“When you’re stuck at a painful group dinner with your friend’s brother who’s telling you all about his can’t-fail bitcoin strategy, Empire is where you’ll wish you were instead. Not only do they make some of the best dim sum north of Boston, but they also pull off the balance of being somewhere that’s perfect for a lively group and intimate enough for a date…”
— THE INFATUATION
“[L]ive in a city long enough and your perception of its streets becomes a fusion of past and present. A new shop opens in a one-time watering hole that was formerly a bakery that was once a five-and-dime. Each new incarnation builds upon the past, sometimes leaving a glimpse of history — a bit of molding, the arch of a doorway — reminding us that the present adds yet another layer on what came before.
Which is exactly what can be said for Empire Chinese Kitchen, Maine’s first dim sum restaurant, located in the heart of Portland’s downtown on Congress Street. This relative newcomer on the Portland dining scene is housed in what was formerly a dine-and-dance club, a dive bar, a bank, and, if you dig back far enough, Portland’s first “deluxe” Chinese restaurant, Empire Chop Suey (1916–1953), which offered formal table service and starched linens.”
— DownEast
“There are few things more pleasurable than the rich, concentrated flavors of a great Cantonese stir fry, resulting largely from what cooks from this region of China refer to as wok hay, which translates roughly to “the breath of the wok.” It refers to the intense, often smoky flavor in a dish that comes as a result of short cooking times over ferocious heat, and many Cantonese consider the consumption of a dish that lacks this sought-after characteristic to be bad luck.”
— maine. THE MAGAZINE