A former cooking teacher, Catherine Liu was one of the first to get us to think about Chinese food as something more than fast or cheap. Her particular angle was to emphasize its healthful aspect, which she reinforced by listing nutritional values on the bottom of her menus. Cathy's Wok has all the obvious Chinese-restaurant basics, from chow mein to egg foo yung to broccoli beef to sweet and sour pork. In these days of Asian fusion, the menu feels tame, although there are also a dozen noodle dishes such as pad Thai that inch beyond standard Chinese.
All entrees come with choice of steamed or fried rice and soup or a fried egg roll.
However, the good moments are worth seeking out. It is a Cathy's tradition to line the walls with pictures of the food. Tea, water and sodas are self-serve. Dirty, abandoned dishes don't sit around for too long, but the room has a slightly lived-in feeling. Each menu item lists calories per serving, fat, cholesterol, sodium and dietary fiber.