O'mei Restaurant
Santa Cruz, CA 95060-5246
Phone: (831) 425-8458
User Reviews for O'mei Restaurant
11/24/2006 Posted by tjrabbitry
O'mei has been my very favorite restaurant for easily twenty years. Every aspect of O'mei is quality - from the impeccable service (often the waitstaff amazes me by memorizing my order), to the fresh food, seasonal menus in accordance with what's locally fresh and available, and the wide array of intense flavors. I always begin with the red oil dumplings, which must always be a large order (at least); move over, potstickers, these little gems are addictive. They're hot, but very pleasantly so - you can feel the endorphins kick in - and the heat doesn't mask the distinct chili flavor of the oil, which contrasts so perfectly with the mild dumplings. (Go ahead, try to be cool with chopsticks with these slippery little devils). Before these arrive, your waitperson will offer you a variety of small dishes - sesame cashews, marinated seaweed, among several other delicacies. Every dish I've had here is always very fresh - the flavor of the crisply tender asparagus is only accentuated by the black bean sauce, not covered by it, and the pungency of the rosemary brings taste buds to life when grilled with the chicken. A staple in my diet is O'mei's gan pung chicken; no one has ever come close to perfecting this dish like they have. Tender, crispy chicken combined with an indescribable sweet/spicy sauce - lots of sweet garlic and shreds of black mushrooms make this dish a must-have. Don't expect to order artificially red sweet and sour pork here, and you won't get fried won tons. Think fresh food, huge variety, lots of veggies, expertly made and presented, all with an Asian flair, and that's O'mei.
Pros: Best Asian food anywhere, excellent service
Cons: Better save up - you can't order just one dish
05/20/2006 Posted by fifthnail
I found the food and service terrible. When I didn't know too much about the restaurant I decided to check it out. My girlfriend came along also. We found ourselves waiting for an extended amount of time to be seated. Then when we finally got our meal it was cold. They brought out a hot dish 17 minutes later. By that time I was ready to leave! I will not be visiting O'mei again. They should name it to O'NO!
Pros: nice look
Cons: food, service
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