The Hunan Wok boasts "Best Chinese Food Dine In or Take Out," and it is pretty hard to argue that claim. My wife likes the spicy garlic chicken with broccoli, carrots, bok choy, water chestnuts and onions. I like whatever comes with the $1 egg roll. The rolls aren't thick and heavy and saturated with grease; rather they're light, crispy and loaded with veggies. You could almost think of them as healthy, if you're delusional like me (the Wok does use cholesterol-free vegetable oil and no M.S.G.). Delivery ($2 charge) portions come in small ($5) or large (under $8) but should more appropriately be sized as "too much" and "leftovers."

Inside the restaurant, paneled walls, mustard-colored booths and banquet chairs and checkered pink-and-black tile indicate that it hasn't been updated in decades. What it lacks in modernity it makes up for in personality: In the corner, the Lin family busies itself with schoolwork and restauranteuring; diners are greeted by name as they come in the entryway. Any of the five family members answer the phone near the entrance, which can ring often enough to disturb the dining experience.

The menu uses hot pepper icons to indicate spiciness. There are 20 different dishes, almost all under $8, that can be made into a combination platter with roast pork fried rice and an egg roll. One hundred eighty-six dishes in total are listed on the menu, including chow fun, chow mein, chop suey, lo mein, fried rice and lunch specials. From 11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. during weekdays, Hunan Wok hosts a 14-item lunch buffet that, is $6 according to the sign in the window but only $5 on the menu. The buffet varies based on the lunch menu and could range from pepper steak to Hunan-style chicken and shrimp. There are also desserts and egg rolls, of course.

Average cost: <$10

Centerstage Reviewer: Robert Duffer