Firing up on North Lombard in May 2018, Chef Zhao brought quality takes on mostly Chinese-American staples to a neighborhood otherwise starved for Chinese food. For the uninitiated, the trick is finding the housemade plates, which are not always clearly marked on the menus. A massive serving, the house special noodle ($13.95-$14.95) is a refreshing dish filled with juicy mushrooms, wilted fresh spinach and your choice of pork, chicken, beef or shrimp. Wontons ($6.95) in Sichuan mah lah chili oil are some of the hottest in Portland, with supple wrappers and crunchy pork and vegetable filling.

GO: 4828 N Lombard St., 503-477-8072, 11 am-9:30 pm Monday-Thursday, , 11 am-10 pm Friday-Sunday