Masterpiece — Restaurant in Duluth

Rude staff, bland food! I had heard good things about other Masterpiece locations and decided to give it a try. This location on Buford Hwy in Duluth was a disaster. The only average was the atmosphere as it was a typical Chinese restaurant setting, and everything else was just horrendous. The food was bland and dead, but the real deal breaker was the rude customer service. It was a really slow Sunday evening, and there was only one other table occupied. We first ordered the soup and appetizer and thought we would order the entrée later. The soup was so bland, and I kid you not, it tasted like tap water. When they asked us about the soup, I gave them honest feedback and asked if we could have some chili oil just to add some flavor. I guess she must not have liked that very much. Then she started acting rude and asked us if we were going to order the entree. I said we would after we got the appetizer. Then she was adamant about taking away our menus, asking why we needed two menus. She said we could share the one menu as they were short on menus. Now I can understand if the place was crowded, and it would be only fair to ask to share a menu. But there was no one else there, besides another table who had already ordered. Again, she didn't like it when we said we needed both the menus. She started mumbling as she walked away and then said something to the other waitress in Chinese. They both turned around, looking at us laughing out. Just plain rude. That's when I asked for the check and walked out without even finishing the appetizer. Save yourselves some time and avoid this place. Im not even going to go to any of their other locations as this left such a bad after...

Was curious to try a Michelin restaurant. I understood this was not high end fine dining. The ladies were very nice. We got seated right away. Lots of large tables, I appreciated that if we were a larger party they had large round tables. Large menu. Pepper system beside the dish title showed heat level. No other description of the dishes. We ordered 3 appetizers and 2 main meals. One appetizer came, the next item to come was a main dish. We asked about the other appetizers and were told they were cooking. One server indicated the soup ordered was frozen so it took longer to heat up. Another main dish arrived. Then, later the soup and an appetizer (not one we ordered) arrived. At this point it was realized they mixed up our order, the first appetizer was not meant for us or they confused what we ordered. Either way the main dishes arrived before the appetizers. We were finished eating and asking for the bill and boxes when the last appetizer we actually ordered arrived. During this time the ladies were attentive to us and kept going to check on our food. The portions were large, like sharing size. With that in mind, if you order for a table and not by person, you would not need as many dishes and the cost is very reasonable. Our favorite dishes were the Zhong Style wontons and the Kung Pao Chicken. The beef fried noodles were ok, only beef, onions and noodles in the dish. The Pot Stickers came out in a clump and were burned on the bottom. The Wonton soup broth and crab rangoon had no flavor. We might go back to try for more flavorful dishes or ones which were specific to the restaurant if it were closer...

This place is ridiculously good and well worth the wait. First time dining there and I'd definitely go back. Here's the 411 on this place: either get there really early or later, an hour before they close, otherwise, be willing to wait an hour for your good. There's only ONE chef. There are prep people and other staff but there is only ONE person cooking. He's famous for it and you can see it will around the restaurant. Got there, the wait staff informed me that I could sit down but good would take an hour, at the minimum. Asked if I could leave and then come back after ordering, that was no problem, just had to pay ahead of time (in case people don't come back for the food, which is completely understandable). They took down my number and called back after 45 minutes had elapsed. Table was reserved, some of the food was already on the table, which irked me a bit, but it was still hot. The food is phenomenal and well worth the freaking wait. You can see that I review restaurants from all around, and I can definitely say, this is hands down, a new favorite of mine. I drove an hour out of my way to come here to eat, along with another hour wait for the food, I technically waited two hours and was so.poetry satisfied by my meal. Items in my photos: Smoked Tea Duck, Chongqing Noodles, Dried String Beans, Dan Dan Noodles, Eggplant in Garlic Sauce, Boiled Fish Fillet...