One of Lake George’s newest restaurants celebrated its Grand Opening Thursday with a ribbon-cutting ceremony attended by The Lake George Regional Chamber of Commerce, Village Mayor Robert Blais, members of the press and the public. China Town, located at the North end of the Village at 462 Canada Street, is the first Asian Fusion all-you-can-eat off the menu on demand restaurant in the area.
In addition to a regular menu, China Town features an all-you-can-eat menu that includes soups, tempura, salads, seafood, chicken, beef and sushi. Diners select as many items as they can eat for the fixed price of $23.99. Head Chef Joe Sim says he created this style menu because he wanted to offer all-you-can-eat but is not a fan of buffet-style Chinese restaurants. Each dish is prepared fresh and served when the customer is ready to eat, ensuring a quality meal.
“Being a chef isn’t just cooking for people,” says Sim. “You have to have a passion for food.” He says he began his career as a dishwasher and then trained for six years under a Master Chef in food preparation before becoming a cook. For several years, he was chef at a popular Asian restaurant in Schenectady. “The most important thing is when I see customers eating my food and they are happy. It is worth more than a million bucks,” says Sim.
Why he made the move to Lake George? “It was fate,” he says. He was in an Asian market when, inexplicably, his attention was drawn to a small advertisement pinned to a cluttered bulletin board. The ad was placed by China Town co-owner Izzy Levy, and it advertised an open position for a head chef in his Lake George restaurant. Sim investigated the opportunity, which led to him and his wife Tracy, who now is China Town’s manager, making the move.
Owners Itshak “Izzy” Levy and Daniel Sheer began this project more than two years ago, forming China Town L.G., LLC in May 2016. People who regularly travel Route 9 by the I87 Exit 22 ramp may have noticed last summer that the Luigi Restaurant sign had changed to China Town and a marquee announced, “All you can eat – coming soon.” The doors finally opened for business this July in time for the Independence Day holiday.
Levy says the building, which has been vacant for several years, needed a full renovation, which explains why the “coming soon” took two years. The result is a large, airy dining room with a wall of windows overlooking English Brook and the forest.
Levy says he is planning surprises for his customers. “I want tourists to have fun, not just eat and go.” One of his ideas is to hold drawings during dinner by pulling table numbers out of a bowl and awarding free meals and other prizes.
Business has been growing since the July opening. Levy says that Trip Advisor recently called to ask about the restaurant. China Town has already received a five-star ranking with several rave reviews; apparently, this is unusual for a restaurant that has only been in business a few weeks. Diners are telling Levy that they heard of China Town from friends and had to try it themselves and China Town is already seeing repeat business. “It’s amazing, “says Levy, “people are coming back after only one and half months.
China Town will remain open year-round and Levy says groups will be able to book holiday parties. At the ribbon cutting ceremony, Mayor Blais said that he was glad Sheer and Levy brought a Chinese restaurant to the Village and added, “They haven’t got just a Chinese restaurant — they’ve got one hell of a Chinese restaurant!”