Three Chefs

Madeline Marr1/5/2011

Here's a ray of good news for downtowners bummed by the Biscayne Boulevard traffic mess: Three Chefs Chinese restaurant has opened, construction be darned. A bonus for the hungry and time pressed: The little newbie next to Bin. 18 delivers New York-style fast.

Prices are super affordable too, with both lunch and dinner specials. Take the pork egg foo young ($4.95 by day, $8.50 at night), for example. The takeout tray overflows with food (no skimping on meat), complete with fried rice at lunch plus an egg roll at dinner.

The mu shu pork, stir-fried with eggs and mushrooms, was another goodie. I'd forgotten how fun it is to stuff and roll those little pancakes and dip them in sweet plum sauce. Beef and broccoli came in a delicious brown sauce, vegetables perfectly al dente. Shrimp lo mein's noodles were slippery and fun, though the shellfish was a little chewy. General Tso's chicken was a good balance of sweet and spicy, teeming with nuggets of white meat plus red peppers, garlic and onions. I mopped up the extra sauce with fried dumplings -- a definite treat.

Craving a little breakfast? Opt for the egg foo young, a pancake-meets-omelet you don't see much on Chinese menus these days.