Panda House - Omaha

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Omaha World Herald
Friday, November 15, 1991

Dining Out
By Jim Delmont

Panda House Has Promising Future

Johnnie Wu was the chef and founding president of the Hunan Restaurant in Grand Island in 1981. He founded Lincoln’s House of Hunan in 1982 and the House of Hunan in Omaha in 1983.

The latter was sold, and three months ago, Wu opened the Panda House in an attractive shopping strip at 144th Street and West Center Road.

Panda House is a good restaurant. Wu has boasted in ads that all of his chefs have had years of training in Taiwan and that the fare is authentically Chinese.

One visit barely scratches the surface of a typical Chinese menu - but one visit to Panda House suggests that Wu might be right. This is a very promising addition to Omaha’s Chinese Restaurant scene.

The darker sauces of Hunan and Mandarin cooking are plentiful on the menu, but spicy Szechuan dishes are not neglected. The dinner lists 123 selections (by number, a Chinese restaurant custom). The luncheon menu has 25 selections (averaging about $4.50)

Numbers 97 through 123 are “house specialties” made with pork, lamb, chicken, seafood, or beef. About half of the items are printed in red to designate “hot and spicy.”

Other pork, poultry, beef, lamb, and seafood, entrees are numbered 37 through 96. Vegetable dishes, soft and hard noodles, fried rice; appetizers and soups are numbered 1 through 36.

Most entrees are in the $6.50 to $8.50 range, with house specialties running $7.50 to $11.50. All entrees come with fried or plain rice. A half portion of Peking duck is $10.50 (a whole duck for two is $21).

The $11.50 entrée is Neptune’s Basket. This mélange of shrimp, scallops, and Alaskan king crab meat with vegetables and umbrella mushrooms in a characteristic brown sauce is served in a crispy noodle basket.

The large egg rolls, stuffed with fresh ingredients, are only $1.10. A large side order of fried rice is $4.95 to $5.75, depending on ingredients. The House Special Fried Rice ($6.50) combines chicken, shrimp, beef, pork, eggs, peas, and green onions.

Intrigued by the lamb items, I ordered Ma-La Style Lamp ($8.95) - sliced lamb with snow peas, onions, carrot bits, baby corn, and Chinese mushrooms in a special hot, spicy sauce.

This Szechuan dish was delicious. The lean meat was in perfect agreement with the dark brown sauce and tender mushrooms. Carefully seasoned, these morsels left an afterglow on the palate that seemed an extension of the flavor of the lamp. A very subtle and agreeable creation.

My companion tried Panda Sizzling Delicacy ($9.95) - sliced beef, scallops, and shrimp sautéed with mushrooms, pea pods, baby corn, bamboo shoots and red bell pepper slices in a light brown sauce, served on a sizzling platter - and it was sizzling!

The fried rice was light and fluffy, and a generous serving for two accompanied our entrees.

Several deep-fried specialties were intriguing, too. Consider Tangerine Beef, thick slices of prime beef, deep fried until crispy on the outside but tender inside, then cooked in a tangy, spicy tangerine sauce; and Volcano Beef, sliced beef coated with lotus flour, fried and served flaming and sprinkled rum.

These touches are characteristic of Panda House. The servers offer their dishes with little flourishes and extra care in table service. The overall impression is one of attention to detail and a desire to please.

There are five special dishes for dieters or those seeking lean cuisine: bamboo Steamer Specialties, in which chicken or seafood is steamed with vegetables and served with dipping sauce.

Panda House is not small. It seats about 140 in its attractive single room, decorated quietly in shades of mauve and teal. Handsome, comfortable booths along the walls offer privacy. Tables with carved mahogany chairs will the floor. Muted Chinese music helps cultivate a quiet, tasteful atmosphere.

The large menu would take several visits to explore fully, but the exploration would seem well worth it.

Johnnie Wu has an attractive suburban enclave here, with an interesting, carefully prepared cuisine.

In time, Panda House may challenge some of the more widely known, established Chinese restaurants in the Omaha area. Its Hunan and Mandarin specialties seem the real thing; the Szechuan dishes glow with flavor; and traditional Cantonese dishes are available.

Prices are reasonable and service is excellent.

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. return to history menu . Omaha World Herald Friday, November 15, 1991 Dining Out By Jim Delmont Panda House Has Promising Future Johnnie Wu was the chef and founding president of the Hunan Restaurant in Grand Island in 1981. He founded Lincoln’s House of Hunan in 1982 and the House of Hunan in Omaha in 1983. The latter was sold, and three months ago, Wu opened the Panda House in an attractive shopping strip at 144th Street and West Center Road. Panda House is a good restaurant. Wu has boasted in ads that all of his chefs have had years of training in Taiwan and that the fare is authentically Chinese. One visit barely scratches the surface of a typical Chinese menu - but one visit to Panda House suggests that Wu might be right. This is a very promising addition to Omaha’s Chinese Restaurant scene. The darker sauces of Hunan and Mandarin cooking are plentiful on the menu, but spicy Szechuan dishes are not neglected. The dinner lists 123 selections (by number, a Chinese restaurant custom). The luncheon menu has 25 selections (averaging about $4.50) Numbers 97 through 123 are “house specialties” made with pork, lamb, chicken, seafood, or beef. About half of the items are printed in red to designate “hot and spicy.” Other pork, poultry, beef, lamb, and seafood, entrees are numbered 37 through 96. Vegetable dishes, soft and hard noodles, fried rice; appetizers and soups are numbered 1 through 36. Most entrees are in the $6.50 to $8.50 range, with house specialties running $7.50 to $11.50. All entrees come with fried or plain rice. A half portion of Peking duck is $10.50 (a whole duck for two is $21). The $11.50 entrée is Neptune’s Basket. This mélange of shrimp, scallops, and Alaskan king crab meat with vegetables and umbrella mushrooms in a characteristic brown sauce is served in a crispy noodle basket. The large egg rolls, stuffed with fresh ingredients, are only $1.10. A large side order of fried rice is $4.95 to $5.75, depending on ingredients. The House Special Fried Rice ($6.50) combines chicken, shrimp, beef, pork, eggs, peas, and green onions. Intrigued by the lamb items, I ordered Ma-La Style Lamp ($8.95) - sliced lamb with snow peas, onions, carrot bits, baby corn, and Chinese mushrooms in a special hot, spicy sauce. This Szechuan dish was delicious. The lean meat was in perfect agreement with the dark brown sauce and tender mushrooms. Carefully seasoned, these morsels left an afterglow on the palate that seemed an extension of the flavor of the lamp. A very subtle and agreeable creation. My companion tried Panda Sizzling Delicacy ($9.95) - sliced beef, scallops, and shrimp sautéed with mushrooms, pea pods, baby corn, bamboo shoots and red bell pepper slices in a light brown sauce, served on a sizzling platter - and it was sizzling! The fried rice was light and fluffy, and a generous serving for two accompanied our entrees. Several deep-fried specialties were intriguing, too. Consider Tangerine Beef, thick slices of prime beef, deep fried until crispy on the outside but tender inside, then cooked in a tangy, spicy tangerine sauce; and Volcano Beef, sliced beef coated with lotus flour, fried and served flaming and sprinkled rum. These touches are characteristic of Panda House. The servers offer their dishes with little flourishes and extra care in table service. The overall impression is one of attention to detail and a desire to please. There are five special dishes for dieters or those seeking lean cuisine: bamboo Steamer Specialties, in which chicken or seafood is steamed with vegetables and served with dipping sauce. Panda House is not small. It seats about 140 in its attractive single room, decorated quietly in shades of mauve and teal. Handsome, comfortable booths along the walls offer privacy. Tables with carved mahogany chairs will the floor. Muted Chinese music helps cultivate a quiet, tasteful atmosphere. The large menu would take several visits to explore fully, but the exploration would seem well worth it. Johnnie Wu has an attractive suburban enclave here, with an interesting, carefully prepared cuisine. In time, Panda House may challenge some of the more widely known, established Chinese restaurants in the Omaha area. Its Hunan and Mandarin specialties seem the real thing; the Szechuan dishes glow with flavor; and traditional Cantonese dishes are available. Prices are reasonable and service is excellent. . return to history menu .