Ming's opened in Palo Alto in 1956. Originally on El Camino Real across from Stanford University, it was a subsidiary of Johnny Kan's famed Chinatown eatery. Many of the original recipes, such as Ming's beef, Chinese chicken salad and Peking duck, survive to this day.
Since 1967, Ming's has been on Embarcadero Read just east of U.S. 101, where it commands a huge corner. Its' contemporary building is divided into two opposing dining rooms along with several smaller rooms for more intimate gatherings. The linen-lined tables have ample space around them, nothing cramped; conversations can be conducted in normal tones.
With more than 200 dishes covering nearly every permutation of meat, seafood, vegetables, rice and noodles, Ming's aims to please even the finickiest of appetites. There are so many items to choose from that the menu can take longer to read than a chapter of "Ulysses".
The restaurant itself is large-scale, too; it seats 500 and is open 365 days a year, hosting special gourmet dinners, banquets and holiday extravaganzas.
