Tofu with Black Bean Sauce is one of the dishes that can be prepared as a substitute for chicken. It had a different name on the menu, but you can ask for the sauce if you do not see it on the menu. I enjoyed the tofu and the sauce very much, and in fact was surprised that Paco Wong's had a sauce this good (after quite a few experiences at the original restaurant in Cd. Juarez). The main problem was a lack of vegetables. Had it contained a good variety of green vegetables this would have been a very good dish. As it was, though, it was rather boring with just the tofu and the sauce. I know the dish was designed to be served with chicken, and I can see the logic in preparing a dish primarily of chicken and sauce (although I would not have enjoyed it very much). The problem with Paco Wong's is that although it has high standards in terms of food quality, it never quite makes it in terms of authenticity and the way the dishes are put together. In this case I really felt that the dish should have had some vegetables.

On a previous visit I ordered the Szechuan Chicken (before the tofu options were available), wanting to try something that would be representative of the food served. It came with white meat that I thought was very good, but it was battered like sweet and sour chicken (this is something I was definitely not expecting in this dish). The sauce was so sweet I thought at first they used sweet and sour sauce as the base, and added some chiles to make it "Szechuan" style. However, when I saw the actual sweet and sour sauce at another table it looked like the red syrup from a can of candied apples. This is when I knew that, yes, they had given me the correct "Szechuan" sauce, except that it was not like any Szechuan sauce I had experienced before in any Chinese restaurant. I would say, though, that the sauce was not as much of a negative as the fact that the chicken was battered.

On my first visit I was ranting about the high cost of the hot tea, but I think they have lowered the price since then. I am glad Paco Wong's seems to be making changes for the better.

Paco Wong's is a bistro style restaurant with high prices, and just about everything (except the rice) comes at an extra cost. The atmosphere is upscale and it is a good "Sunday dinner" type restaurant.