If you grew up in NW Gainesville there is a good chance that you ate at Golden Lights at some point in time. I've heard mixed opinions over the years, but it was my family's favorite casual Chinese restaurant until it closed. Many residents were surely as heartbroken as my family was when we learned of their closing a couple years ago. I've even heard tales of farewell feasts in those final days of cheap and delicious fried rice and chow fun. Well, worry not Gainesville, the Golden Lights proprietors are back with a new establishment right around the corner. It may not be pure gold, the owners have grown humble and downsized by a precious metal, but the Silver Dragon is here, so get it on.
I've visited the Silver Dragon twice now, and I've been pleased overall. For those who never experienced Golden Lights, the fare is straightforward Chinese-American. There are a few chef's specialties and loads of platters (realistically at least 50) with the standard Chinese-American food formula. You can imagine any type of meat, then add a handful of random veggies, then slather it in white/brown/peanut/almond/honey/orange/spicy/fish sauce and place it on top of rice or noodles. If it's done right, Voilà! Instant delicious.
My first visit to Silver Dragon disappointed me overall. I was expecting to walk into Golden Lights, transported magically from the building that is now The Flying Biscuit, on NW 16th and 43rd, into the building that used to be Moraghot Thai, on NW 39th about 1/2 mi. west of 43rd. There was no such magical transportation. The Silver Dragon instantly looks and feels more cheap, generic, and boring than Golden Lights did. They've managed to keep a nice aesthetic of stereotypical Chinese decoration (it's obviously a Chinese restaurant and not a gastropub), but the overall ambiance is somewhat lacking. I will give them aesthetic bonus points for having family children playing, doing homework, and being very cute in a corner booth. The restaurant is clearly a family affair, and that makes any small business just a tiny bit better in my personal opinion.
Who cares about what the new location looks like though? What's the food like? The food is certainly the most important part, and I give my stamp of approval here. The prices are good. With main dishes ranging from $6-$20 there is a good option for any budget. Both times I've gone I've ended up taking at least half of my dinner home, which means if I get a $8 dish and it feeds me twice I'm really paying $4 per meal. That's the kind of math I'm a huge fan of. Also, there is a stereotype about Chinese-American cuisine, let's say, "unbinding" one's lower GI tract. I've never had an unpleasant visceral experience after eating at Golden Lights or Silver Dragon. Whatever ingredients they use are relatively stomach-friendly. I can't say that all of the food tastes perfect, which I'll weigh more heavily on in a moment, but most of what I've tried so far is above average. I'll break my experience down by course:
Drinks:
The only thing I've tried is their (hot) tea because it's a must-have. The same ridiculously hot metal teapot that you've seen a thousand other times at a thousand other Chinese restaurants is presented steeping a very simple and soothing Oolong. The tea service is also helped by cute tiny teacups that I always fill endlessly from that magic metal pot, leaving only a pile of empty sugar packets behind.
Appetizers/Soups:
Silver Dragon does good crispy noodles. Try them with either mustard or duck sauce, both are good. Their egg rolls are almost a perfect reproduction from Golden Lights, crispy and flavorful. They are good but not mind-blowing. The spring rolls are totally average, tasty but skippable. There is some type of pork dumpling that is very good. I'm inclined to say they are fried but I can't remember completely, I only remember liking them a lot. The egg drop soup is homemade and better than a mix, but really only filler, again nothing special. It's almost always the case, but the crab rangoon is delicious and highly recommended to anyone that likes cream cheese.
Entrees:
The selection in the dinner menu is impressive for such a small operation. They've added some pan-asian noodle bowl options (phở and the like) to their already extensive menu, and have kept some duck dishes available as well. My advice is to steer clear of the Vegetarian options if possible. The Buddha's Delight is a staple of Chinese-American cuisine and Silver Dragon's rendition left something to be desired. The meat dishes I've tried are all good. A few notes would be that the Almond Shrimp Ding (and most likely all Almond Ding dishes) is bland but the shrimp in it are abundant and awesome. The Beef with Chinese Black Mushrooms is great all around (the chef's special sauce is a typical savory brown sauce, but they do it well). A personal favorite of mine has always been Orange Chicken, and Silver Dragon pulls it off well.
Accompaniments:
Golden Lights always made a terrific fried rice. I don't know what has changed, but Silver Dragon's fried rice doesn't compare. Either the ingredients or the recipes have changed, and not for the better. Going along with the more pan-Asian side of the menu are a few pad thai options which both looked and smelled tasty, but I haven't tried any yet.
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The skinny:
* Pros: good value, friendly service, tasty, stomach friendly food
* Cons: nothing extremely impressive, hit-or-miss standard dishes, poor vegetarian showing
Make an Assessment:
Overall I don't want to be too critical of Silver Dragon because despite the few flubs I've experienced there my opinion of them is generally favorable. They are definitely my family's standard for casual Chinese in NW Gainesville. Some things should be done better, but they are without a doubt worth trying for dine-in or takeout. Don't be afraid to try something new or ask for recommendations, stay away from very veggie-heavy options, and drink the tea.
Overall Review Scores:
* Grade: B
* Score: 85%
* If it were a movie: ★★★½
* My Feelings: "Good food for a fair price and I don't even have to figure out how to pronounce Qing wen, xi shou jian zai na li? Awesome."
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