Tonight, desperately needing to grab some food among studying and catching President Obama's speech on Afghanistan, I dropped back by World Oriental Kitchen for dinner.

They've gotten their act together. Since my first visit in mid-October, I hadn't returned until tonight. And, overall, the meal was quite good.

To fairly evaluate, I ordered the same thing I ordered on my first visit: lo-mein noodle bowl, adding steak and broccoli with the sweet chili sauce. Among the differences:

First, more steak. There was considerable more meat in the dish this go around. The steak was still in small bites, which with a fork were somewhat difficult to manage, but there was more. With a $2.50 pricetag, the upgrade was certainly worth the money.

Second, more broccoli. The broccoli is still overpriced at $1.50 but the portion was considerably larger. In fact, the dish on the whole seemed to be larger in portion. With a final biil over $9, this was definitely a nice thing to have.

Third, preparation. I complained earlier about the noodles being overcooked. While they remained slightly more cooked than I typically prefer, it was an improvement. The meat was tender and wasn't burnt. 

Finally, the sauce. Probably the biggest disappointment on my first visit was the lack of any discernable sauce or flavor. This has changed. The sweet chili sauce was delightful, even overly spicy at times. Also, unlike last time, I could see chilis in the dish, an indicator that perhaps, to my suspicion, I didn't have any sauce on my initial visit.

While I still think they have general kinks to work out (the bar area, where I waited for my to-go dish, has an exposed kitchen; smoke from the kitchen filled the air, highly unpleasant), I am beginning to see the promise in WOK. It's good food at a decent price (even if just slightly overpriced). Perhaps most importantly, though, the restaurant offers something different. It truly is a nice addition to the King Street (and late night) lineups.