create a taste sensation. Stir-fried in with the meat was carrot slices, whole sweet pea pods, sliced white onion, diced red bell pepper, baby carrots and sliced water chetnut. The meat and vegetables were stir-fried in a soy sauce that was enhanced with garlic and butter, which most likely made the sauce the most delicious stir-fry sauce that I've ever eaten! I was simply "blown away" by the combination of shrimp, pork, beef, chicken, stir fry vegetables, all held together by the amazing sauce! My "Happy Family" lunch included a mountain of vegetable chow mein, which was perfectly cooked, tender and juicy. I was pleasantly surprised to find carrot slivers in my chow mein, which made a nice touch. I love rice any way it can be served, but if I have a choice of fried rice over steamed rice, I'll go the fried route any day. I wasn't disappointed with my choice, as the rice was fried to perfection, just the right texture, and included a few peas and lots of small pieces of diced ham. The rice was delicious by itself, but the "wow" factor really kicked in when I sopped up sauce and meat juices with the rice. I drizzled my rice with the sweet red sauce that was brought to my table as a side. The egg roll was nicely deep fried to a light, golden brown, with a flaky crust, and stuffed with a savory ground pork mixture. It added a great touch to my amazing lunch, and I could have eaten four or five more of them! At $10.95, the "Happy Lunch" is the priciest selection on the "Lunch Specials" menu, but it's a bargain, consdering the quality, selection and quantity, especially when you consider you're getting an appetizer with your lunch. My lunch was skilfully crafted by the talented chef, and all ingredients combined to make one of the best lunches that I've enjoyed at a Chinese restaurant for a long time.
Photo: A look at the medly of shrimp, beef, chicken, barbecue pork, with stir-fry vegetables, and the amazing sauce that made the "Happy Family" a stand-out lunch entree. I absolutely LOVED my lunch, as the food was simply AMAZING, the portion size was HUGE and the price was right. Chopsticks Restaurant gives you a lot of delicious food on your plate for a tad over $10.00, and your lunch will keep you satisfied for the rest of the day. When you're craving some of the finest Mandarin Chinese cuisine in Placer County, pay a visit to Chopsticks Restaurant, located in Roseville, CA. You'll fall in love with this amazing restaurant. Chopsticks Restaurant Copyright(c) 2021 eRench Productions. All rights reserved. We've been on the web since December 22, 2002.
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