Chow's probably isn't the kind of Chinese food you're used to. Think of this place as the nexus where inventive California-type Asian fare meets that takeout you get when you rent a movie with your honey, with a little New Mex thrown in (yep, there's green chile-tinted sauce on the menu). Oh sure, Chow's offers up some of everybody's ***image1***favorites (a light, peppy sesame chicken; spicy, complex lo mein noodles), all of which will satisfy that deep-down Chinese takeout craving, but it's when Chow's gets really inventive that things get fun-and tasty. Imagine delicate, perfectly formed dumplings dipped in a unique emerald-green sauce made with ginger and cilantro or lettuce wraps that forgo the grease for a healthy veggie fix, neither lacking in flavor for the notable omission of MSG. And on this matter Chow's gets hardcore: No MSG, ever! But consider that the only uptight thing about this Asian bistro-Chow's laid-back, tasteful dining room makes for intimate and unfussy surroundings that are much like the food: smart, crisp, casual, slightly unusual, but always comforting.

720 St. Michael's Drive, 471-7120, www.mychows.com. Lunch and dinner daily. $-$$