Arthur may be out looking for the next best roller coaster, and this blog has been discontinued. Thanks for visiting and happy travels!

The ball dropped, the fireworks kaboomed, lovers kissed, the champagne popped...and the Chinese food containers piled up. Where did the tradition of eating Chinese food on New Year's Eve begin? It doesn't really make a whole lot of sense, but it's such an entrenched custom now that getting a plate of pork fried rice on December 31 can be an exercise in futility. With the holiday over, and access to the Bay State's Chinese restaurants returned to normal, I have a gem of an eatery to recommend: the Far East Cafe in Woburn.

Located inconspicuously in an office park behind Staples, the Far East offers the traditional fare found in most American Chinese restaurants such as Sweet and Sour Soup and General Gau's Chicken. But its extensive menu also features lots of exotic dishes which I'd only seen in Chinatown restaurants, including Rice Congee Soup, Seaweed with Sesame Oil, Shrimp Steak, and Tripe with Vegetables. According to proprietor John Wu, everything is prepared freshly on the premises. According to me, everything is delicious. Best of all, curious diners can sample both the familiar and the more unusual dishes at the Far East's buffet for the quite reasonable price of $9.95. (A la carte items can be ordered from the menu as well.) The buffet even includes all-you-can-eat Dim Sum delivered to your table. I'm not sure whether it necessarily confirms my high praise for the eatery, but a preponderance of the restaurant's diners is Asian.

Happy New Year! If your 2007 resolutions can accommodate a meal out, consider some of the far out fare at the Far East.

Far East Cafe
40 Cummings Park, Woburn
781-935-7663

Photo: harrisonarkansas.org