Macau Casino Restaurant

Where: 9811 South Tacoma Way, Lakewood, 253.983.1777

Hours: Open 24 hours a day except 7- 11 a.m. Tuesday and Wednesday. Happy Hour is daily from 4-7 p.m. and 11 p.m. to 2 a.m.

Cuisine: Chinese, Thai, and American.

Scene: Sparsely decorated dining area occupied mostly by guys in loafers, pleated slacks and silk shirts taking a break from the gaming - the main attraction.

Drinks: Full bar, bottled and draft beer, specialty cocktails and some wine.

Prices: $10.95-$42.95

ANNOUNCER: For over four years, the Macau Casino off Interstate 5 in Lakewood has aimed to attract gamblers and card game lovers. With the dining menu and kitchen now in the hands of award-winning Chef King Heun Wai, Macau may also attract lovers of food. The revamped Asian menu reaches beyond commonly known Chinese dishes to various hot pots, wide noodle chow fun, Chinese pizza and curry and Thai dishes, too. American food is also served. Dinner seating for 16-20 people has partial view of the bar. The boys only sampled the Asian cuisine since they agreed it would be wrong to order a BLT where 87 different Chinese items are offered.

JAKE: Appetizer of three braised, split quail arrived devoid of sauce or garnish. I frowned at the first bite. Our bland little birds looked and tasted like they'd undergone a dunk in the deep-fryer. I'd bet they were in the oven too long.

JASON: Dried quail jerky, the next big thing? I hope not. I was so excited after learning Chef King was at the helm of the casino's kitchen. I'm guessing he was not working the evening we first ate there. Service was intermittent at best. I think the casino's only bartender was also serving the dining room, which definitely played second and third fiddle to gaming and the main bar that night.

JAKE: The kitchen staff should know how to make the dishes when Chef King's not there, Jason. Our first go-round at Macau resulted in strong drinks (a plus) and bad bird appetizer (seriously bad bird). We went elsewhere for dinner entrées. That would've been our last visit if good ol' Brother Jason didn't have a platonic man-crush on Chef King.

JASON: Dude, the guy has  30 years of experience and is reputed to cook hotter than the Devil himself! That should guarantee goodness, right? Either way, I'd drank the Kool-Aid and dammit, we had to go back.

JAKE: Disillusion and desperation did not look good on you, brother. Focus on the good stuff, like General Tso's Chicken.

JASON: Ah yes, a bed of blanched, steaming hot broccoli played stage for one of the tastiest versions of General Tso's Chicken I've ever consumed. A mash-up of Hunan and Szechuan cooking styles, there's no definite rule as to what makes this dish authentic. I just loved (and I do mean loved) the way it tasted. The broccoli was al dente and provided a gentle crunch in contrast to the chicken. I hesitate using "sweet and sour" as a descriptor here - no unnatural shade of pink or orange, not cloyingly sweet. Deep amber-colored and rich with layers of flavors, the sauce coated chicken morsels that were moderately crisp outside and very tender inside.

JAKE: On that return trip, we thankfully had our own server. The Mongolian beef came highly recommended, and savory meat was tender through and through. Marbled meat meant flavor, not chewy fat, which is always nice. Large bowls of steaming, sticky white rice were served with the dishes each time.

JASON: The prawns in both a big plastic bowl of green curry prawns and a platter of from-scratch fried rice, were nicely done, not rubbery or tough. I almost wept in relief. Fried rice had fluffy scrambled egg, little pork chunks, bits of carrot and peas and ribbons of green onion. I added some soy sauce.

JAKE: Half-inch-thick and the size of quarters, 15 or so tender scallops mingled with partially crushed black beans, green and red bell pepper, garlic, red chilies and white onion. That dish was so good - I admit I'm glad we went back. Still, I'm never ordering quail there again. I don't care who's cooking.