Chopsticks Restaurant

This place used to be really great, now it’s basically a ghost town and the last time I was there the food made me really sick. I hope the regain their former glory.

Sunday morning, wandering away from Portland, not specifically looking to review a restaurant but definitely looking for something to eat. I roll in to Lewiston at about 11a, Chopsticks opens @ 11.15a (across the board). I wait a moment and proceed forth.
The hostess, and what I presume was the ½ owner (family), was a relatively cordial, not up-​to friendly, Chinese (pardon the lack of specifics, I’m a white guy) woman. I ultimately decide I want something succulent (aka — fatty) and I choose the ‘Crispy Duck’ which is a half duck for a, what I presume, very reasonable price — $ 11.
The hostess offers me tea, and comped it after I’d asked for coffee. Here forward the travelling gets rough.
The duck arrives, with my choice of steamed white rice and a dipping sauce. Time to head down-​hill. The first issue — duck is not supposed to be ‘dry’. I could immediately tell that it had been prepared previously and microwaved to suit my order (I have not unreasonable expectations, but I also have spent 7 years of a previous lifetime in a ‘fine’ French-​American kitchen and any good duck is always ‘wet’ with it’s own fat, it’s fatty game, that’s the only way it’s delicious!). Second to the dryness of the primary dish, it was also filled with bone and cartilage. I actually managed to fill my emptied rice cup with the portions of the duck I could not eat. And I became quickly annoyed at having to shuffle the refuse forward with my tongue and finger-​pluck it out between the duck I could eat and the rice I’d made an admixture of. I must say that I haven’t had my fingers in my mouth that frequently when dining in a very long time.
Upon finishing, and glad that I had done so without choking, I paid the bill and hastily departed.
Some ancillary notes:
Their buffet is a weekday thing — only.
There was another couple there as I was exiting and I’d over-​heard a couple ‘we’re out of that’ while they were being attended to.
I’m sure their pasta-​esque options are good. But definitely stay away from anything which you may consider to be ‘Americanized’ to suit a specific clientele taste. I doubt I’ll be rushing back to have more. Sorry, folks.

That last time I went here was with my grandparents and we had the lunch buffet. For a buffet the food is typically fresh and the taste was really good. They do have a full menu option with all your typical Chinese dish favorites. Parking is street only unless you want to pay to park in the parking garage across the street. This is one of the better Chinese restaurants in the Lewiston/​Auburn area and has been around for several decades now.

My husband & I were disappointed in Chopsticks. Perhaps the start of discomfort was their inability to prepare a rather simple cocktail for which I had the recipe. However I must say that this has often been the result in various Chinese restaurants. We have not returned. Staff was friendly.

I can say, at the least, my standards of Chinese food (Americanized and Traditional style) have increased from my travels to China and Taiwan this past summer; however, this place took me by surprise. After telling my friend that I was craving some really good Chinese, she recommended going to this place. From the reviews, I was skeptical but went anyway.
The service was fast and friendly. The younger waitress made a few recommendations and we decided to go with the cashew chicken and veggie lo mein. I have to say it was the best I’ve had yet. Delicious! The presentation was nice and the food looked and smelled just as good as it tasted. I was concerned about the food coming out too greasy but the waitress said she could request the cooks to use less oil. Perfect.
We also shared a Scorpian bowl for only $ 13. Big and tasty. :)
It’s unfortunate I still haven’t found my favorite Chinese spot in San Francisco — I wish Chopsticks could deliver all the way here.

It was National Chopsticks Day and I thought: I’m going to celebrate this day using Chopsticks while I eat food from Chopsticks restaurant! I used to love their food when I was a kid, but hadn’t had it in close to ten years. After my most recent experience, I now know why I’ve been avoiding it all this time. While I appreciated the humor of the young man working the counter and the speed in which my dinner was ready, the food itself was absolutely a let-​down and an entire waste of money. My spring rolls had no filling in them — they were just layers of fried flakiness. The muu shoo was painfully salty and limp (it was so gross we started calling it «Poop Shu». .. immature, maybe, but that’s just about how disgusting it was). And the lo mein was no better than stuff I could’ve gotten from a box out of the frozen foods aisle. I think I’ll wait another ten years before attempting this place again. .. I suggest you do the same.

For a local Chinese place this has been one of the better ones I’ve tried.
I wouldn’t call it authentic Chinese cuisine. I would call it decent American Chinese. I feel comfortable in saying that given my Mom and family didn’t really serve me things such as this during our family meals or when we ate in Chinatowns in various cities.
So we had the Happy Family, a lamb dish, hot and sour soup, and a order of beef with pea pods. The veggies were fresh and not over cooked and the meat was tender and had good flavor. The lamb was OK and a bit spicy served with sautéed onions in a nice brown sauce. I’ve had better lamb dishes so I’m not sure I’d order this again. The Happy Family had a nice mix of meats, seafood, and veggies also in a nice brown sauce. Ok flavor but I was a bit turned off by the imitation crab since I am not a fan of it and don’t consider it real seafood. I realize it is made of real fish or so I have been told and I do like a seafood wraps or sandwiches when I am expecting it but not here. There were other pieces of shrimp mixed in with the beef and chicken and overall I would order it again and hold the crab.
We got take out so I can’t comment on the place since it has been a while since I have been there. The Hot and Sour soup was mild in flavor and intensity. It was not hot but it was also not too vinegary. I am a big soup fan (out of the can, homemade, anywhere) but I don’t think I’d order this one again. The meal came with 2 portions of white rice which was surprising. Not sure if it was a goof or not but it was handy to make a homemade fried rice after with the leftovers.
Fried Rice is really made with cold older rice. You can add anything you like or what has been in the frig hanging out… be creative.
As far as delivery we paid cash so I am not sure about credit cards and didn’t ask. We gave directions over the phone and they seemed to understand and came in a reasonable amount of time. The driver was very pleasant and had a personality which can be hard to find. The food was nicely bagged meaning nothing was dripping, spilling out or seeping through (speaking from experience and I know you probably know what I am talking about)! Nothing worse than goopy sauces all over the place as it can be hard to clean up.