Tea House Chinese Restaurant

Casual suburban dining is usually limited to greasy food courts, carb-laden sandwich shops, and franchised “microbreweries.” But one day, heading for home off Highway 55, we spotted the Tea House: A shining beacon amid a tangle of road construction it had been here, waiting for us, all along. Serving up two menus—authentic Schezuan fare and gentler, Americanized dishes—the Tea House welcomes people of all palates. The city-dweller can end his search for marinated bamboo tips here, the farmboy can test his tolerance with a variety of hot chili sauces, and the soccer mom can quiet the kids with egg rolls and dan-dan noodles before heading to a movie at the Willow Creek Theater. If all this can happen at a strip mall in unassuming Plymouth… well, there may be hope for Maple Grove after all. 88 Nathan Lane, Plymouth; 763-544-3422