Recently in Walnut Category

By Claudia S. Palma

Walnut Tree Chinese Restaurant in Walnut offers your typical Chinese dishes.

But on my recent trip to this little spot, hidden in an industrial strip off Valley Boulevard, my visit was not very typical.

With my past experiences with Chinese food establishments, I know it's a hit and miss to get good quality food.

In Walnut Tree's case, it was a total miss. Not even some re-cooking the next day with more spices helped these dishes much.

I knew I had to try staples like fried rice, some type of noodles and orange chicken to get a good comparison with other Chinese restaurants.

I ordered a small plain fried rice for $1, vegetable pan-fried noodles for $8.50 and orange chicken ( $5.50 for lunch and $6.95 for dinner). 

I also wanted to try some spicy dishes like garlic shrimp at $9.95 and steak with black pepper at $9.95.

The fried rice was definitely plain, no vegetables or egg, and it also had no flavor.

The pan-fried noodles were not much better. The noodles that were not in the sauce were hard and chewy. Covering them all in sauce only helped slightly.

The orange chicken was OK - it was nothing special either. It wasn't spicy like the menu said it would be, but the pieces of chicken were slightly bigger than other orange chicken I've had.

The pieces of meat in the steak with black pepper were also bigger than usual but this "spicy" dish was also dissapointing in the heat factor.

The only dish that had some heat to it was the garlic shrimp. This dish did have a nice amount of shrimp and vegetables and the spicy sauce was decent enough. 

The garlic shrimp was the only dish I finished.  

I even tried re-frying the rice, noodles and steak the next day and added some more spices, but it was no use, these dishes were hopeless.

I've read from other online user reviews that this location has changed owners many times, changing the quality of the food.

Maybe they should try changing their menu or chefs, not just owners.

If you want to take your chances at Walnut Tree, they offer daily lunch and dinner specials starting at $4.50.

The combos include the soup of the day, egg roll, fried wonton, and fried or steamed rice. For dinner, the combo changes the fried wonton for fried shrimp.

Walnut Tree is at 382-A S. Lemon Ave. in Walnut, (909) 595-6026. Hours are from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Friday and noon to 9 p.m. Saturday, closed on Sunday. 

By Maritza Velazquez

As a Thai food enthusiast, I'm always looking for a great place to go for some of my favorite pad Thai. 

Luckily, in the San Gabriel Valley, there are endless options for this East Asian cuisine. 

After reading some great reviews on a Web site about a small restaurant in Walnut named Bangkok BBQ, I thought I'd give it a try. 

Unfortunately, the reviews weren't entirely accurate. Although it's definitely dining on a budget (there are great lunch specials and all-day combos), I wouldn't say that it's the best dining on a budget. 

One look through the menu and I just had to order Combo #3, a plate filled with my favorite dish, pad Thai, orange chicken and shrimp fried rice. 

Sad to say, I only enjoyed the shrimp fried rice, which was really delicious. The pad Thai was way too sweet, especially since what I love most about this dish is that it traditionally has so many different flavors. 

At $9.95, it was a monstrous helping and I only finished about a quarter of the plate. 

What really tickled my taste buds though was the soup, which I ordered on a whim after catching a whiff of the steaming soup other patrons sitting very close by were eating.

I opted for a small bowl of spicy coconut soup, knowing that the Combo #3 would be more than enough. It came in a much larger bowl than I imagined and was the burst of flavors I was looking for. The milky broth had a combination of some sweet, a little sour and bit of a spicy kick. 

Add in the thick slices of tomatoes, green onions, mushrooms and beef and this was enough to redeem my meal.

What I was really impressed with was the type of service at this restaurant. The man I presume was the owner was the only server during the lunch hour. He was definitely working hard as he ran back and forth to fulfill customers' requests and make sure the kitchen was running smoothly. 

The decor at this restaurant was a funny combination. I loved the traditional Thai tapestries and beautiful figures of Thai princesses above the fish tank with colorful tropical fish. 

On the other hand, it clashed with the home-kitchen-style white drapes with embroidered roosters. 

Either way, this restaurant offers low prices for huge helpings. After trying the delicious soup, I wouldn't mind investigating more into this restaurant. After all, on its menu, it does boast the "Best 100 Thai Food in USA 2007 by Best Thai Food Magazine and Best Express Thai Food in Town by the Taste of Walnut in 1995." 

To see for yourself, visit www.bangkokbbq-walnut.com or go to the restaurant, 372 N. Lemon Ave. in Walnut. 

For more information, call (909) 468-9784.