Good service and great Chinese food are what A-Tan is all about. Featuring fresh ingredients, the restaurant offers a wide variety of specials. Try any of the tempting choices on the menu. Order meat or seafood, but don't miss the dumplings! Should you try their hot mustard, it would be best to have one of the imported beers from the bar on hand to extinguish the fire ­ it's hot!

Freshly intense, precisely cooked authentic Asian food delivered by an excellent waitstaff makes this dining experience worth repeating; it's not at all like more traditional Chinese restaurants. The extensive menu is enhanced by ingredients flown in fresh that day. Try the clams with black bean sauce or fresh crabmeat, and you'll know you've made a great dining decision. Wine, beer and liquor available (limited selections). Reservations are accepted.

DOWNTOWN. Definitely a high point of the local restaurant scene, Chez Philippe specializes in French-Asian cuisine. Innovative fare, from the crisp Maine lobster cigar to the seaweed salad with white soba noodles and sugar-cane sesame vinaigrette, lines the menu. Consider the Tahitian crème brulee or roasted pumpkin flan for dessert. An extensive wine list ranges from $20 to $400 bottles.

GERMANTOWN. A favorite Chinese restaurant of Memphians for years, Formosa serves an array of Asian dishes, including Hunan, Mandarin and Szechuan. Hot and sour wonton soup is a house specialty, along with several hot and spicy entrees.

EAST MEMPHIS. Don't be deceived by the uninspired look of this one-room restaurant. The decor is far surpassed by the quality of the Vietnamese-Asian cuisine. Start out with the surprsingly crisp fried spring rolls. Then try the whole boneless duck, a Lotus signature duck or for more traditional tastes, the sesame chicken. Beer is served and if you prefer wine, you can bring your own bottle for just a 50 cents per person corkage fee. Lotus is a delightfully inexpensive and healthy alternative to traditional dining out. Just don't come in a hurry. The food is cooked to order but is well worth the wait.