Cuisine Corner - Off the Wall Chinese Cuisine

It is what it is

By: Justin Eusebio

Posted: 11/20/09

You know what really grinds my gears? When those delivery restaurants slip the menus under your door and litter your foyer with piles of garbage. There is nothing more frustrating than walking into your building, especially when it is raining, and nearly falling from the amount of menus at your doorstep. Then it is infinitely worse when you get up to your actual apartment or dorm just to find more of the same. I don't get the marketing angle behind it. Do they believe that because you have 10 times as many menus as their competitors that you are more likely to order from them? Saturate the market and the customers are yours? If anything, having those menus makes me want to order less from them. However, this week was one of the busiest I've ever had in my career here at Stevens, which I thought was a perfect time for a place like this. A common theme with Chinese delivery restaurants that slip menus under the door is that they are usually the quick and dirty spots to get food. The food is cheap, the service is fast and the food is exactly what you expect. Therefore, I decided to try the first menu I saw and that happened to be Off the Wall Chinese Cuisine.

One of the first things to consider when ordering from a delivery or pick up restaurant is location. Off the Wall is located right on Washington in between 5th and 6th Avenue, which is the same block as my apartment (bonus points for even being on the same side of the street!). It almost seems like all these hole in the wall Chinese restaurants shop at the same IKEA because almost every one I've walked into has the same format. There is always one main counter with a menu above the counter and another on the counter. There is also anywhere between 3 to 4 tables, which are more meant to be a waiting area than a dining table. Off the Wall is no different from the rest and also offered the same quick and efficient service I had expected.

There are a few dishes that I feel every person has tried at one time in their lives that sets a benchmark for Chinese restaurants all over the world. Two of these dishes are General Tso's Chicken and the Beef with Broccoli, which I ordered to try and gauge the quality of food. The lunch specials come with the obligatory choice of soup and fried or white rice for which I tried their Wonton and Hot and Sour Soups. I also decided to try the Szechuan Chicken, Shrimp and Scallops in black bean sauce and some Shrimp Lo Mein to see how they tackle other commonly ordered dishes.

When I received the order, I had first thought that they had mixed it up because I couldn't figure out which was the Shrimp and Scallops. After careful taste testing, I realized that I mistook one dish for another, and after a quick laugh with my roommate, continued with my meal. I have come to expect a certain level of quality from restaurants like these, and Off the Wall hit the mark just right. It seems to me that only with Chinese takeout can you classify a restaurant as a "Good Kind of Bad" and have that acceptable. Off the Wall is definitely a "Good-Bad" spot that gets what you want, when you want it, at a very reasonable price.

I wish that these delivery restaurants could step into the digital age and realize if I want their menu that I'll find it online. No matter how much you bombard me with your menus, it won't make me order from you any more or any less. But I do appreciate you for what you are. Off the Wall has been around way before me, and I expect with its mix of speed, price and quality that it will be around for years to come. While the average food keeps my feet on the ground, it will also keep me coming back for more. But you know what really grinds my gears? People from the 19th century…

Food: 3/5
Service: 4/5
Ambiance: 3.5/5
Overall: 3.5/5