Plum Garden — Restaurant in McHenry

The second star is for shear volume: of fillers? The first star is for filthy kitchen & restrooms? ( How do you wash with out soap and hot OR warm water? Both the mustard sauce was dritty from powder & water separation - so was the sweet :" PLUM" - AS IN PART OF THEIR NAME? VRITTY AND BLAND TO POUR IN THE MORE THIN M 51% OF "THIN SPAGHETTI" STUFFED INTO the dish? The Egg rolls were fried crust " cabbage / book choy" stuffed - I don't know what? The rice wasn't covered : but since I can't eat any faster that served when the rice gets cold it becomes toxic ( Google : rice for bactillis spores) lots of :" Soy salt" may not kill it all but: the ' soy sauce" was definitely not: Kikomann? More like - enemic Raven's blood? Take home? Open styrofoam containers, wait 2 or 3 hours & you have a biological weapon,if you traveled that far to get there ( it was cold so I threw out the rice first and the the cold vegetables and lastly & sadly the meat - but it was so " small & light" is almost floated into the garbage?

Maybe that's why on a Saturday non holiday night there was us ( 3 hour family group) and only 2 other small tables? Explains the food " quality" but not how they stay in business! Don't waste you time on the team? It was warm, no flavor and served in a half full thin walled leaking top pot that wast : COLD- in 10 minutes! Get or bring bottled water?

We're NOT competitors so I must say this: at one time a long long time ago which DIFFRENT people, the dining area was quaint & exotic ( still have a neon dragon working on the wall!) But that only heightened the expectations that crashed as soon as the serve tried to :" memorize" the orders and kept " forgetting things and bringing the wrong things? ( Get a. Note book? Write it down!) The old custom was when The tea pot was standing with the lid up- it was empty " asking" for a refill. When used/ dirty plate were being stacked it was asking for more space? Mentioning :" DIRTY PLATES" SEVERAL WERE SENT BACK: CERAMIC WORN AWAY= POROUS & SO MUCH SURFACTANT THE " GLITERED"! WHEN THE SERVER BROUGHT OUT REPLACEMENTS TO ASK :" IS THIS BETTER?" ( It wasnt6 ) BUT : why ask? We requested a " pile" of napkins and warm water and cleaned the eating plates ourselves? We don't know how much surfactant or other " stuf" was in the plates but 120 miles and hungry out weighed logic. When asked why so much surfactant was remaining on the plate- hopefully after a hot wash, rince and dry ( perhaps a far sighted dish washer, shef, server and manager?) What would that do to our digestive tracks after liquid emuslified it into the food? Surfactant: a total unknowing blank stare, he didn't know the difference between SOAP & SURFACTANT? WHAT WOULD IT Do? Naturally another blank stare , follower by an assurance the dishes " were all washed between customers" + a insincere smile ( wouldn't like to play poker or elect these people?) Will we go back? Local relaitives lives near and thinks this it's the best Chinese they ever had : further more they suggested it to the group that it was better that the other three around there ( mostly fast wall picture limited menu & " buffet" admitted that they left the food out and just added: I declined to even go there?) We will " suggest ". & " Invite them to our favorites" as our expense just to see if we're crazy? Don't think so, too old and too many plates gave been emptied all over! Maybe they just don't know? If so I'D recommend You go? If you survive -- you will know the difference or try a gourmet delicious dish:: from a CAN! FIRST? JUST HEAT AND SERVE WITH CLEAN UTENSILS AND DISHES, just to be safer and lest dramatic of a variation between good & evil?

Just 4 out of 6 opinions, we may be wrong! If so we need help & treatment, it...

Hong Kong Chicken | 3 Large Chicken Breasts. Serves 3-4 people. Their most famous dish with over 1 million orders sold. Extra tender breasts of white meat chicken hand-dipped in their homemade batter, topped with their Hong Kong sauce & garnished with green onions. Served crispy over a bed of bok choy, mushrooms, & water chestnuts. It all started with a woman & her dream. Mother, Grandmother & PG Founder Connie Moy. This family restaurant began in the humble beginnings of a small village in China. Their Founder, Connie Moy, as a young girl, learned her family's recipes from her mother & each day as a child, completed her responsibilities of daily food gathering & meal preparation. It was always Connie’s dream to one day find a place to make her mark on the world & open her own restaurant. Upon coming to America, Connie’s dream began to take shape as she slowly worked her way up in various relative’s restaurants & began waiting for her opportunity to one day strike out on her own. That day finally came in 1965 on a fateful trip to the great city of McHenry. On a rare day off of work, Connie had promised her children a day of exploring & fun. So with her children gripping her tightly, they boarded a train & set out for adventure. When asked years later about why she chose McHenry to visit that day, Connie simply & surely replied “finger on map, hope in heart” That day, Connie would come across the building that would become Plum Garden Restaurant. Connie strived & sacrificed her whole life to put down roots in a community she simply wanted to serve. Their Grandmother’s incredible legacy lives on in her children & grandchildren. Her son Perry, took over the family business in 1972 & created their most famous dish, Hong Kong Chicken. From that moment on, Perry began to transform Plum Garden from a small take out only place to a Fine Dining Full Service Restaurant that would begin to be recognized as a leader in Chinese cuisine & more importantly, an active member of the McHenry County community. At the end of 2013, under the direction of Perry’s oldest son Jason (Connie’s Grandson), Plum Garden expanded their operations by doubling in size to create the current layout today. Jason officially took over the business in 2018 & has focused on growing Plum Garden’s digital presence by ushering in online ordering, delivery & new menu additions such as their homemade Crab Rangoon recipe, their Bacon Mac N’ Cheese Egg Roll, their Mandarin Pork Egg Roll & many others. They are proud to be the oldest single family owned restaurant in McHenry County spanning three generations of the Moy Family. They have served our community since 1965 & they still honor their grandmother’s legacy with commitment to only the freshest & finest...

I am regretful that I have to post this review, and completely disappointed in what has become of this place.

My family has known the Moy family for over 55 years- basically since they came to McHenry. For my entire life, Plum Garden has been a staple in our lives and family.

It’s no exaggeration to say that we have spent tens of thousands of dollars there.

It was where we went for special occasions. It was the place everyone chose when asked “where would you like for dinner?” It was the place I took my first homecoming date for dinner, was the location for many of my first dates, and one of my favorite places to eat in the world- and I have travelled and still travel extensively. A decade ago, I still would have put their egg rolls at the top of the list for the best egg rolls, ever. After we moved from McHenry in 1998, we used to order them ahead of time frozen to take home with us and doled out sparingly over months.

We are back in town for a family funeral, and thought we would bring back takeout as a treat foe my father. Hong Kong chicken has ALWAYS been our favorite. The one we received last night was rather dry and flavorless. I wanted to order what was my mother’s favorite dish- “Rainbow Won Tons,” but was informed that they discontinued it recently. They suggested “Garlic Shrimp” for a substitute. Boy, was that a disappointment.

Even the sweet and sour sauce was not as good as it used to be.

The egg rolls we received were rather soggy and bland... and $14.00 for four of them.

Now- here is the worst part. The food was priced differently than the online menu we looked at and was what I might consider extortion-leveled prices. We were told that they “just had to raise their prices...” I have had meals at Las Vegas exorbitant level prices that were both better and more flavorful. Our local favorite Chinese restaurant in Phoenix gives us the same amount of food at half the price. Speaking of Las Vegas... imagine our surprise when, as all of McHenry seems to have become, there were half a dozen “gaming machines” stuffed inside an already rather small place- even with the expansion. A friend of ours that had a restaurant outside of Rockford told us that his 6 machines paid all the expenses for the restaurant... and more.

Perhaps we are a bit nostalgic, but I don’t know that I will ever spend my...