Editor’s Note: 1/3/21 Gee’s Garden is now permanently closed due to the Pandemic.
December, 2011 – One day a few weeks ago I was lying face down in “The Torture Room” of my acupuncturist, Dr. Yuan Clare Zhang. Dr. Clare might be 4’7” tall and might weigh 75 pounds dripping wet. To say that Dr. Clare is petite is like saying a teacup Poodle is small. Rather redundant. I’m sure she buys her clothes in the children’s department of Macy’s or Dillard’s.
Nevertheless, she has the most powerful hands of anyone I have ever known and uses them to good effect. You may walk out of her office a bit sore, but it won’t be from lack of circulation.
Dr. Clare has a Ph.D. in Chinese Medicine from an American university that, oh by the way, includes 2500 years of Oriental medical knowledge. Chinese medical techniques are, what shall I say, a bit different than Western medicine. We gave up bleeding patients 150 years ago. To the Western mind, acupuncture is strange, exotic, but often mysteriously effective. Dr. Clare employs a number of different strategies, including an herb concoction she calls ‘mud’. I can assure you, ‘mud’ is exactly what it tastes like.
Thanks to arthritis (hip joints) and spinal stenosis (back L3-L5) I don’t walk so well any more and am often in serious pain. Sometimes the only way I can get around to do the videos for our Southern Arizona Guide website is when a kind person, such as Neighbor Roy, is willing and able to push me around in my wheelchair.
After 4 major surgeries, I got desperate enough to try something different … acupuncture. My 92-year-old father had tried it decades ago and said it “Hurt like Hell”, but relieved his chronic back pain.
Ever since Vietnam, my younger brother has had severe neck pain. He tried acupuncture and said it really helped. Moreover, my friend Sue said that Dr. Clare had helped relieve the foot pain she’d had for decades. What did I have to lose?
So, here I am face down in The Torture Room. I asked Dr. Clare what she misses most about China. Without hesitation,
she said, “The food”. OK, I’m in the restaurant review business, so I asked, “What’s your favorite Chinese restaurant in Tucson?”
Dr. Clare hesitated only for a moment. Then said, “Gee’s Garden Bistro on Alvernon. The dim sum is very good. For Tucson, it is most like real Chinese food.”
“But”, she continued, “if you go, be sure to sit at a table very close to the kitchen. If you don’t, you will never get any dim sum.”
“And why is that,” I inquired.
“The Chinese patrons sit nearest the kitchen so that when the dim sum cart comes out they will be served first. The Americans are polite and just sit back and wait for the cart to come by their tables. But by that time the Chinese patrons have grabbed all the dim sum and there is nothing left for the Americans. I think it is a cultural thing.”
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All of our daughters and grandchildren were here for Christmas, which was very special. But most had to work the following week and headed home soon after presents and the big Christmas Day meal, traditionally prepared by eldest daughter Andrea. Middle daughter, Paige, husband Tim, plus teenage sons Jon and Morgan, stayed another week. By now, they were tired of cooking, so it wasn’t hard to talk them into doing a restaurant review of Gee’s with me. Everyone in our family likes Chinese cuisine.
I assumed that Gee’s would be situated in a strip mall. Driving into the very large parking lot, I quickly realized that Gee’s Garden is a big, handsome stand-alone building of Chinese architecture. It’s oddly out-of-place in Tucson.
Walking in the front door, it is doubtful that anyone would mistake Gee’s for a pizza parlor or steakhouse. Chinese façade. Chinese art. Chinese wallpaper. Chinese carpet. Chinese pottery. Chinese … Well, you get the idea.
We had planned our trip so as to arrive after the lunch crowd had dissipated. Of the dozens of tables, only a few were occupied. Nevertheless, just to be safe, when the tiny Asian hostess greeted us we asked to be seated near the kitchen.
She looked at us as if we were ignorant Americans. “No need. Dim sum served on cart only for dinner. Now, order dim sum from menu.” Silly Anglos.
In the center of our large, round table was a large, round Lazy Susan. Tim said that this was a good sign as the best Chinese restaurants he has experienced all had this particular set up.
Even though our group was only one of perhaps five in this cavernous dining room, it took awhile for our waitress to find us. And when she did, she wasn’t even Chinese. Clearly, she was of that ancient tribe known as the Tucson Caucasians. This proved to be a mixed blessing.
On the one hand, we had no trouble understanding her English. On the other hand, she had great difficulty describing the many Chinese dishes on the menu, even though she said that she had worked for Mrs. Gee for the past four years. Finally, she just brought us some photographs of various dishes, remarked that they were all good – except this one and that one – and that we couldn’t go wrong with the dim sum.
Paige asked if we could have our dishes sans MSG, ‘cause it makes her feel bloated and lifeless after a meal. Our server assured her that the cook would accommodate her request.
We ordered five different specialties of the house, including various dim sum, so that we could all grab samples as the Lazy Susan revolved.
When our meals came the ample serving dishes completely covered the large Lazy Susan. Kung Pao Chicken, chow mien with pork and various vegetables, Mongolian beef, pot stickers, roast duck, rice and much more, including a variety of dim sum, such as shrimp. Of course, fresh hot tea was also served.
As the Lazy Susan rotated, everyone helped themselves and began eating. I noticed that none in our party was using the chop sticks provided. Soon there was a chorus of “Ooo’s, & Aaa’s”. Very satisfying.
Certainly Gee’s is above average for Tucson, but not as good as a first-rate Chinese restaurant in San Francisco. I can only imagine that Dr. Clare would say, “San Francisco has very good Chinese, but not as good as China.” Paige observed that, while she enjoyed her meal, she has two teenage Chinese boarders back home in Oregon who can do better. Besides, afterward she felt bloated and tired and was sure the cook had not honored her request to cook without MSG.
To be honest, neither grandson liked the dim sum nor the roast duck, which left more for us adults. But both boys agreed that everything else was to their taste, particularly the pot stickers, Mongolian beef, chow mein, and the Kung Pao chicken.
Lunch over, everyone opened his or her Chinese fortune cookie and happily read it aloud to everyone’s delight. The meal had been good, but not great. Better than Panda Express, and perhaps on a par with P.F Chang’s.
The bill worked out to about $15 per, even without any alcoholic drinks. The dining room atmosphere was pleasantly Oriental and the service OK, but not exceptional.
There was one thing that miffed me. I had inquired as to the owner’s or chef’s whereabouts. As I usually do when I am about to review a restaurant, after the meal I want to introduce myself and get to know a little bit about the owner and/or chef.
Our server pointed to 4 Chinese ladies seated at a nearby table chatting leisurely. Mrs. Gee was the one facing our table. By this time, we were almost the only patrons in the restaurant. Did Mrs. Gee wander over to our table to inquire as to how we liked our meal? No. I had the distinct impression that she could not have cared less.
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OK, now it’s your turn. Which is your favorite Chinese or Asian restaurant in Tucson? Comments, please.
Gee’s Asian Garden Bistro
1145 N Alvernon Way
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