CROSSING NICOLLET

The new Rainbow is bigger and brighter.
And the food is better than ever.

WHEN I LEARNED RAINBOW CHINESE Restaurant was moving, I worried that the resuls would be disastrous. I wondered if it had changed ownership, or if it was watering down its approach. Even minute changes can have a big effect on a restaurant, and I all but resigned myself to the fact that I was about to lose one of my favorite places in the Twin Cities.

Fortunately, it took only one visit to calm my fears. Part of me will miss the low ceiling and low lighting of the old place, a smaller space in a tired strip mall directly across Nicollet Avenue from the new location. The new Rainbow, on the other hand, is housed in its own building, and the restaurant feels as if it's been liberated. The ceiling is higher, the space is brighter, the wood is lighter — and, somehow, the food is even better. The members of the Wong family, who've owned and operated Rainbow for more than 10 years, seem to have found true happiness in their new location. They now operate with a fully stocked bar and a newly minted kitchen that is larger and more efficient. When one of the family members greets you at the door, there is extra zest in the welcome.

The family's high spirits are infectious, and Rainbow is best experienced in groups of four or more, allowing you to order a broad selection of dishes from their extensive menu and to enjoy the social atmosphere. On one night, a group of friends and I ordered gai-lan with oyster sauce, orange peel chicken, double-sautéed slice pork, duckling with ginger root, and scallops with black bean sauce. As we passed the plates around, we were treated to a first-rate dinner that confirmed the Wong family's continuing mastery at the art of running a restaurant.

First, a word about the vegetables. Whether it's through poor buying choices or neglected preparation, the vegetables in many Chinese restaurants are often lackluster. At Rainbow, however, we experienced the very freshest broccoli, peppers, onions, pea pods, sprouts, and greens. The broccoli that accompanied the orange-peel chicken, for example, was a brilliant green, cooked just enough to remove the raw flavor, but not so much as to lose the crunch. The gai-lan — a Chinese vegetable that looks like broccoli but with thin leaves instead of florets — had a similar satisfying texture and taste. A light soy and garlic sauce covered the gai-lan, bringing out the bright, crisp flavor of the stalks without drowning out the more delicate leaves.

Meats are treated with equal delicacy at Rainbow, even when they are deep fried. The batter used in the orange-peel chicken is substantial, but never heavy or greasy, and the flavor of the chicken is what shines through. Like the orange-peel chicken, the five-spice calamari appetizer is also artfully battered. We were impressed by the complex taste of the calamari, which starts off salty and then blooms with heat. The scallops, too were done to perfection, firm at first but ultimately giving with a briny squish. The only disappointment in the meat department was the double sautéed pork, which tasted bland in comparison to the other dishes.

For all the care given to the ingredients at Rainbow, it's the sauces that make the restaurant stand out. The sauce for the orange-peel chicken, for instance, is exactly what it should be: sweet, with a hint of orange flavor, accompanied by a spicy punch that leaves your lips tingling. According to head chef Tammy Wong, Rainbow uses less sugar than most Chinese restaurants; it also often employs a mushroom-soy blend for the base, which makes dishes lighter and more flavorful. The scallops in black bean sauce, for example, was not the familiar thick, spicy paste found in many restaurants. Instead, the sauce was more liquid, with tiny black beans added to give the sauce burst of earthy flavor. The vegetable fried rice is also lighter the the norm, and you can distinctly taste the individual pieces of broccoli and water chestnut, rather than having palate overpowered by the sharp brown taste of soy sauce.

Among other favorites that made the trip across the street are the Szechuan wontons, a spicy cousin to the traditional wonton that is stuffed with shrimp and pork and covered with a slightly pungent garlic sauce. I also love the garlic and ginger chicken, which is similar to the orange-peel chicken, but spicier and not as sweet.

After several visits, I'm enamored with the new Rainbow. Not only do the Wongs serve some of the best Chinese food in town, but they do it with personality and flair. One night, while we were waiting to pay, Nina Wong commented on my sweater. "That's a nice sweater. I have like that," she said. I thanked her for the compliment and without missing a beat she said, "It looks better on me." I have no doubt that it does.