Milford History Online

When Milford’s first Chinese restaurant, China Star, opened on Elm Street in 1973, the “oriental” fare must have seemed downright exotic. Replacing the steak & seafood at “Here Tiz," New Yorkers David and May Koon bought the restaurant and the adjoining house and fixed up both in time for an August grand opening. Milford residents had clearly been waiting for something a little more international because the Koons had to turn away hungry patrons from their 82-seat dining room on opening night. They ran a “Happy Apology” in the Milford Cabinet the following week, explaining that the “crowd was simply more than we could handle” and asking customers to “please come again when things have settled down a bit.” Goldfingers, fried “wong tong” (The Cabinet probably meant wontons), and the house specialty, China Star Chicken, were all popular items on the original menu. And, of course, no meal was complete without the fortune cookie at the end. The Koons retired in 1999 although China Star lived on for another couple decades under different management.