Peoria Peepers

With the thought that the year of the dragon was soon to begin, I met my family at Yen Ching, 6936 North University Street in Peoria, for dinner last week.

Yen Ching, which I've been a patron of for well over 20 years, serves an array of Chinese food including vegetarian options, and serves alcohol as well.

I ordered a piña colada, which arrived at the table in a ceramic coconut, and had a refreshing, smooth flavor. I also ordered an appetizer of crab rangoon to share with the table and the Szechuan string beans, which a friend of mine turned me on to more recently. Prior to tasting the green beans, which do include savory bits of pork, I was stuck on the sizzling rice soup and Mongolian beef.

My dad, also a long-time fan of the Mongolian beef, decided to try the orange beef and was pleased with the dish. He washed it down with a bottle of Tsingtao, a Chinese beer.

The dining room has an older, sedate atmosphere that I find comforting, and service was good, as usual. Although fairly quiet in the dining room, they were doing a steady carryout business in the lounge area.

Yen Ching also features an affordable lunch combo menu during the week which includes soup, an entree choice, rice, and choice of crab rangoon or an egg roll.