Lin's Palace — Restaurant in Morristown

A gem across the street from the Hyatt regency, lins palace was a wonderful experience for my friend and I. We visited on a Thursday afternoon for lunch and were pleasantly greeted by our host John. I’ll preface this review with - at every dish brought to our table John was in lock step with us. Giving great recommendations and seamlessly weaving friendly chatter about our families and telling us about his illustrious 50 year career in food. We started with the pork and Szechuan soup - lightly pickled veg, greens, and thin sliced pork in a savory broth. Following soup, we would try the homemade Taiwanese sausage served with sliced garlic - brilliant homemade flavor! For entree I don’t know how but John knew I wanted traditional Cantonese steamed fish with scallion and ginger and he did not disappoint. A large sea bass arrived at our table and it was perfect in every way! For a vegetable we ordered bok choy that was far from authentic and tasted like it was covered in butter - this was not the veg I had in mind and I didn’t care for it however my lunch mate enjoyed it. John also brought us some off the menu tomato salad with tomatos grown in his own garden. Fresh and bright and a lovely accompaniment to our fish. I enjoyed the food and company very much. 4 stars from me since I didn’t think the vegetable was cooked properly and while the decor lent to the character of the restaurant it could be a bit tidier and cleaner....

Tried this location because it was in walking distance from the hotel. It was definitely not my favorite food. The service was very nice and I do believe that was the owner that was super kind and very friendly to me while I was there. Their prices are very reasonable, but let’s get into the food. I started with the crab Rangoon and I didn’t like them. Not only did they lack in flavor, but they also seemed a bit oily. Next, I had fried chicken wings and they were just OK. They were fried too hard and I don’t know how long the chicken had been sitting. I also had a shrimp spring roll and it was mostly vegetables and very little shrimp and again it tasted a little oily. For my main entree I had the happy family, which was supposed to be one of the chef’s specialties and it was really lacking in flavor. I did not like the taste of the meat that was Inside… not the chicken, nor the shrimp or the beef. The best part of the entrée was the vegetables. Overall, I was really disappointed and I...

Plato's allegory of the cave describes a man's life as merely shadows on the wall cast by the real thing. The man trapped since birth knowing only the shadows, believing that is all there is. Only when he is unchained does the richness and delight of the true world bless his senses. This is pretty much my experience having the General Tso's chicken at Lin's Palace. All through my life I have eaten this dish and believed I knew the bounds of what was possible with chicken, breading, and spicy spicy sauce. But I was merely eating shadows. The home cooked feel of this dish changes it drastically, each bite filling your mind with the hand crafted hard work that was put into it. I also compare it to the difference between chicken nuggets, and chicken tenders. A difference we all understand, and does not bear expanding upon. What does require expanding is your belt as you fill up on all the food Lin can give...