Finding excellent Americanized Chinese cuisine is often a matter of the luck of the draw. Not only can the quality of the food vary wildly from restaurant to restaurant, it can also vary from meal to meal within the same restaurant. Not so with East Village's Mon Lung; between its fresh ingredients, flavorful entrees, and sizable portions, it's probably as consistent of a Chinese restaurant as you'll come across.

Composed of more than 140 options, the menu spans each corner and each subset of Americanized Chinese. There are trusty regulars like chop suey ($4-$8), egg foo young ($4-$6.50) and any meat engulfed within a ball of fried rice. On repeat visits, hit up some of the house specials, like lung fung kow, composed of shrimp, chicken, BBQ pork, pea pods and bamboo shoots; or mapo tofu, with shrimp, pork and egg. For staples like sesame chicken, Mon Lung keeps the chicken apart from the sauce when its served, so that the breaded meat doesn't become soggy within minutes. Smart move.

Mon Lungs dining room is tight, to say the least. A sign above the kitchen window says no more than 35 people are allowed in the room, but even that sounds a bit much, and as a result you could find yourself becoming well-acquainted with your neighbor. Little touches here and there bring character -- pictures of waterfalls, a cloudy tank with koi fish staring back at you, a television turned to the local news -- but it's mostly a non-descript place. Just a quiet, unassuming Chinese joint with nothing but good food to prove.

Average cost: $10-$20

Centerstage Reviewer: Andy Seifert