We love Chinese food as much as the next website, so naturally New Peking hit the spot. If you live in Lakeview and love Chinese, it's quick, close and cheap. It's also 'not bad' in the taste department.

Which effectively means it's not the best, either. Still, how can you go wrong with General Tso's, sesame and orange chicken, beef and shrimp? Or how about Mongolian chicken, beef, shrimp, or all three ($9.95-$12.95)? The answer is, you can't go wrong. If you prefer to avoid meat, have a go at the black mushrooms with fried tofu ($10); you won't be disappointed.)

And while the entrees don't bowl you or your taste buds over the way you maybe fantasized they would, the appetizers and soups are sure to. Seriously, they're great, and that might be underestimating. Vegetable spring rolls, egg rolls, satay chicken, three seafood soup and even something as simple as fried wontons—all will make you salivate a steady stream in anticipation of the next soft and succulent bite.

As for the decor? Well, if that's what you go to Chinese restaurants for, you might as well stay home. This one-room restaurant is very small and looks like every other Chinese restaurant in the city—or at least the ones with very basic decor.

Average cost: $10-$20

Centerstage Reviewer: Benjamin Andrew Moore