Every day around dinner time, I stare at the kitchen appliances and wonder when they will make my food. I could quite possibly be the laziest person when it comes to cooking, so I am always looking for a nice restaurant to share this responsibility. My roommate recommended Tai Pan, a Chinese restaurant in Clifton Park, and joined me for dinner there.
As an architecture major, I was very impressed by the exterior upon arrival. There is a very traditional Chinese flair with symmetric elements and screening. The interior is more modern, however, with exposed ventilation that is painted hunter green to match the handrails and general theme. Rather than having one level of main dining, there are smaller sections on split levels to create a more intimate atmosphere with adjacent tables. The majority of the inside, though, is covered in wood-panel sculptures and framed kimono robes.
We were seated immediately in one of the lower dining areas, and our waitress brought menus and water within seconds. We were also served fried noodles with duck sauce and hot mustard to snack on while we waited. She returned after about five minutes to see if we were ready to order. We still needed plenty of time to look over the choices, but we ordered our drinks and appetizer. I had a frozen strawberry smoothie that came in a tall shooter glass with a real strawberry on the rim. My roommate had a Makalu cocktail with real pineapple and passion fruit juice. It seemed as though we were forgotten for awhile, though, as our drinks were not brought out for about another 10 minutes. We also waited another 10 minutes for our appetizer, a chicken satay with spicy peanut sauce. The drinks and appetizer were very good, but having to wait so long for them took away from the experience.
After we finally made up our minds, we ordered our meals. The majority of the entrees were $12-15, so price was not a deciding factor. I went with a shrimp dish with sautéed vegetables and cashew nuts in the master chef’s special sauce. My roommate ordered a traditional teriyaki beef with vegetables. We waited another 15 minutes for the dinner to come, but we were surprised to see how big the portions were. The meals came with choice of soup and steamed rice, and the main dishes themselves were enough for two or three people.
The bill came to just shy of $50, including tip, and we still had another dinner’s worth of food. Overall, our water was filled as needed and the staff was very friendly, but we waited quite awhile between meal stages. The food was delicious, as were the drinks, which I think somewhat made up for the other deficiencies. I would say, from this visit, Tai Pan earned seven out of 10. Perhaps if we went on the weekend, or before their closing hour, there would be more staff and less of a wait.
To get to Tai Pan, take Route 7 West to Route 9 North and follow about three miles
