My husband and I are originally from Montreal and frequented many restaurnats in Chinatown on a regular basis. The Canadian-Chinese food served at New York Cafe is delicious! The fact that it is a long standing family based restaurant in Napanee is a big plus - the service is spectacular and the owners are personable - you don't often get that kind of atmosphere of friendliness. Sure the restaurant has a vintage vibe, but it is a gem.
The New York Cafe has been a fixture on Dundas in Napanee for a long time, so we decided to give it a chance. I appreciate the atmosphere - cool old statues and relief carvings, peeling gold wallpaper, and pillars and archways. Our server was nice enough (though she said she didn't like Chinese food!). The place had a funny smell - musty and old-ish. It didn't seem very clean.
The beef and broccoli was very sweet (not really the flavour we wanted) and the noodles were very chewy and undercooked (with a stale, smokey taste). The vegetable chow mein was 97% bean sprouts and a few pieces of shredded carrot - VERY disappointing. The chicken balls, spring rolls, vegetables, etc. were clearly frozen bulk food. The spare ribs were dry and chewy...smothered with translucent plasma-like sauce.
The New York Cafe has its regulars, but I think that was our last time visiting.