“Maybe I’m crazy,” she said. “I had no idea it would be this hard.”

Gong Chen of Clemmons and his wife, Wen Ying, were two of only seven customers at lunch one day last week. They’re regulars, and they came by to eat braised beef roll and braised beef noodle bowl.

“There are a lot of Chinese restaurants around, but not many of them serving authentic Chinese food,” Chen said.

He said it’s good that Pan Goo has something for everyone, while still offering plenty of authentic dishes.

Susan Settle of Advance, another customer, said she wishes more people knew about Pan Goo. Settle said she ran a restaurant in Vermont for seven years and has eaten Chinese food all over the country. “One of my favorite things to do when I go to a big city is go to Chinatown,” she said.

Settle said that Pan Goo is offering authentic Chinese food.

“This is Chinese food. It’s not Chinese-American. And all the food is made fresh to order,” Settle said. “My favorite things are the homemade dumplings and braised beef roll — it’s probably the most favorable beef I’ve ever had.”

Wang said she included such items as sesame chicken for Americans unfamiliar with the other dishes. On the other hand, the point of Pan Goo is get people to try some of the less familiar authentic dishes. “People don’t want to try new things,” she said, “but that’s what I want them to try.”

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