China Town

Outstanding food and service at Imperial Cathay

The 318 Forum’s always-hungry reporter often lunches at a local restaurant and tells you about the experience.

When eating out, it is hard to find consistency.

The food. The service. The overall experience. Everything coming together to make for a pleasant, enjoyable restaurant outing.

I’ve often eaten at Imperial Cathay (6359 Youree Drive, Shreveport). I can only remember two instances where something went wrong. I sent my food back on both occasions because it was not hot. Two out of a lot isn’t bad. But it had been several months since my last visit. So, on a recent Sunday after church. I invited a friend to join me for lunch. I wanted to see if Imperial Cathay was still as good — as consistent — as I remembered.

If you don’t know Imperial Cathay’s reputation, it’s right there for you to see when you walk in. On a table by the door are awards the restaurant has won over the years. More proof of Imperial Cathay’s popularity is that there is usually a bit of a wait to be seated. But since my friend and I went to early service, we beat the church crowd, arriving at noon.

One thing I have always appreciated about Imperial Cathay is that it doesn’t smell. Now, let me explain. I don’t mind the aroma of barbecue – or any other type of food — when I’m outside the restaurant. But I don’t want to smell barbecue, seafood, Italian food or any other kind of food once I’m inside. I want a clean palette if you will. Imperial Cathay serves Chinese Mandarin food, but you wouldn’t know it until you sat down and looked at the menu.

A friendly hostess took us to a table (Imperial Cathay also has booth seating). If you can, grab a table next to the long aquariums. Instead of looking out the window or watching other people eat, you can check out different kinds of colorful fish swimming through white castles and over bridges. One thing I’ve always admired about Imperial Cathay is that they sure know how to keep a clean aquarium. I have had a few aquariums over the years, and they never looked as clear as the one at Imperial Cathay.

So, you know how the server brings you chips and sauce when you go to a Mexican restaurant? At Imperial Cathay, the server (in our case, a lovely lady named Fei) brings you their version of chips and sauce — a bowl of fried wonton strips with dipping sauces and hot mustard. But beware, you run the risk of filling up on those wonton strips!

Imperial Cathay offers 30 — that’s right, 30 — lunch specials, seven days a week from 11 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. You can have anything from dai chin chicken to beef with broccoli to empress shrimp. Ten of those 30 choices have a red pepper icon on the menu, letting you know those dishes are spicy. Each entrée comes with your choice of soup, a spring roll and fried rice.

I live on the perimeter of Chinese Mandarin food. I’ve never taken a deep dive into Mongolian pork or shredded beef Szechuan. So, true to form, I ordered sweet and sour shrimp ($12.50) and water with lemon.

My friend is much more adventurous. She likes several things Imperial Cathay serves.

So, she chose China Town ($12.50), a plate of many different things. My friend also had a Diet Coke.

At Imperial Cathay, I’ve never waited long for my meal to be served, and this day was no exception. And, I would not have to send it back because it was not hot. Smoke came from the fried rice and shrimp after I took my first bite. Seven decent-sized shrimp were on my plate, topped with and surrounded by slices of bell pepper, pineapple and onions. There was a nice-sized serving of fried rice and a reasonably large spring roll.

The shrimp were outstanding. They were breaded just right so as not to take away the shrimp’s taste. The rice was what you would hope — warm and soft. The spring roll was full of whatever is in a spring roll. And there was one thing — perhaps the most important thing — I haven’t mentioned: My food came with a bowl full of sweet and sour sauce. It was thick, red and so good I could have gulped it out of the bowl. However, I embarrass my friend enough, so I was on my best behavior and used it only as a dipping sauce.

My friend’s plate was a combination of shrimp, chicken, beef, cabbage, broccoli, carrots and mushrooms. She loved the variety. Everything was hot and tender. My friend said her meal was just the right blend of sauce and spices and wasn’t too heavy. And there was plenty to eat. So much so that she asked for a to-go box.

Sweet and Sour Shrimp

Any good Chinese restaurant puts a bow on your meal by serving a fortune cookie, and Imperial Cathay is no different. I don’t put much emphasis on what’s on a piece of paper inside a cookie, but the fortune is fun to read, and often, the message is thought-provoking.

The cost of our meal before tax and tip was $27.95. For comparison, I dined at a Shreveport-Bossier restaurant a few days later and paid $66 (including tax and an automatic 18% gratuity) for two salads and a glass of tea. So, $27.95 for the quality and amount of food we enjoyed in a very nice atmosphere? You bet I’m giving Imperial Cathay Four Forks. I would return and go out of my way to do so.

Imperial Cathay continues to deliver what many restaurants can’t — consistency — from the food to the service to the surroundings.

Letter to the Editor

Dear Mr. Muss:

I read your recent article “Southern Dining at the Cotton Boll” with great interest. You see, I am a young 88-year-old who has roots in that area of Shreveport. My family moved from South Carolina to Shreveport when I was 2 (1938). We lived with my grandparents just down Fairfield Avenue from the original eatery, the Toddle House. At that time, the Louisiana State Office Building, across the street, was just being built as the headquarters of United Gas Corporation. Directly across the street was Osborne Funeral Home.

The original Cotton Boll restaurant and nearby Kalmbach-Burkett hardware store were on Southern Avenue under what is now I-49. The Toddle Hose closed, and the Cotton Boll relocated to that location. Before moving, the Cotton Boll was best known for its chicken and dumplings. It has changed hands several times since moving to its present site.

I remember many late-night dates that ended up at the Toddle House since it was one of the only eateries open that late.

So, now you know the “rest of the story” behind the Cotton Boll diner.

Please keep up the good writing about Shreveport’s restaurants.

— Hines Vaughan