What: The Szechwan beef lunch special
Where: China Bistro, 45765 Towne St., Indio
How much: $7.50 (lunch special)
Contact: 760-342-7288; chinabistroindio.com
Why: Good flavor—and they deliver the spice, if you ask.
Let’s say you’re an east valley resident craving good Chinese food for lunch. Or maybe you’re from the west valley, and you’ve been called to do your civic duty at the Larson Justice Center—and you want a quick, delicious lunch (preferably at a spot within walking distance). In either case, it’d be smart to head to China Bistro.
Just a block north of the Larson Justice Center, China Bistro offers great Chinese food at reasonable prices—especially at lunch. The menu includes the standards one would expect, and I was fortunate enough to select the Szechwan beef.
The dish featured a reasonable amount of tender, tasty beef (you can get this preparation with shrimp or chicken, if you prefer), as well as a variety of crisp vegetables, including green and red bell peppers, mushrooms, celery, water chestnuts, carrots and onions. It was all covered in a tasty sauce, and served alongside some decent, if unremarkable fried rice (regular rice is also an option) and a fried wonton wrapper, as well as the soup of the day (which was egg drop soup when I was there).
One other detail worth noting: I like my food very spicy, and far too often, restaurants fail to make food spicy enough for my tastes. Well, the good folks at China Bistro adequately heeded my request for spicy Szechuan beef, and left my taste buds happy.
The next time I find myself in Indio, you can bet that if I’m in the mood for some delicious, inexpensive Chinese food (and I am pretty much always in such a mood), I’ll be stopping by China Bistro.