Great Lake Chinese Seafood Restaurant on Carpenter Road closes
Great Lake Chinese Seafood Restaurant on Carpenter Road near Packard Road closed Tuesday, May 14. Landlord Mun Gee said the owners closed due to personal issues she could not comment on.
The Great Lake Chinese Seafood Restaurant sits with an empty parking lot and a "closed" sign on the door.
Ben Freed | AnnArbor.com
According to Pittsfield Township documents, the property was sold by Kwock Gee to New Win Property Management LLC in 2004 for $750,000. According to state documentation the registered agent for New Win Property Management is listed as Kwok Cheung Tam.
Gee said the property owners plan to sell the building now that Great Lake has moved out but have not yet listed the property with a Realtor.
The property was last assessed for $390,600, making its approximate market value $781,200.
Great Lake is the second Asian restaurant to close in the last two months, following Great Shanghai Restaurant in Westgate Shopping Center.
Ben Freed covers business for AnnArbor.com. You can sign up here to receive Business Review updates every week. Reach out to Ben at 734-623-2528 or email him at benfreed@annarbor.com. Follow him on twitter @BFreedinA2
Comments
rui
Mon, Jun 24, 2013 : 3:11 p.m.
That's a shame. I always wanted to try this restaurant but never had the chance. Last year when I attempted to do so, I blew out a tire and damaged a ball bearing on one of the massive potholes out on Carpenter. Several hours later, less $400, and no dinner, I decided I'd not drive out that way again for several years. When the roads are impassable what other choice is there? I wonder how many other people didn't patronize this business because of the road conditions, and whether that played a role in their closing.
Jay Thomas
Mon, Jun 24, 2013 : 3:02 p.m.
As I have pointed out before, for every new Asian restaurant that opens, another one closes. Ann Arbor has reached a saturation point based upon our population. Something to think about when the next one opens (accompanied by the usual cheerleading). With that aside, I've always wondered which of the five great lakes they were referring to?
dancinginmysoul
Mon, Jun 24, 2013 : 2:57 p.m.
Why is this the top headline? This happened a month ago. Slow news day?
djacks24
Mon, Jun 24, 2013 : 2:30 p.m.
Why is this article on the front page today? This is over a month old...
Wayne Szachta
Tue, May 21, 2013 : 9:12 p.m.
this is not a huge deal. People are just eating better food like fat phillys pho house
djacks24
Tue, May 21, 2013 : 1:54 p.m.
It's amazing all of the negative comments seem to be centered around they fact that these folks probably were looking for Americanized Chinese food and were disappointed when they actually got the real thing..
Greg
Tue, May 21, 2013 : noon
I know others seem to have liked this place, but the only time I went there to try it place was dirty and food was marginal. Never saw a reason to return, so don't see much of a loss.
Tom Teague
Tue, May 21, 2013 : 11:49 a.m.
A very entertaining and eye-opening TED Talk about Americanized Chinese food. Sorry about the long URL: http://www.ted.com/talks/jennifer_8_lee_looks_for_general_tso.html
Arieswoman
Tue, May 21, 2013 : 11:24 a.m.
There sure are a lot of restaurants closing lately! I ate there several times and for my Chinese friends it is a favorite place to go. I thought the food good.
Elijah Shalis
Tue, May 21, 2013 : 11:20 a.m.
Lai Lai is way better.
djacks24
Tue, May 21, 2013 : 1:51 p.m.
Trolls will troll...
LuvAA
Tue, May 21, 2013 : 2:22 a.m.
Dim Sum in metro Detroit area...some other go to spots: Kim's Garden in Novi, Shangri-La off Orchard Lake Road in Bloomfield Hills (?) near 16 mile road...Wah Court in Windsor, Canada. Food Zone in Dexter is good too for Szechuan style Chinese food but no dim sum.
Ian Casselberry
Fri, May 24, 2013 : 3:50 p.m.
Shangri-La has outstanding dim sum in my opinion. Good recommendation!
snark12
Tue, May 21, 2013 : 5:08 p.m.
Oops, I didn't know that. Thanks, unsure.
unsureofanything
Tue, May 21, 2013 : 4:15 a.m.
Wah Court has closed
jns131
Tue, May 21, 2013 : 1:46 a.m.
I am not surprised by this. We ate there several times and sadly kind of dropped out of their business sector. That was 10 years ago. I am thinking what with that new Asian City Restaurant they can't keep up. Although they were always busy there. Wish them luck on new ventures.
denise2013
Tue, May 21, 2013 : 2:16 p.m.
I don't think Asia City is very good, either; I felt sick after the last few times I ate there. And they've had bad reviews with the county inspectors in the recent past.
Tom Teague
Tue, May 21, 2013 : 11:20 a.m.
As much as we loved the place, we noticed some inconsistent cooking beginning after Chinese New Year in February. Attention to outside maintenance also seemed to drop off around the same time - I nearly needed crampons on the parking and sidewalk surfaces once. We kept going back, though, because the good days were still great.
Andy T
Tue, May 21, 2013 : 1:22 a.m.
First Middle Kingdom, then this place!??!? This is a big bummer.
denise2013
Tue, May 21, 2013 : 1:09 a.m.
I've only been to this restaurant once, maybe a couple months or so ago, with a group of about 8-10 at lunchtime on a Saturday. There weren't a lot of people there when we got there though it was fuller by the time we left. I was not crazy about what I ordered, a few others as well. One person in the group was totally unhappy with what he had ordered and the waitress wasn't able to take care of the issue, so he asked to see a manager and was told there was no manager or anyone else in charge. He never did get a replacement meal so they took his dish off of the bill. It was not an overall good experience for the group. But that's a moot point now.
djacks24
Tue, May 21, 2013 : 1:50 p.m.
So why mention it if it's moot? just to kick them when they're down? The food was very authentic. If you weren't sure of what you ordered, it can be construed as a bad meal or experience. But I tend to side with the restaurant on this one. If you were looking for the Americanized version of Chinese, you probably should have dined elsewhere..
Hallie Levine
Tue, May 21, 2013 : 12:22 a.m.
OH NO! We love that place.
mabb
Mon, May 20, 2013 : 11:56 p.m.
TK WU has always been my favorite
Jon Wax
Mon, May 20, 2013 : 11:17 p.m.
the problem with chinese restaurants is that when one closes... another one closes a couple hours later. Peace Wax
Billy
Tue, May 21, 2013 : 12:19 p.m.
I hesitate to upvote this only because you signed your comment.... We don't do that kinda thing around here.....please take that in the same way as I man who keeps telling everyone his name in class after answering a question would take being told the same thing.
Craig Lounsbury
Tue, May 21, 2013 : 12:49 a.m.
I think its funny.
dancinginmysoul
Mon, May 20, 2013 : 11:06 p.m.
Great Lake was, by far, the best Chinese I've had anywhere I've ever lived. I will miss them!
EyeHeartA2
Mon, May 20, 2013 : 11:05 p.m.
Well, for 19 years I have been wanting to go there but never did. Looks like I missed my chance.
Matt Krause
Mon, May 20, 2013 : 11:03 p.m.
Really disliked this place, my wife and I had the dim sum once and we could have sworn the food was not cooked all the way. Tasted and smelled like rancid seafood...sorry.
snark12
Mon, May 20, 2013 : 10:55 p.m.
For others looking for good dim sum check out Asia City in Ypsilanti. It's a great authentic experience, served from carts, etc. Completely different than their buffet experience and served in a different room. We've chosen it over Great Lakes in recent years. Yes, Lai Lai, down the road on Carpenter, also has dim sum but we always found it inferior to Great Lakes. Wah Court in Windsor also has excellent dim sum. Be prepared to wait for a seat. That, combined with the trip across the border, makes it a bit of a commitment but it's great food.
seldon
Mon, Jun 24, 2013 : 3:04 p.m.
Asia City has carts, but as a result what you get has often had a cooling-off period. At Great Lake, they brought most of the items straight from the kitchen as soon as they were cooked, so they were much fresher.
Charley Sullivan
Mon, May 20, 2013 : 10:55 p.m.
I am, admittedly, a Chinese food snob, having grown up largely in Asia, and with both my parents born in China as missionary kids, and I could eat with chopsticks before I could use a knife and form. Great Lakes has been the ONLY local Chinese restaurant that came close to really being a Chinese restaurant here. Half a duck with black mushrooms and Chinese vegetables, gailan (Chinese broccoli) with ginger and garlic, a whole fish done just right, mapo dofu, and a whole variety of soups. It didn't get better when I needed a taste of "home."
Bryan Ellinger
Mon, May 20, 2013 : 11:14 p.m.
Yeah, and the big glass turntables for formal lunches and dinners were essential for an authentic experience. This was one of many delightful Chinese customs (including the never-ending toasts) they brought to our city. However, it is entirely possible to get tasty authentic Chinese food from many of the area's restaurants if you know what to order -- off-menu, of course. On a side note, while enjoying a meal in Shanghai, my native colleagues conferred this bit of local lore: The dragon is the delicacy of the sky, and the donkey is the delicacy of the Earth. Mmmm, dradonkey.
Charley Sullivan
Mon, May 20, 2013 : 10:55 p.m.
knife and fork, sorry. darn autocorrect.
YpsiGirl4Ever
Mon, May 20, 2013 : 10:51 p.m.
Never visited the location as I'm not a huge fan of Asian food. Either way, wish the former owners success with selling the building.
KateT
Mon, May 20, 2013 : 10:43 p.m.
When one of my favorite clients drowned in Lake Belleville, one of the staff here volunteered to play her violin at the funeral. Such nice people! I knew this was a long time coming, but I hate to see it.
Halter
Mon, May 20, 2013 : 10:06 p.m.
LaiLai also has dim sum... The only time I have frequented Great Lakes Chinese was on Christian holidays when everything else on that side of town was closed, and this was always open. The family that ran it was super nice, and the place was clean, quiet, and tasty. Sorry to see them go. That now leaves beloved LaiLai as the last decent Chinese place in that neighborhood.
Bryan Ellinger
Mon, May 20, 2013 : 10:27 p.m.
Ha. Great Lakes was my destination last xmas. Now it's time to figure out who'll be open and serving alcohol next xmas.
zeeba
Mon, May 20, 2013 : 10 p.m.
That had to be a terrible location - practically invisible. I live on that side of town and I had to check Google Maps to see where it was. Seems a shame, because they were obviously popular with those who knew the place.
Themadcatter
Mon, May 20, 2013 : 9:35 p.m.
I must've gone on a bad day as the only time I was there the dish was awful. It was 95% greasy rice mixed with a few frozen peas and corn.
Dan
Fri, Jun 21, 2013 : 1:36 a.m.
That's probably because you ordered fried rice at a Chinese restaurant...that serves dim sum.
nickcarraweigh
Mon, May 20, 2013 : 9:20 p.m.
This is sad; they were the only Asian restaurant nearer than St. Louis that had those things, you know, the small ones with the jointed pieces? I don't now if they are ocean things or farm or forest things, but boy, they were tasty. And now they are gone for good. Que sera, sera, as they say over there.
A2since74
Mon, May 20, 2013 : 9:25 p.m.
Go to Windsor Ontario for good Dim Sum.
JRW
Mon, May 20, 2013 : 9:14 p.m.
There are a lot of Asian restaurants around the area and some will not survive. We had not been there in several years. The location was grim (Packard and Carpenter) but at that time the food was ok. Not great, but ok. I don't know the quality recently.
Ariel
Mon, May 20, 2013 : 8:29 p.m.
I am so BUMMED! They definitely had the best tasting Dim Sum, and up until Asia City came around, they were the only people that did dim sum. I'm definitely going to miss their restaurant, although the last few times I went, they either didn't have power or heat.
JRW
Mon, May 20, 2013 : 9:15 p.m.
Yikes! No power = no refrigeration. Risky for a restaurant.
djacks24
Mon, May 20, 2013 : 8:18 p.m.
Very sad. Haven't been there is a while but had been there plenty of times before. Very hard to find Chinese food this authentic any longer. I remember just about every time we dined in most of the clientele were Asian and eating with chopsticks. I actually felt kind of weird being one of the few people there using a fork. Not saying that was a bad thing. Just saying how authentic the food and clientele were.
lefty48197
Mon, May 20, 2013 : 8:14 p.m.
The end of an era... I remember when The Garden Gate sat there.
linuxtuxguy
Mon, May 20, 2013 : 8:06 p.m.
This is incredibly sad news. This was my favorite Chinese restaurant in the area by a very large margin. For those wondering about Dim Sum, Asia City in Ypsi does this fairly well, though I am not personally a huge fan of their other food.
jns131
Tue, May 21, 2013 : 1:49 a.m.
The Hidden Dragon on Michigan in downtown Ypsilanti does dim sum as well. Not a huge menu but cheaper then Asia City.
snark12
Mon, May 20, 2013 : 10:51 p.m.
Yes, Asia City serves very good, authentic dim sum. Totally different experience from their buffet.
lorayn54
Mon, May 20, 2013 : 8:27 p.m.
I was disappointed in Asia city -- but is their dim sum good? do they serve it from carts?
Billy
Mon, May 20, 2013 : 8:01 p.m.
Does anyone know a good place for chicken feet or tripe, cause those were things they did perfectly.
Ed Kimball
Tue, May 21, 2013 : 1:11 p.m.
Lai Lai does have dim sum. I go there about once a month for dim sum. In my opinion, it has been up and down over the last couple of years. The last two times I went it was good -- except for the Sweet Rice with Chicken and Pork, which no longer had much meat in it. Their prices were up, too. And it wouldn't hurt them to clean the condiment jars more often; they were pretty sticky.
goblue76
Mon, May 20, 2013 : 8:18 p.m.
I believe treetowncartel is referring to Lai Lai? They used to have dim sum too didn't they?
treetowncartel
Mon, May 20, 2013 : 8:10 p.m.
The restaurant in the strip mall on the se corner of Carpenter and Ellsworth has chicken feet.
Billy
Mon, May 20, 2013 : 7:59 p.m.
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!! This was by FAR the best Chinese food in the entire area.....this is very depressing. You couldn't touch their weekend dimsum....no one even came close.
A2since74
Mon, May 20, 2013 : 8 p.m.
Dim Sum lovers wil have to go to Windsor.
Paula Gardner
Mon, May 20, 2013 : 7:55 p.m.
Does anyone remember what restaurant was there before Great Lakes?
Dave
Wed, May 22, 2013 : 3:24 p.m.
Where was Red Bull before???
John Hritz
Tue, May 21, 2013 : 9:29 p.m.
The thing I always remembered about Kwok Bo is that it had no windows to speak of and as a consequence was quite dark inside. In the summer, you'd finish your lunch, wander out into the parking lot squinting and hope that you didn't walk in front of a car. Great Lake added windows, the ramp to the front door, the fish tanks and a lot of style. Although probably not an authentic dish, their Singapore Rice Noodles were amazing. This was largely due to the red roast pork. GL was also my introduction to water chestnut cake. A very unusual but satisfying dish. http://en.christinesrecipes.com/2013/01/water-chestnut-cake.html#.UZvmFLVJN30
Bluestocking
Tue, May 21, 2013 : 12:37 a.m.
Sadly shows my age...it first opened as Great Lakes Steaks.
Paula Gardner
Mon, May 20, 2013 : 11:12 p.m.
Kwok Bo! That's it. Loved the orange flavor beef there - never found another place that served it that way.
LuvAA
Mon, May 20, 2013 : 11:07 p.m.
It was another Chinese place called Kwok Bo...too bad that Great Lakes came to this...poor management and personal troubles amongst the partners.
dancinginmysoul
Mon, May 20, 2013 : 10:59 p.m.
I want to say it was a steakhouse at some point.
Honest Abe
Mon, May 20, 2013 : 9:23 p.m.
least the one on Washtenaw, south of Golfside , that closed too. Sorry about the confusion.
Honest Abe
Mon, May 20, 2013 : 9:20 p.m.
Paula - It was formerly "Emerald City Chinese Restaurant".
YpsiLivin
Mon, May 20, 2013 : 8:15 p.m.
At one point, the building housed a business called Wurster's Garden Gate, but that wasn't a restaurant. That was a gardening/nursery kinda business.
goblue76
Mon, May 20, 2013 : 7:51 p.m.
Very surprised to see Great Lakes close down. Are there any places in the Ann Arbor area that have dim sum anymore? TK Wu and their jalapeno chicken will still be my go to for Chinese though.
LuvAA
Mon, May 20, 2013 : 11:12 p.m.
Dim sum is Cantonese food in origin from southern part of China and Hong Kong. Lai Lai and Asia City only two left in area, but for variety, check out Asian Legend on E. William, which serves Taiwanese small plates and entrees!
arborani
Mon, May 20, 2013 : 10:37 p.m.
And best crab Rangoon I've found locally.
Bryan Ellinger
Mon, May 20, 2013 : 8:27 p.m.
Lai Lai on Carpenter at Ellsworth has good dim sum.
Tom Teague
Mon, May 20, 2013 : 7:50 p.m.
I will miss that extraordinary eggplant in garlic sauce from Great Lake. The restaurant was a regular stop for us at least once every two weeks. Nice people running it as well. A2since - San Fu was exactly where I went when I discovered Great Lake was closed on Saturday.
A2since74
Mon, May 20, 2013 : 7:31 p.m.
They don't have Dim Sum, but San Fu on South Main (same building as By the Pound) is plenty good and has been around for years.
BobbyJohn
Mon, May 20, 2013 : 11:53 p.m.
Tried San Fu twice, 4 dishes total Quite mediocre, although well priced.
arborani
Mon, May 20, 2013 : 10:36 p.m.
San Fu's hot/sour soup is very very good.
Vivienne Armentrout
Mon, May 20, 2013 : 7:26 p.m.
I am very sad to see this. Great Lake's dim sum have been a weekend treat for many birthdays and anniversaries. Best wishes to the family who ran it, and to their chefs. Their food was a huge leap ahead of many of our local Chinese restaurants. I'm not sure where we will find a substitute.
LuvAA
Mon, May 20, 2013 : 11:02 p.m.
Asia City on Washtenaw past Golfside has decent dim sum... better than when they first opened.
Gretchen Ridenour
Mon, May 20, 2013 : 10:28 p.m.
I've heard that dim sum at Lai Lai is very good. They are located at the corner of Carpenter and Ellsworth.
A2K
Mon, May 20, 2013 : 7:33 p.m.
However, I will totally miss GL's Braised Noodles with Mushroom, and Rice Noodles with Beef *sniffle!* Good thing I know how to make both at home, but, sometimes you just want to show up and eat :O)
A2K
Mon, May 20, 2013 : 7:32 p.m.
Try Ypbor Yan - some of the sichuan dishes are really good. Alas, no Dim Sum there - but there are some real gems on the menu: - Crispy Fragrant Eggplant - Green Beans with Pork - Squirrel-Tail Fish with Two Flavors - Cold Bamboo Shoots with Chilis
Hugh Giariola
Mon, May 20, 2013 : 7:23 p.m.
That's a shame, they had good dim sum.
UloveM
Tue, May 21, 2013 : 1:26 a.m.
GL was the best Cantonese restaurant in Ann Arbor. Besides din sum, they had the best soups in area. Many Chinese families go there for their holiday dinners. But, the building is old, the carpet is dirty, the air is greasy and smelly.