I would like to see a law passed that outlaws all strip malls. (I actually believe that I could be kidnapped, driven around for several hours or several days, then dropped off anywhere on one of the major streets in the area – oh, say Randall Road for instance – and I would be unable to tell you where I was.  This is because – and I am not exaggerating – every single strip mall has stores identical to every other strip mall). 

Lately however, I have begun to realize that there are a number of really great places to eat in these very malls.  You may be aware of some of them, but I am willing to bet that there are a number of them that you have never heard about – let alone eaten at – including the subject of this review; Silver Lake Restaurant. Silver Lake is a local restaurant (St. Charles) that serves, according to its menu, the “Finest in Szechwan and Cantonese Cuisine.”  After a recent trip there, I wholeheartedly agree.

It was about 6:30 on a Tuesday evening… and, once again as I walked through the door, I was surprised at how empty a restaurant could be.  Silver Lake is rather small, with a total of about a dozen booths and perhaps a half-dozen tables, and there were only two tables occupied in the whole place.  As you know, this scares me because I always figure that empty tables tell important stories.  But we were immediately greeted by a smiling and very friendly host who seated us at a large, round table – there were five of us – giving us plenty of room.

When it comes to going out to eat, I really don’t care if the restaurant is a small bar/grill in the north woods or a fine dining establishment with wait staff in tuxedos and crystal and silver on the table.  The key issues for me are pretty much always the same: good service, clean surroundings, little to no distractions (bad music, inattentive wait staff, etc), a high rating on what I call Truth-in-Menu (do you get what the menu says you are supposed to get?) and a good price-to-value ratio for my meal.  Silver Lake received high marks on all of these criteria.

The extensive menu includes an incredibly vast array of appetizers, soups, seafood, beef, poultry, pork and vegetable dishes as well as endless other possibilities.  This always makes it difficult for me to choose – everyone had a tough time on this occasion – everything sounded so good.  We finally selected a Combo Tray of appetizers ($11: Egg Rolls, BBQ Ribs, Crab Rangoon, Beef Teriyaki Stick and Cantonese Fried shrimp) and additional Crab Rangoons ($5.50).  For dinner, we ordered Sweet and Sour Chicken ($8.50), Fresh Lite Shrimp Steam ($9.50), and a Triple Delight ($11.95 – a combo of “shrimp, chicken and beef with bok choy, pea pods, water chestnuts, mushrooms and bay corn in a dark sauce”).  We also enjoyed a great Mai Tai, Long Island Iced Tea, Plum Wine and Tsing Tao beer.

The meals were all king-sized and excellent in flavor – without MSG.  As I stated above, Silver Lake ranks high in all categories, especially the price-to-value ratio.  The service was excellent, prices were very reasonable and the portions were huge – we all took some of our meals home with us.  I am pleased to rank it as a “Four Zin experience” and strongly recommend that you give it a try… soon!