American Chinese food is a pretty tough genre of cuisine. One needs to have the perfect mix of what the masses want with touches here and there of quality and identity. If your sweet red sauce is from a huge jug of "Sweet Red Sauce," then who cares to go to you versus Panda Express or some other local take-out place. I must admit that Cathay House provides a mix of positives and negatives.
The menu takes me right back to childhoods of special nights out at "Wing Wah". It has all the old favorites: generic hot tea, fried wontons, sweet and sour plates of thick, gooey sauce and deep fried whatever, egg drop soup (actually pretty fresh and light tasting), even a Puu Puu Platter (which I have not had the option to try yet).
Of the things that we tried, the best of the bunch were the appetizers and soups (dumplings and egg drop). Both tasted like they were recently made and had distinctive flavor apart from generic "Oriental". I wish that I could say the same of the entrees. My pork dish was not spicy in the least, and the roast pork was old and overcooked. My wife's beef dish was a significant improvement, as the meat was tenderized and seasoned well. In both dishes, the veggies were fresh and properly cooked to meld flavors and soften just a bit. Sadly, they were coated with LOTS of sauce that did not show the distinctive palate that the soup and wontons showed were potentials within their kitchen.
The ambiance is not much to talk about and can feel a bit awkward depending on the day and time that you arrive. If the dining room is near-empty, it feels like you're out of place at times, even if it IS dinner time. I'm told that attending when the buffet is up and rushing provides more variety and quality than dining as "normal". I have to say that we'll give it another shot.
