By Barbara Brewer La Mere
Rong Yow Yang he has loved to cook from the
time he was a child. Growing up around family
members’ Chinese restaurants in Westchester
County, he had ample opportunities to learn
more about both the cooking and business aspects
of running a restaurant.
Last year, he and his wife, Crystal, opened Panda
Garden Chinese Restaurant at Midtown Shopping
Center, 119 Main St., in South Glens Falls.
Crystal’s family did not have a restaurant, but
her father enjoyed cooking and so she learned a
lot from him, she said.
After working for many years in his family’s
establishments, Yang had decided it was time to
go out on his own. He said his recipes are derived
from family recipes from the south of China, but
he has tweaked them to make them his own.
He is also willing to adapt the menu to accommodate the tastes of individual customers, he said.
Panda Garden has seating for 20. Much of the restaurant’s business is takeout or delivery. Delivery radius is about five miles from Midtown Shopping Center.
Yang said he has been pleased that if a customer calls from outside the delivery range, say from Queensbury and finds there is no delivery, they are still happy to come in to pick up their order because they have been that pleased with the quality of the food.
Yang says that General Tso’s chicken, lo mein, and crab Rangoon are customer favorites. Panda Garden is open 10:30 a.m. to 10 p.m., Monday through Thursday; 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. on Friday; and noon to 10 p.m. on Sundays. The phone number is 812-0909.