Beef Lo Mein

Food Review

Kin Lin 314 E. 51st St.

By: Jessie Burche

Posted: 3/5/07

Fresh meats and vegetables shipped in everyday, low prices and great food - sounds like a dream, doesn't it? It's a dream long come true for UMKC students.

Kin Lin is the tangible realization of this dream. Located at 314 E. 51st St., it's within walking distance of the dorms on campus.

Jeff Ruan, owner of Kin Lin, and his wife recently decided to expand the restaurant to add 60 more seats. The new dining room is filled with light and is spacious. It's hard to believe this place is so cheap to eat at.

The restaurant has been open for 15 years. It has won awards such as the Pitch's 2005 Best Cheap Chinese award. It has also been recognized by a UMKC student organization as a great value for students.

Ruan estimates half of his customers are students, while the other half are neighbors and workers in the area.

Ruan and his wife want to make Kin Lin a good place for students to eat.

"We like to talk to people," Ruan said. "We're like family here."

He also said Kin Lin's food is healthy and fresh. The only oil used for cooking is a little vegetable oil for frying.

The restaurant ships in fresh meat and vegetables every day. Ruan said there is almost no storage except for a few refrigerators, because the food is used up by the end of the day.

Ruan also spoke about his own college-age daughter going away to school and how difficult this can be for parents. He said Kin Lin is a safe place with nice food because he wants his daughter to have a place like this to go to.

I got a whole bunch of takeout from Kin Lin after Ruan made my mouth water with his descriptions of the fresh, delicious items they have to offer.

Crab Rangoon is always a favorite in Chinese restaurants. I was curious to see how Kin Lin's would measure up. It was perfectly done. The filling is creamy, but not runny. The outside is crispy, but not so it falls apart.

I got three entrees: beef lo mein, broccoli with garlic sauce, and princess chicken. All entrées were less than $6.

All the dishes were delicious. The beef lo mein noodles were flavorful and soft. The beef was tender, unlike much of the beef I've had at Chinese places. A lot of times the beef is chewy, but not here. I usually don't like lo mein, so this dish was a surprise to me.

The broccoli with garlic sauce is a great option for a vegetarian. It's simply broccoli that's still pretty crunchy, carrots and a deliciously strong garlic sauce. The dish is marked as spicy on the menu, but Ruan aptly estimates just how much spice the American tongue can handle.

My favorite dish was the princess chicken. It had green peppers, onions, carrots and wonderfully tender fried chicken in a brown sauce. It was better than my previous favorite Chinese restaurant's princess chicken.

I was really impressed with Kin Lin. I got a soup, two appetizers and three entrees for about $26 with tax. There is nowhere else you can get such great prices except McDonald's, but the food doesn't even compare.

Kin Lin's dreamy state of goodness is way above McDonald's.

jburche@unews.com