Fans of Seinfeld will remember the time George Kostanza was accused of stealing Yankees paraphernalia. The charge came while he huddled over a desktop lunch of Chinese take away. He was assumed to be guilty because sweat began to drip from his forehead.

"It's the kung pao," George cried, asserting his innocence.

Kung Pao chicken is a classic Sichuan--or Szechuan, if you will--dish. In China, it consists of cubed chicken, colorful vegetables, an intricate and dense sweet, sour and spicy sauce, and a toss of those intriguingly numbing peppercorns found in the region.

Yep, numbing. They cause more tingle than burn, and their pinprick claws spread across your mouth slowly and incessantly.

At Wonderful House--the most popular Chinese restaurant in the Panhandle, by ranking as well as a quick count of cars in the parking lot--the dish instead tastes, um, brown.

Instead of the alluring balance of the traditional dish or the searing heat of most Americanized versions, there's a flat, brackish swell. It's a disappointing treatment of a dish loved around the world…although, for a brief spell, China's then hard line government gave kung pao the "Freedom Fries" treatment, changing its name to "flash fried chicken cubes."

There are other reasons to doubt the kitchen's acumen: grocery store quality pot stickers, for one. Delicate and creamy egg drop soup obliterated by a topping of crunchy noodles, for another.

But the place is well-loved for a reason--or many reasons.

Egg rolls are the easiest item for a Chinese restaurant to skimp on. After all, they're tossed in almost free of charge with most entrees. Here, however, they receive a dusting of five spice powder that awakens the palate. Their crab rangoon--another common appetizer--spurns the startlingly tart cream cheese for a more demure and satisfying filling. Then there are house specialty items, such as the walnut shrimp, the orange chicken and their hot pot dish.

And it doesn't hurt that their wait staff hustle, keep you informed and remember the faces of restaurant regulars.

Yes, Wonderful House deserves their status, for the most part. Just don't sweat the kung pao.