This was my first time having dinner at Baoding. My husband and I were regulars at their sister restaurant, JoJo's, for almost ten years and we were devastated when they closed. We missed the food, the atmosphere and the familiar faces. So we decided to give Baoding a try on the off-chance it might be some sort of substitution. To me, JoJo's was the best Chinese food in Charlotte with impeccable service and a relaxing atmosphere so it has big shoes to fill.\n\nWe walked in and immediately the ambiance grabbed me. It was dim but not dark and the lighting and d\u00e9cor were eclectic and sort of mellow. There is a big mural on the wall behind the bar that looked really neat and we recognized the same over the table light fixtures that were at JoJo's. Look, a piece of home! Our server was quick to bring our drinks - I had a glass of wine and the hubs had some cold sake. We took our time with the menu because it was unfamiliar and organized differently than the one at JoJo's. I was sad that they didn't have egg drop soup. (JoJo's used to not have egg drop soup but then eventually added it. Maybe Baoding will as well.) Instead of a soup, I got a spring roll, which was very good. Hubs got a spring roll and the hot and sour soup, his usual favorite, which he enjoyed. It was just as good as JoJo's, although a different color and slightly different ratio of ingredients. \n\nFor our main courses, I got the moo shu chicken (my JoJo's favorite) and he got sesame chicken, his overall Chinese favorite. The moo shu was presented differently than it was at JoJo's (there you build your own with the tortillas served separately, here they were served already wrapped up) but it was every bit as good. The flavors and textures were basically the same so I was pretty happy. Hubs really loved his sesame chicken, saying it was just as good as what he was used to. \n\nWe saw only one familiar face from JoJo's but he was happy to see us and presented us with a free dessert for being JoJo's regulars, which made us so happy. We used to get free desserts and such a lot at JoJo's so it was so nice to a. be recognized and b. be treated as regulars in a new place. I can't emphasize enough how grateful I was for this gesture. (Also the chocolate cake he brought us was to die for. It tasted like a gooey brownie. Yum.)\n\nThe food, service and ambiance were all something that I look forward to experiencing again. We had such a lovely dinner and enjoyed it immensely. We'll likely become regulars here and get our Chinese fix at Baoding for the foreseeable future. Here's hoping they add egg drop soup to the menu!
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