Leave the fluorescent lights of your office, the swivel chairs and the blue glow of your laptop. If only for an hour, leave your desk and come have lunch at Ernest Chinese.
I sat down with co-owner Max Poppel at the long wooden bar under 2,000 handmade paper cherry blossoms as he told me the exciting news that on Friday, Ernest Chinese will be launching weekday lunch. So that means you can now eat Dan Dan Noodles from 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. every day.
He showed me a menu with the dinner classics you love, reconfigured for “get-in, get-out” lunchtime simplicity. The lunch combo is $18, and you can choose one option from each of three sections. For instance, you might start with the marinated cukes — the cold and crunchy cucumbers with sesame seeds, pickled Fresno chilies and garlic. Then I’d suggest the egg fried rice, with scallions and bean sprouts, followed by the orange chicken. The fresh orange zest will hit you first and then the sweet and sour saucy protein completes the picture.
If you go
Ernest Chinese is serving lunch:
— Where: 55 Johnson St., Chattanooga