China Gate - Epilogue

     Page Forty-Three.
     I've now eaten at China Gate twice. The first time was later in the week after my initial try that Sunday evening (see page thirty-six). I got the Sweet 'n Sour Chicken, Beef Teriyaki and an Egg Roll. All wonderful. The Sweet 'n Sour Chicken was a taste of the 1950's - very sweet, marachino red and high proportion of chicken to batter, though could have had more pinapple chunks and various vegetables for my taste. Beef Teriyaki was tender and flavorful, nearly flawless in fact. And the egg roll was large and filled with all sorts of Chinese restaurant crud that you don't want to know what it is (rats and cats and so forth). It was a great eating experience over-all.
     So last Friday, I went back with my friend Mathilda. We have dinner together every six-eight weeks and we've both been waiting, not patiently, for China Gate to re-open. Mathilda's older than me so she has even more memories of the place than I do. She was also on a first name basis with everyone who worked there. She was really a regular. So she got the Ribs, Egg Roll and Fried Rice and I got the Beef with Broccoli, Crab Rangun, Egg Roll and Fried Rice. She gave me one of her ribs and it was outstanding. It was also a good value as she essentially got a half slab, plus her other items, all for ten bucks. I think mine came in at fifteen 'cause of the Crab. My beef was good, not great. It was heavy on the vegetables which I like, but not enough beef or broccoli for my preference. But still good. The crab was GREAT. The wrap was crispy and tender and the crab was silky smooth, salty and fresh. The fried rice didn't have quite enough "other stuff" in it for my taste, but I've had far worse. I think I just want more vegetables than most people. All in all, if you like post WWII era Chinese food, you're not going to get much better.
     What made the evening though, was the environment. The place really is primarily take-out, with seating for only ten people. But we sat there anyhow. The whole place is the size of a closet and as it was a busy Friday night, the door was opening constantly, with the line almost reaching outside a few times. Of course, this is February in Cleveland, so we were both so cold that we kept our winter coats on while eating. We also couldn't get water 'cause they don't serve that. They did have an electric carafe of hot tea which was nice. Also, thankfully, there was a wastebasket for us to dump our trash into. Everybody in line was watching us eat. That made Tillie feel self-conscious. That, on top of her frostbitten hands was really getting on her nerves heavily. I just didn't care. My tolerance for discomfort is very high.
     We had a wonderful conversation about her ex- husband and the "skank" whom he's currently dating. When we were finished eating I broke out a bag of Mitchell's chocolate that I sneaked in. (I'll address Mitchell's chocolate in a later blog. It's another Cleveland tradition. Godiva has NOTHING on this place. I'm sure they sell via internet. Look 'em up: Mitchell's Chocolates on Lee Road in Cleveland Heights. You won't be sorry!) So we had chocolate for dessert, but Mathilda was still complaining about the bitter cold and inconvenience of the whole situation. I just didn't care.
     So the next day she calls and tells me how much fun she had. She ended up going home, took a long hot bath then got underneath her electric blanket. She eventually warmed up and was able to appreciate the novelty of the evening. I had a great time. Can't wait to go back.