Tahiti Restaurant - United States

Joe the bartender is awesome! Handles the big crowd with style and ease. Ginny is great too!

I 've lowered my low expectations. Prior to today, I would often have dinner here when passing by. It 's not trying to be delicious, faaar from it. But it was always fine in the 3 star 'just need food ' department. BUT today was uniquely terrible. I think they are actually opposed to flavor. When I asked if there are any ginger , garlic dishes, my server was taken aback as if I asked for pizza! The food is either all frozen food-service bottom of the barrel, or made in the morning and sits around all day. The worst part, it was bathed in salt!! Maybe salt is the cheapest 'spice '. Anyway, definitely NOT going back. Left the meal 2/3 uneaten.

If you 're looking for Sichuan or authentic Chinese, look elsewhere, but for an old school place with a very old school vibe inside (especially the lounge), this is one of the last holdouts and one of the best. I suspect those who 've given a low rating either a) are opining more on the style than the execution or b) haven 't been here all that recently (it 's had its ups and downs). Yeah, I like the authentic stuff too (and reviewed a few favorites in that category as well as old school), but this review is on how they do the Chinese American style of yore. Key items here are the appetizers. Combo plates available at both lunch and dinner. Not a lot of servers, but the service is cordial. Parking is easy. Spareribs on the bone: Delicious red glaze, an adequate amount of it, and some char on top too. Juices often trickling down the cross sections hint at the delight that 's delivered in a great first bite. These are very fresh, very juicy, and very repeatable--even on combo plates. As someone who usually dabs a little duck sauce on ribs, I can also say that I sometimes don 't use any on theirs. They usually don 't need it. While I don 't know if I can say they 're unquestionably the best bone-in Chinese spareribs in the region, I firmly believe they 're the best under $20 for an appetizer order. Tidbits #1: Chicken fingers, egg roll, boneless ribs. The only item of late that was somewhat disappointing. Egg roll solid, with very fresh filling of crumbled red pork, celery, cabbage. Crunchy outside but with inner wrap texture similar to a cookie. Chicken fingers generous and crispy, but could have used a little more chicken to the batter. The boneless spareribs were flat out dry and boring. Lobster Sauce: Dark, screaming with flavor, dark, bigger-than-usual pork crumbles, dark, smooth texture, and none of the oversaltiness or jellylike texture that brings other lobster sauces down. And did I say dark? One for the ages. Shrimp Lobster Sauce: Tried on a later visit via combo. Very dark, very soft, very delicious, with Tic-Tac-sized pork crumbles very soft. Tried many times as just sauce but only once with the shrimp. Some are disappointed by the baby shrimp, but I liked 'em: VERY generous quantity and smaller size made it easy to get at least one (usually two) in every bite, and much more tender than the usual four or so larger ones you get per order elsewhere. Pork Egg Foo Yong: One of the best renditions I 've ever had, even though it 's on the thin side. Everything crisp where it needed to be, soft where it needed to be, fresh as can be, and great flavor all around, from the egg to the vegetables to the sauce. Egg Foo Yong Combo: Featuring pork fried rice, pork egg foo yong, and pork chow mein, which was so voluminous they used a separate plate. I also sprung for a single egg roll a la carte. Great texture and flavor in the PFR. EFY still among the best. Tried this twice and both times excellent. Subgum Pork Fried Rice: Dark, fresh, stuffed with ample pork, bean sprouts, and nice addition of peppers. Didn 't notice any egg. Very moist and flavorful. One of the better fried rices for sure. Pork Fried Rice: Standard stuff, with minimal additions, but the pork nuggetry is plentiful and the onions are just noticeable enough. Usually good, sometimes great. Wontons. Crispy. Pretty much it; no issues. Egg Roll: You can get a single one a la carte; a great addition to a combo that doesn 't have one. Lots of crunch to the egg roll inside and out, with a Pecan Sandy texture in the shell. Not elite, but very good. Chicken Wings: I haven 't had these here in over a year, so a retry was necessary via a combo plate. Subtle but effective, with the five spice seasoning hinted at, although it could have used more. Crisp enough. Could 've been juicier, but no complaints. Sweet and Sour Chicken: Even on a small order, a voluminous plate of many small crunchy pieces, rather than a half dozen or so large ones. All a lemon yellow color. Interesting. Odd. Not bad. But odd.

Just Awful Large children teriyaki a lunch plate... Where do I start oh! Did I remember to say just shy of 30.00 for what I got was the oldest,dryest most brittle vittle, I've ever tried to choke down. And no Flavor as for the lunch plate I'm not sure how old it was but it was reheated sooo many times it was just the WORST I EVER had!!! Sooo my Restaurant going out of business this should be a sign to be the best you can as tomorrow you may not be here....

Plenty of parking. Very casual. Food is decent. Drinks are ok. Typical tap water served but in a short glass is odd. Water is free so why not give it in a much larger cup? Decor or furniture has not been updated in decades. Middle section low chairs are too low for older people to get out of. That's why many do not sit there. I've been here many times over growing up, but visited just once in 2022 and again this weekend. Unfortunately both times, we were either harassed for a tip or an abutting patron was. This Saturday mid-afternoon, the nearby guests was so appalled by the action of a staff member they shared with us their male waiter actually approached them while they were sitting in their car.,,,, just before they drove off!!!! All because they didn't leave a tip. ???? . Tipping is a gesture for great service if service was rendered as such. It is not mandatory. This is awful for employees to leave their duty location and harass patrons. I know for a fact it is not written in their waiter's job description to follow customers outside and demand a tip. He as Geordy mentions in a previous post should be fired. Lastly. Their Keno machine to play is outside of the bar area, yet 3 TVs to watch the numbers are inside the bar area. SUGGESTION: Move the machine to the bar. Those sitting at the bar shouldn't have to keep bouncing from room to room, every 2 mins, to play and watch.