[from 5 years ago]. . . but still only OK. As I said in the Whey Chai review, Main Moon on Erie uses too much celery in the vegetable dishes. (Whey Chai's eggrolls are better.) Main Moon's sauces are superior, though, and the vegetables are rarely overdone. The staff is friendly and service is fast. The sweet-sour meats would be far better if the breading were much lighter and the sauce served with them had peppers, onions, and tomatoes instead of just the gaudy red syrup. The tofu has always been fresh and well-prepared, whereas sometimes Whey Chai's has tasted rancid. There are good Chinese restaurants in Milwaukee, and of course, Chicago, but for now this is about the best one can do in Racine.
Back in 2016 with no stars to add or subtract: The eggrolls have improved in that they are somewhat larger. Twice in the last several years the order has been packaged without the sauces that come with the entree, so always check your sack to be sure they're there. Otherwise things are the same: too much breading on the breaded dishes, and the vegetables are cooked right. With shrimp: if they cost more, then charge more rather than give the impression of being chintzy with them. In general I believe people would rather pay more rather than have the impression they are being taken advantage of. Staff is friendly, polite, and reasonably well organized.
Does the new Panda Express--Chinese fast food-- compete? I don't think so. The food there isn't too bad, but the "real" Chinese restaurants don't have "premium" dishes with an add-on price (an irritation). You pay the menu price up front and the food is prepared according to the individual order order. Panda Express gives the impression of higher prices and smaller servings, although I haven't taken a food scale to their product. So although there aren't any really good Chinese restaurants in Racine,, at this point Main Moon is about as good as you can do. Like many mediocre restaurants, it seems like it could be much better with relatively little effort.
Lesson for chain restaurants or new restaurants in town: Racine , Wisconsin, is not California or New York, or even Chicago. The average Racinian isn't, I have concluded, terribly picky about taste, but he wants large portions, lots of starch, reasonable prices, and quick, polite service. You shouldn't bother coming here if it bothers you to do things like spend an extra 4 cents to provide "free" soup with the meals, have bread baskets, serve large eggrolls, or you're inclined to charge ten bucks for McDonald's-size hamburgers topped with a leaf of endive and charge extra for the fries. Racine people won't buy it. "Not getting it" has killed a couple dozen hopeful startups in this town during the years I have lived here, restaurants where the knuckleheaded owner's unique and inventive approach holds no interest for the local people, or the franchise has rules that make it impossible for management to compete in this market.
Revisited in 2018. No change in Main Moon's food. Try Whey Chai on Main, downtown, again. It appears to have new management, and the food was significantly improved when I revisited it a while ago.