The gas station- and fast-food-intensive stretch of Ritchie Highway south of the city is the last place we'd expect to find great Chinese cuisine-shoot, we were surprised to find any kind of food more ethnic than Taco Bell. But Baltimoreans of discriminating taste have long known the secret of Grand Palace. You know you're in for the real thing when you open Grand Palace's menu and spot the likes of jellyfish and shark's fin. We don't actually order them-we don't harbor secret cravings for such exotica. Our delight stems from the fact that the mere presence of such delicacies indicates an authentic Chinese kitchen-Chinese food prepared the Chinese way, not in the way Glen Burnians are used to. We do, however, order (and highly recommend) the soft crabs braised in ginger and scallions-there is no finer treatment of Baltimore's signature crustacean. The dim sum menu (Dim sum! In Brooklyn Park!) offers a vast array of terrific bite-sized samples of Grand Palace's kitchen talent-succulent steamed shrimp dumplings, pillowy-soft lotus-seed-paste buns, salt-and- pepper squid-at a very reasonable price. The adventurous can order the goose-foot webs or try the tripe; those with tamer appetites can order tried-and-true dishes such as kung pao or Szechuan chicken. Even these standards are made new again by such delicious details as matchstick-shredded vegetables and delicately spiced sauces.So there you have it-the secret is out.

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