'You can't miss it," a neighbor said when she described Oriental Inn, a small restaurant that's one of very few near our Eastside home. Oriental Inn makes its presence known from a seen-better-days area with red trim and a blindingly bright green door that's in sharp contrast to neighboring buildings.

What comes out of the kitchen also is distinguishing -- fresher, more flavorful than many of its competitors' fare -- and that first visit led to many more.

The Food

Oriental Inn's menu isn't out of the ordinary for Chinese restaurants in America -- crab Rangoon shows up, and so does General Tso's chicken. A fair number of vegetable dishes pepper the menu. What keeps us coming back is the flavor. Where asterisks show up on the menu, denoting "hot and spicy" dishes, there lies real heat.

On this, our first experience with Oriental Inn's dining room, we were given a plate of fried wonton strips for munching. We tried for steamed dumplings, but our server said the dish takes 20 minutes to prepare.

The appetizers we chose -- teriyaki beef stick ($4.95) and paper-wrapped chicken ($5.25) -- brought mixed results. The beef was sweet but dry; the paper-wrapped chicken (actually aluminum-foil packets of marinated, shredded chicken) had a unique, pleasantly tangy flavor.

Hunan pork ($8.95) brings together carrots, broccoli, water chestnuts, bamboo shoots and a slew of other vegetables together with tender, sliced pork in a sauce rife with tongue-searing peppers.

Orange-flavored shrimp ($13.95) was presented beautifully in a ring of orange slices. Bits of orange rind, onions, and those brutal peppers toyed with breaded shrimp in a light, delectable sauce.

The Service

We're primarily carry-out customers of Oriental Inn, and dining in reinforced that impulse. Our server was kind when she was around, but disappeared repeatedly for long periods.

The Atmosphere

The personality of Oriental Inn's exterior carries through to its inside. The dining room is a sort of faux-avian sanctuary, with birds etched into a glass divider that splits the room, carved into wooden chair backs, painted on mirrors and lampshades. Ornate woodwork and more red details add flair to the casual dining room.

The Price

$46 for two people, including tax and tip. The appetizers didn't add much to the experience, and really, each entree is sized for at least two people. So if you want to feed four people for less than $20, here's one delicious answer.

Next Time

I'm working my way through the asterisked dishes on the menu, so far without flops. Next up: hot-pepper chicken -- battered chicken breast strips with veggies in spicy garlic sauce.

-- By Tracy Cumbay / Star Correspondent