Jaunted

The giant pan-Asian palace is adorned with all types of Chinese decorations, from tall red columns and delicate hanging lanterns to a brilliant gold Buddha at the end of the dining room. It's more than a little cheesy, but its sheer scale makes it impressive, and the little ones loved it. Recession aside, the place was packed, so our reservation was contingent on us vacating the table after an hour or so. This turned out to be no problem at all, as the service was quick and efficient, if not particularly ebullient.

The food was good but not great. Jenn enjoyed her pad Thai about as much as I liked my General Ruby's Stir Fry Chicken, which was competent without being particularly inspiring. I wolfed down the first few bites because I was hungry, but slowed down markedly after that, taking home more than half in a doggy bag. Lisa and Arturo ordered the duck, which was just as succulent as it should be, but not as succulent as it could be. The kids had chicken fingers, and I heard no complaints from them.

The table was spacious, the crowd - mostly tourists on that Saturday - was interesting, and the Japanese beers were particularly tasty, so we relaxed with our dinners, discussed issues ranging from immigration policy to the rise of Tulum as a hipster vacation destination, and never felt particularly rushed. The bill of $180 including tip was a little bit higher than we would have hoped, but considering the location, it was actually a bargain.

I'll still avoid Times Square whenever possible, but I have to admit that if you're forced to spend time there, you could do a lot worse than Ruby Foo's.

[Photo: Victor Ozols]

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· Ruby Foo's Times Square [Official Site]
· Restaurant Coverage [Jaunted]