Golden Chopstix

While I enjoy having a Chinese place in town, this one is average. The service is good and fast. But the food is bland and it seems to have extra salt added to compensate. For a quick, cheap lunch, give it a try. Otherwise, head over to Air Thai to feed your need for Asian cuisine.

This review is more for the bar than anything else. I'm not a good judge of Asian food, so I'd give it 3 stars. It's your normal non-organic restaurant food.

The drinks are strong and reasonably priced. They have good( craft) beer on tap and in bottles for a pretty cheap price. There is normally a good beer on tap for 3 bucks a pint. The bartenders are funny and do a great job.

The crowd here is always an odd mix and often hilarious mix. This isn't all that surprising given that this is an Asian restaurant with an Elk on the front and a country bar in the back.

They've also got one pool table.

Living in Harrisburg limits your choices for bars, but this is my favorite.

Upon the advice of an internet pal from another site, I took a little drive down to Harrisburg today to give this place a try.

I really enjoy these obscure little shunpiker destination hamlets that dot the Willamette Valley on both sides of I-5. Each has its own individual character and unique denizens. I asked a sidewalk stroller for directions. He pointed cater-corner across the intersection and said: "That's it right there." and gave me a friendly smile. I was thrown by the cut-out silhouette of a bull elk above the sign. Not something I would usually associate with a Chinese eatery. When I saw the Oregon Hunter's Association decal proudly displayed in the window, all became clear. They get points from me on the strength of that membership alone.

The restaurant is neat and clean and housed in a charming old bank building which has two walk-in vaults. Patrons can actually dine in one of them. Talk about intimacy!

I ordered General Tseng's Chicken; deep fried Breast Meat with Mushrooms (both Meadow and Shitake), Water Chestnuts, Baby Corn, Carrots, Bamboo Shoots, Onion, Broccoli and Bell Peppers in a semi-spicy Szechuan Sauce. ($8.50) I upgraded the White Rice to Pork Fried for an extra $1 and added a cup of Hot & Sour Soup for $1.50. These were some good eats people! When I saw the platter of food, I anticipated needing a box. But before I knew it my food was gone! The H&S Soup was very good. Interestingly, I did not get the usual Cracker. The Fried Rice was a little oilier than I'm used to but was very flavorful.

My server was a very pleasant young man who was very accommodating and did a first rate job.

If you're in the neighborhood or if, like me, you just get a hankerin' for a drive in the country, give the Golden Chopstix a try. I think you'll like it.