Chinese food more worldly alternative to fast food fare

Augustana students do not need to go further than down the street if they wish to eat tasty and affordable Chinese food.

HyVee started serving Chinese food almost 20 years ago, and has only expanded since then. Their food is now available more than 100 HyVee stores around the country.

The Chinese Restaurant News has several times named HyVee Chinese as one of the top 100 Chinese restaurant chains in the United States - both for overall excellence, and for having a healthy menu.

It is one of the healthier dining options that HyVee offers, including loads of vegetables and your choice of meat. There are several different dishes to choose from, and all the meals come in different sizes and combinations. Some of their healthier options would be the black pepper chicken, garlic chicken, mushroom chicken, their vegetable house special or the teriyaki skewers.

The food is prepared in advance, so it is not necessary to call and order before you go pick up the food. When we got there, the line was fairly long, but they worked fast and served several people in a very short amount of time. The fast service fits into a busy college student's schedule.

It is a popular place to eat among people in Sioux Falls, yet there is rarely a line because of the speedy service. We went there on a Thursday night and HyVee was overly crowded, the Chinese dining section was no exception. The food is definitely worth the short wait.

We tried the sesame chicken, cashew chicken, and the broccoli chicken. A standard entrée costs $4.67. They were all very good. One can tell that they cook the food continually throughout the day, because it is always fresh and well prepared.

You can see the chefs cooking fresh food behind the counters. The food is presented in a delicate way, with loads of color and it looks tasty. They use several spices, and the food is full of all kinds of oriental flavors.

For less than ten dollars you can buy a two-entrée meal, including fried rice or noodles, and a spring roll or crab rangoon. The portions are very large, so you are almost guaranteed to have some leftovers.

Food experts might argue that it is not as good as genuine Chinese food, but HyVee Chinese comes close. they have successfully created a clean, affordable and delicious Chinese restaurant in the middle of the United States. It is definitely a place you should stop by if you wish to try something a little bit different than the regular burger and fries.