Ming's House

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By JEFF KORBELIK / GZO

I have a soft spot for small neighborhood restaurants that survive in large part because of a loyal customer base.

 Ming’s House has the potential to be one of those, especially if owner Allen Wang follows through on his promise to offer traditional Chinese fare in addition to the standard Chinese-American entrees.

Wang opened Ming’s House 2½ weeks ago in Piccadilly Square in Bethany, where Holdrege, 66th and North Cotner Boulevard meet.

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Mongolian beef is on the menu at Ming House. (Jill Peitzmeier)

Wang moved to Lincoln from Atlanta a couple of years ago to raise his family. Relatives introduced him to the city. He worked at China Inn, one of the city’s top Chinese restaurants, before opening his own place.

Ming’s House is beginning to find its feet.

The restaurant is more of a takeout place, with seating for about 30 people. The walls are bare except for the standard long, lighted picture menu above the counter.

The menu features typical Chinese-American meals. There are about 150 entrees to choose from, including several beef, chicken, pork, shrimp and vegetable dishes.

Also on the menu are a variety of fried rice, lo mein, moo shu, Szechuan and chow mein dishes.

The big draws will be Ming’s lunch specials, combination dinner specials and Chef’s Suggestions.

Lunches are $4.59, with 43 entrees available. Each comes with fried rice and either an egg roll, crab rangoon or spring roll.

The combination dinner special features bigger portions of the same 43 entrees. They come with choice of fried or steamed rice and choice of an appetizer. Prices range from $6.25 to $6.55.

Chef’s Suggestions are more involved but are still standard, with General Tso’s chicken, Happy Family and sesame beef, chicken and shrimp among the choices. Prices are a little higher, ranging from $7.25 to $9.95.

Wang hopes to add 20 or more traditional selections by June or July, which will help set the restaurant apart from other Chinese restaurants in Lincoln.  

American Chinese food typically treats vegetables as garnish, while traditional entrees emphasize vegetables. Traditional fare also makes use of more leafy veggies such as bok choy and fresh seafood.

I stopped in earlier this week and found Ming’s comparable to Lincoln’s other takeout places. I enjoyed a spicy General Tso’s chicken ($7.25), while my companion had moo shu pork ($6.99), which was served with plum sauce and four Chinese-style pancakes that resemble tortillas.

We also tried the hot and sour soup ($1.25, small), crab rangoon ($3.99, eight) and spring rolls ($1.50, two).

My chicken was a tad overcooked, but overall the meal was good. And plentiful. We took much of it home with us.

Ming’s is a small neighborhood restaurant that could make a go of it, especially if Wang adds traditional Chinese options. To survive, it will need to build a loyal customer base.

Reach Jeff Korbelik at 473-7213 or jkorbelik@journalstar.com.