New eatery scores big with friendly staff, but confusing menu, dry chicken disappoint
By CRYSTAL PETROCELLI
Get Out

Wait: We walked into the sparsely populated Mei Xiang at 7:30 p.m. on a Wednesday. The hostess stand was unmanned, but the woman pouring drinks at the bar welcomed us and let us know someone would be with us in a moment.

Service: Every Mei Xiang staffer was kind, thankful and thoughtful. The new Asian eatery was only a few weeks old when we stopped by, but you’d never know it from the relaxed yet on-the-ball waitress to the friendly manager who wandered the room checking on and chatting with guests. And — bonus! — our leftovers were boxed for us.

What we liked: We delighted in the menu prices and liberal use of fresh produce. Unfortunately, the highlight of our unintentionally bacon-heavy meal ended up being a buck-fifty starter — one heavily stocked wonton soup. It was so wonderfully thick with shrimp, chicken, carrots, snow peas, mushrooms and wontons that I couldn’t see any broth — delicious, hot and hearty. Thick in a not-so-good way were our pot stickers, which had too dense of a wrap around the small pork-and-veggie nuggets. Kudos, though, for giving us more than the standard sweet and sour dip with our spring roll — the wasabi sauce option was particularly pleasing for us spice lovers. As for our disappointing main dishes, I blame a confusing menu and dry chicken. The words “bacon” and “pork” both appear in various menu descriptions, which I assumed meant some plates used my favorite crispy breakfast side while others were made with the other white meat. Not so. Our twice-cooked Canton pork was a plate of sauteed bacon! While I’ve been known to down six or seven strips of bacon before noon, the thought of digging into a mound of it for dinner was disturbing. The chewy-soft texture didn’t help. On the other end of the texture spectrum were the chunks of sawdust-dry chicken in our Mei Xiang fried rice (again, got bacon instead of the pork we were expecting). The same chunks, only slightly less dry, were used in our fireless spicy spring chicken.

Scene: A sleek, clean design with a giant noise-proof picture window framing the chaotic kitchen. It’s not fine dining, but the thick paper napkin settings didn’t mesh with the look and feel of Mei Xiang. Maybe they’re still searching for that perfect linen.

Bathroom break: Spotless with a few Asian art pieces.

Tab for two: $42 with tip and tax for one spring roll ($1.75), pot stickers ($5.95), small bowl of wonton soup ($1.50), spicy spring chicken ($7.95), twice-cooked Canton pork ($7.95), Mei Xiang fried rice ($7.95).

If work weren’t buying: It’s a nice-looking space with a great staff. If only I could say such things about the food.

Fresh vegetables, fruit make meals enjoyable, but hey, let's get those leftovers boxed

By CHRIS PAGE
Get Out

Wait: We arrived at 8 on a Thursday night and were seated immediately in the lightly populated dining room.

Service: Our server was expedient, the kitchen was speedy and the friendly manager made a point to chat with us after the meal. The only slight: When the dining room is empty and servers have time, we like when our leftovers are boxed for us. Here, it’s do-it-yourself with Styrofoam boxes. My date spilled a little sauce on her lap. D’oh!

What we liked: Pardon my jadedness, but I’m used to Asian restaurants peddling heavy, greasy, not-so-fresh food. Mei Xiang is the antithesis: The shrimp and veggies taste fresh and light. The crab puffs, served with a side of creamy wasabi, are divine. And my entree, the Picasso shrimp with fruit, was a wonderful blend of shrimp, avocado, melon, pineapple and bell peppers, wading in a light white sauce. We were too full from our meals to contemplate the restaurant’s tempting dessert menu, which boasts such spritely offerings as an ice cream martini and a strawberry shortcake parfait.

Scene: Lots of clean lines, hardwood flooring and framed photographs of Asian kitchenry, plus the exposed-duct ceiling and track lighting, transform this strip mall eatery into something with the vibe of a pomo art gallery. We especially liked the glass picture window allowing a peek into the tidy, large kitchen without having to suffer through kitchen noise.

Bathroom break: The men’s room is a no-frills john that’s sparkling clean.

Tab for two: $40 with tax and tip for crab puffs ($4.95), low-cal shrimp with vegetables ($8.95) and Picasso shrimp ($11.95).

If work weren’t buying: We’ve been won over by another strip mall surprise. Mei Xiang’s an Asian oasis in Gilbert, and we’ll be back for sure.

Mei Xiang
1534 E. Ray Road, Gilbert

Major cross streets: Ray Road and Val Vista Drive
Hours: 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Mon.-Thu., 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Fri.-Sat., noon to 9 p.m. Sun.
Reservations accepted? No
Health report: None
Kid friendly? Yes, very
Web site? No