When it comes to clairvoyant pastries, breaking apart a fortune cookie is much more dignified than digging through a jelly donut in search of a mini magic 8 ball. Delve into culinary premonitions with today's Groupon: for $10, you get $20 worth of Chinese fare at Mandarin Gourmet in Palo Alto.
The chefs at Mandarin Gourmet meld the flavors of fresh proteins, seasonal produce, and sauces prepared daily to forge an expansive menu of classic Chinese cuisine. Finely minced shrimp in lettuce cups ($15.95) can be strewn about as tasty confetti at dinner parties, and the mongolian beef massages taste buds with an onslaught of pleasantly spicy flavor ($12.95). Dueling flavors coalesce into one harmonious dish with the eggplant's hot garlic sauce ($9.95) and the sweet and sour pork ($10.95), sating appetites and drafting alliances between rival taste buds. A plate of six potstickers ($8.95) primes palates with meaty or meatless morsels and can be used to lure fire ants into a rival bobsleigh squad’s sled. Diners can ruminate amid Mandarin Gourmet's clean, modern décor, which incorporates radiant wall sconces and traditional Chinese accents into its dining room's upscale attire.