This hole-in-the-wall worth crawling into

American-Chinese food is really nothing to brag about. How many "Chinese buffets" do you think there are in China? Probably not many. In Bloomington, however, they seem to be everywhere. \nThis type of restaurant tends to lose the intimacy and friendliness that we are used to at family-owned restaurants. This buffet-style trend makes it hard these days to find a traditional sit-down Chinese restaurant, which is much more personal and fun. Being able to share platters of good, fresh-cooked food with friends and family is fun, relaxing and important in our always-on-the-go lives. We were able to find exactly this during our latest dining venture, Peach Garden. \nPeach Garden, located on the corner of College Avenue and First Street, is a small, off-the-beaten-path, privately-owned restaurant. In fact, it is so hard to find that, when we pulled into the parking lot, we almost thought we were entering the shipping and receiving department of the nearby Kroger. To put it bluntly, the outside appearance of Peach Garden is less than pleasing to the eye. \nThe restaurant was dark, and we questioned if it was even open as we approached the door. When we entered the restaurant, we discovered a small dining area sparsely decorated with Chinese lamps and wall hangings. The atmosphere was somewhat dingy, worn and tired. The lighting was minimal, and the seating was limited. In fact, the minimalist surrounding reminded us of a typical "Chinatown" restaurant. Linen cloths draped the tables, and the Chinese zodiac placemats were protected by tabletop glass. Only one other customer was dining at the time, and when compared to our last dining experience, it was almost a welcome sight. No lines, personal service and an available table: What more could we ask for? At the same time, sparse clientele sometimes indicates a bad restaurant, so our stomachs were turning over as we anxiously awaited the arrival of our waitress. Of course, that could have just been the result of our extreme hunger. \nWhile sitting down in front of our zodiac placemats, we perused the menu. The menu styling is in tri-fold format that doubles as a carry-out menu. The extensive menu offers an array of beef, chicken, pork and vegetarian options. Roughly half of the menu was offered in Szechuan style, spicing things up a bit. Our traditional favorites, such as sweet and sour chicken and beef with broccoli, were also staples of the menu. Most main dishes were available in both pint and quart size; this option allows for family dining or solo meals, and also promotes sampling. Brown or white rice comes complimentary with the main dishes, and if you explain it well enough, fried rice can be substituted for an extra cost. \nWe, however, gave up trying to substitute after a lengthy and confusing conversation with the waitress. Despite the few setbacks, the menu will not disappoint. The selection is enough to please just about any taste. \nAmong the expanse of choices, we finally decided to start off our Peach Garden dining experience by splitting orders of hot tea ($1.25), egg drop soup ($1.25), egg rolls ($1.65 each) and steamed dumplings ($4.75). We also decided to split orders of cashew chicken ($5.95 a pint, $7.95 a quart) and sesame beef ($8.95 a pint, $10.95 a quart) for our main meals. Our very kind waitress commended our choice of the sesame beef by exclaiming "It is very good!" We were eager to try it for ourselves. \nWhile sipping on hot tea and finishing our discussion about the prediction that the Chinese zodiac gave about our personalities, our egg drop soup, egg rolls and dumplings were served. The soup, unfortunately, was typical. The simple soup could have been better had it been steaming hot and not lukewarm. The egg rolls, offered both in vegetarian and pork, were freshly fried and served with both duck sauce and brown sauce. The dumplings were tasty, with a tender outside and juicy meat inside. The dumplings were especially good when dipped into the provided soy sauce.\nSoon after polishing off our appetizers, the main course was served. Steaming plates of chicken and beef were brought to the table with bowls of rice on the side. We filled both our plates with each dish, eager to taste the aromatic food. The cashew chicken included bits of chicken, whole cashews, water chestnuts and assorted vegetables. The chicken pieces were small but tender, and the taste was much better than your average Chinese restaurant. The sesame beef dish is as it sounds; beef in a sesame seed sauce. However, it is covered with a slightly sweet, soy-based sauce that was delicious. The waitress's comment, "It is very good!" was nothing short of the absolute truth. It is one of the better Chinese dishes we have had outside of Chinatown in Chicago. \nTo be honest, we are always skeptical when ordering beef dishes from Chinese restaurants. Past experiences with the two together have led us to the conclusion that beef and Chinese food should not be mixed. Beef dishes at Chinese restaurants usually tend to be over-cooked and tough, not to mention being fatty and stringy. We are sure many understand what we are saying; when you order Chinese dishes, you do not expect filet mignon. At Peach Garden, our worries were put to rest. The sesame beef tasted great! It was neither over-cooked nor tough, and managed to break the fatty-stringy stereotype. It was simply delicious and well complimented by the tangy sauce. The quality, flavor and presentation of both dishes well exceeded our expectations.\nThe total cost of the meal topped out at more than $30, but we received more than enough food. We even had leftovers to take home and enjoy as a midnight snack. For Chinese food, the prices were reasonable and the quality was high. Peach Garden is definitely a good value for what you get, and it helps that you can charge the meal to your credit card or Campus Access account. If you don't feel like getting out of the house, Peach Garden also delivers (for orders more than $8). \nOverall, we feel that Peach Garden is a great, out-of-the-way Chinese restaurant where the ambiance might be missing, but the food quality is not. Our initial impression of Peach Garden was daunted by the outer appearance of the building and the sparsely decorated dining room. However, Peach Garden is a restaurant, not a show room. The food is what makes Peach Garden so special. It is worth the drive from IU to the south side of town. Take our advice: the next time you are in the mood for Chinese food, do not go to the same old buffet. Try Peach Garden, and we doubt you will be disappointed. This hole-in-the-wall is definitely worth crawling into.