text: Chinese is one of my very favorite cuisines and with few exceptions seems to be missing in the Greater Phoenix area Naturally when someone suggested that I check Jimmy Woos out on their grand opening night I could not resistnnWith two friends Hipster Chris Galli and Vegetarian Kirti Dwivedi I stand waiting to be seated in Woos hip bustling dining room which in my opinion is the antithesis of the typical quiet somber Chinese restaurant that seems to be the normnnThe decor is bright and stylish the inside out bar serves as both focal point and gathering place for those enjoying a happy hour drink or waiting to dine There are design elements to draw the eye a giant functional abacus occupies one full wall attractive attentive staff and the occasional fireball from the kitchen I am getting hungrynnIn short order my party was seated in what for Foodies was the absolute best table in the house a booth centered on the open kitchen where we could see the important stuff the food being preparednnFirst up a cup of wonton soup I found the wonton to be well made properly tender tasty and the broth once soy sauce and Chinese hot mustard were added was quite good the addition of crunchy deep fried noodles or wonton skins would have made this soup greatnnNext up came an order of pork dumplings which are served either steamed or fried steamed in our case these were simply beautiful and quite tasty as well alongside a small dish of traditional soy based dipping sauce our resident vegetarian enjoyed her spice tofu lettuce wraps while the Hipster and I demolished the dumplingsnnA large steaming bowl of fat egg noodles covered in a dark sauce with lots of ground chicken dubbed Woos noodles arrived next to my delight the Hipster and I dug in after the appropriate photographs had been taken of course The brown sauce was rich and flavorful though a bit sweeter than I expected I would have preferred a little more heat as wellnnArriving next were Kung Pao vegetables and General Woos chicken The veggies were a mix of al dente broccoli peppers and bamboo shoots stir fried with a spicy brown sauce and chopped peanuts This dish was quite tasty with the right balance of crunch and softness spice and sweetnessnnGeneral Woos chicken is the house version of General Tsos chicken and my favorite dish of the night Large chunks of crispy white meat chicken bathed in a sweet and spicy sauce seemingly evaporated before our eyesnnOur final entruee was Kung Pao shrimp and I am sad to say that though it was good this was my least favorite dish so far Those who know me well know of my affinity for bold spicy food and I really expected this shrimp dish to fit the bill but it was just lacking in the spice department A quick conversation with Chef Andrew Nam revealed that the peppers used in the dish were not as hot as he would have liked and that a new purveyor was being soughtnnDessert followed and consisted of Fried wonton skins filled with raspberry or warm chocolate cream and dusted with powdered sugar these were just the right note to end the evening on I slowly savored each bite of the one chocolate wonton that I allowed myself after all there is my waistline to consider The lite crunchy treat was just what I was looking for and well worth orderingnnIn all I had a good meal my dining companions and I were treated to great service and good solid Chinese cuisine Once Woos gets through it is opening pains and adjusts a few minor things it will be a solid choice for the Old Town lunch crowd a dinner destination and a definite social hot spotnnSide note on my way out of the restaurant I walked past the kitchen and there before me in all their glory were beautifully prepared spare ribs Stacked lovingly on their plate an order or Char Siu Short ribs awaited delivery to a lucky diner I will certainly not leave Woos again without eating an order of these more on that later