After years of planning and preparation, St. Louis Park’s West End is now home to the Lucky Cricket, a new restaurant with a fresh and eccentric take on Chinese cuisine, according to Andrew Zimmern.

The man behind it all, celebrity chef and the host of the Travel Channel’s television show “Bizarre Foods,” Zimmern said Lucky Cricket is something he’s wanted to create for a long time.

“I’ve been in love with Chinese food and Chinese culture since I was a little kid,” Zimmern said. “I’ve had this dream for 30 years, and I finally was at the point in my life where I said, ‘Yeah I can go and do this.’”

According to Zimmern, he picked St. Louis Park because of a lack of variety in quality sit-down restaurants. Lucky Cricket opened mid-November near the ShowPlace Icon Theater.

“I thought that it was something that from a concept standpoint was missing from the community here,” Zimmern said. “I think St. Louis Park and this side of town needed more restaurants. This was a great location next to the movie theater, demographically with all the people that are around, and many folks would like one other choice without having to drive too far away or go back Downtown.”

Sophomore Dinah Hunegs said her experience at Lucky Cricket was pleasant and worthwhile.

“It was amazing, and I really enjoyed the food,” Hunegs said. “The restaurant was beautiful inside and out.”

According to Zimmern, his goal for the restaurant is to bring new flavors to customers while keeping the environmental impact to a minimum.

“We are trying to create a different model here as a point of difference so that we are serving the many different sides of the consumer desire,” Zimmern said. “For more so this generation than mine, transparency and sustainability are a part of the daily conversation and choice making.”

Lucky Cricket is currently open at the West End.