Unique Chinese Dining Experience in Mei

Known to all, plum blossom (Chinese character is Mei), orchid, bamboo and chrysanthemum are the four gentlemen of flowers in ancient China. Mei, the last name of the owner of this restaurant, happens to be the same as the Chinese character of plum blossom, a very noble, beautiful, famous and popular flower in China. Mei’s Kitchen is a typical Chinese restaurant offering Americanized Chinese gourmet and Cantonese cuisine.
Nestled in the east residential area of EI Paso, TX near Hwy. 375, it faces El Dorado high school. Mei’s kitchen could not be a more convenient destination for those seeking palatable Chinese food permeated with American elements. Mei’s Kitchen has accumulated a large cadre of loyal fans over years, especially the locals intersted in Hispanic culture.

To many patrons, customized meals are a sign of respect. Being aware of this, Mei studied the diet habit of local customers carefully. As a result, she offers gourmets catering to customers’ appetites.

Topping the list of Chinese food is the classic Sesame Chicken, which accounts for 80 percent of all sales every day. Other crowd pleasers include General Tao’s Chicken, Salt & Pepper Shrimp, Pork with Broccoli, Sweet & Sour Chicken, Kung Pao Chicken, Lemon Chicken, Orange chicken, Combination Fried Rice, and a Dinner Combo with your choice of 2 selected entrees and a side of steamed rice for $9.99. The Cantonese
specialties include Steamed Fish, Mushrooms with Chinese Vegetables, Stir-fried Rice Noodles with Beef, Salt Roasted Chicken, Chicken with Ginger & Green Onion, Beef Chow Fun, Stir-fried with Green Onion and Stir-fried Shrimp with Fresh Eggs. A taste of these dishes is guaranteed to satiate the cravings of anyone looking for a delicious dish.

Delicious food is not only the most important factor for customers to make choice but also the key for a restaurant to be popular. To a restaurant, the chef plays an extremely significant role. Only a chef with great skills can make a fabulous delicacy. The chef of Mei’s Kitchen is Mr. Mei, the husband of the owner Mei. People always call him John. The couple takes charge of the restaurant together with John as the head chef and Mei as the manager. His specialties are Cantonese gourmets. Before coming to America, he opened a little restaurant majoring in Cantonese Casseroles in mainland China. Being in America for nine years he started working as a chef in his uncle’s restaurant until he opened his own in 2009. Both his father and uncle have opened restaurants in America for more than thirty years. Hence, John has learned a great deal of experience from them. Having a good knowledge of diet habits of the locals, John modified some Chinese gourmets to cater to customers’ appetites by adding more spices for American-like food with stronger flavors compared to Chinese. What is quite interesting is how distinguishable John’s cooking is from others. Mei talked about a couple who always asks for John to cook the dishes they order, if he has not cooked it they won’t eat. To my great surprise, She explained that they can even recognize whether the dish is cooked by John or not just by smelling the aroma. Customers are drawn to dishes cooked by John, even the food is very common. One reason for this may be due to his ability to control the cooking heat with accuracy allowing the
food maintain its flavors and give off pleasant aromas which help to make the food more enjoyable. John is only forty-two years old, still energetic, who is determined to create as many delicious entrees as possible.

As customers become more prudent in their dining habits, they are demanding ever more healthy meals. Mei’s Kitchen guarantees healthy food without sacrificing taste. Its highly skilled and experienced chef John created healthy yet savory tofu and vegetables specialties using as little oil, salt, and sugar as possible and never using MSG in any dish. The most recommended healthy dishes include: Beancurd-tofuhomestyle,
Shrimp Springrolls, and Shanghai tofu.

Mei’s Kitchen also offers multiple drinks and Boba tea in flavors such as: coconut, coffee, honeydew, mango, strawberry, watermelon, jasmine and Taro.

The restaurant will also give special incentives to its customers such as a 10 % discount with purchase over $20 from 3-5pm, and providing some regulars with free milk tea, drinks and Boba tea.

Mei’s gourmets cannot be tasty and healthy without the freshest ingredients. Mei’s Kitchen has a common theme that revolves around the restaurant—freshness. Mei’s busy day starts every morning by checking the food shipments. She always chooses superior quality ingredients. “We don’t skimp on quality just to make an extra dollar. To keep fresh, we are used to changing meat and vegetables every day. ”says Mei.

For a wonderful dining experience, having a tasty delicacy is not the only important factor. A graceful dinning ambience is also essential. The restaurant is decorated with classic Chinese paintings, pictures of beautiful plum set in black wood flames, blossoms, landscape paintings, pendant lamps which emit soft light, and large-screen TV. Mei’s Kitchen offers customers a relaxing and enjoyable dining environment just like home. With wonderfully matched tables and chairs, it can accommodate about forty people. In a way, it presents a primitive and elegant Chinese style which will touch you deeply.

The restaurant is also a big hit with the near-by high school students. The restaurant serves four kinds of combination dish every morning, and from noon till 1:30pm you will find dozens of students are eager to eat at Mei’s.

To ensure that the restaurant is presentable to customers, Mei asks employees to clean the kitchen and the dining room both in the morning and the afternoon. She also asks employees to always wear a smile and be attentive to their customers' needs. For Mei, her employees are truly valuable assets. She feels it is
important to maintain a good relationship with employees and try to treat them not just as workers, but as family.

Since the opening of Mei’s Kitchen in December of 2009, there has been an elderly couple who orders food for delivery regularly. Every year, they send Mei homemade cakes on Thanksgiving and Christmas Days as thanks for the excellent services they have been always received by Mei and her staff. The cakes are always shared by all employees and customers as a symbol of gratitude. Thinking that offering great service and food is a standard practice in the restaurant industry, Mei is touched and moved for her restaurant has the ability to have effect on customer in such a way. Satisfying customers such as the ones mentioned in this article is what Mei finds most rewarding.

Mei is very satisfied with the restaurant and her life so far. In the future, she envisions opening another branch of her restaurant in western TX. She hopes to develop the skills of her excellent staffs and promote one of them as the manager.

When you visit El Paso, TX, Mei’s Kitchen is a restaurant that you must stop to visit for both quality food and great friendly service.

Mei’s Kitchen
Location: 12420 Edgemere Blvd. Ste 107, El Paso, TX 79938
Website: www.meiskitchentx.com
Phone: 915-856-8828
Offers: Dine-in & Take-out & Delivery
Cuisine: Chinese Cuisine & Cantonese
Signature Dishes: Salt & pepper shrimp, Mushrooms with Chinese
vegetables, Steamed fish, Assorted vegetables shrimp, Sesame
chicken, Shrimp spring rolls & egg drop soup, Crispy fried banana with
ice cream & Thai tea
Year of Establishment: 2009