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[The award-winning egg roll at Plum Garden in McHenry.] The egg rolls at Plum Garden in McHenry win awards. But they also are huge, and come as more than just egg rolls. On a recent trip to what often has been voted the top Chinese restaurant in the county, we started off with an egg roll ($2.99). And ... a bacon, mac and cheese egg roll ($2.99) that was filled with the items mentioned and seasoned potatoes. They came out hot and together on a plate as we were getting situated. We also ordered five waters, a Pepsi and a glass of the Plum wine ($8). The egg rolls were as good as advertised and so big we shared them as we waited for the main course. For two of our fellow diners, that meant the sweet and sour chicken kids meal. They're picky, so one actually ordered it with no sauce and the other ordered the sauce on the side. Either way, our server was great about it and obliged.
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[The honey chicken is on the specials menu at Plum Garden in McHenry.] The thing that separates regular Chinese from a top-notch place like Plum Garden is the quality of the chicken. This is the large, appetizing white-meat chicken you would want. And the same was true of my plate, a large order of the Crispy Honey Chicken ($14.99) off the specials menu. It was sweet, tender and sprinkled with sesame seeds. It also was a huge portion, so I ended up taking home half of the plate in the box. One thing that isn't always easy to do at a Chinese spot is gluten-free, but Plum Garden had us taken care of there, as well. Our gluten-free diner picked out the gluten-free garlic chicken ($14.99). And, with our server's suggested, that diner asked for some of the garlic sauce on the accompanying rice to add some flavor, as well. The broccoli and chicken were the favorites of that dish, which also was a pretty massive serving that resulted in a box coming home. Our other diner might have been the wisest of the group. After ordering that large egg roll, she went with a small order of the orange chicken ($11.99) for the main course. That meant a finishable portion. But it also meant a happy diner, who enjoyed the quality chicken like the rest of us, along with the tangy orange sauce.
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Funny enough, none of us even tried Plum Garden's signature dish, the Hong Kong chicken ($17.99 for large, $12.99 for small). The last thing to handle was the check, which came with a plate of almond cookies and some fortune cookies, as well. We split them up and everyone left happy, full and with some food left over for lunch the next day. • The Mystery Diner is an employee at Shaw Media. The diner’s identity is not revealed to restaurant staff before or during the meal. The Mystery Diner visits a restaurant and then reports on the experience. If the Mystery Diner cannot recommend the establishment, we will not publish a story. (Shaw Media)