Friendliness seems to come standard at Yu Choy, where personal experience has proven that a big smile and polite request for an extra fortune cookie or two will generally result in a good eight or nine being thrown in your bag. Big portions seem the norm as well, and instantly conjure images of the glory of Chinese food: leftovers. Good luck selecting what you'll do on round two, though. The menu here is a sizeable one, with customization options (all dishes can be made meatless or with tofu, and veggie dishes can quickly become meat laden) that only compound the confusion.

Portions come in lunch and dinner sizes, priced within a few dollars of $5.75 and $9.55, respectively. Trusted favorites like moo shu pork and cashew chicken align themselves with plenty of Cantonese dishes like shrimp with lobster sauce and Chef Choy specialties that include Hunan beef and Empress Tofu. Not feeling the fried rice vibe? Luckily, and oddly, Yu Choy serves up very non-Eastern eats like Italian sausage, baby back ribs, fried perch and cannoli. Uhh, how 'bout those fortune cookies?

Centerstage Reviewer: Kate Schwartz