I've eaten at China Palace eight to ten times in the couple of years it has been open.  What I've learned is that it can be great one time and lousy the next.  The kitchen is very uneven.  I generally like their Governor's Shrimp for example.  It generally has a spicy sweet sauce with a light breading on the shrimp.  The last time I went, this same dish was cloyingly sweet with some kind of fruity sauce and the breading was heavy, laden with grease.  I could repeat this same story for any number of dishes I've tried there.  Sometime lots of spice, sometimes little.  Sometimes lots of veggies in the dishes, sometimes just a few.  And so on.\n\nThey do have an interesting menu and my Chinese friends have enjoyed it.  It's the closest thing to an authentic style of Chinese cuisine we have in Madison but it's a long way from the best of its kind.\n\nAnother issue is that they haven't invested anything in the decor or ambience.  It's old school bad Chinese restaurant style and it looks really old and worn.