Buffet style General Tso's Chicken?

I have eaten ALOT of this dish as it is my favorite and there is one buffet I had been going to since '96, until their portions and price became to much to bare. Their sauce is the secret imho and it is a dark/thick/spicy sauce, almost black in appearance, unlike the clear spicy sauce we normally get. On top of that the chicken had a light/crispy crust/texture to it almost like fried chicken and not like the batter on most GTC I run into now which is like the batter/coating you find on say 'sweet & sour' pork.

I just may slip a $50 to one of the cooks next time for the recipe but in the mean time I'M DYING not being able to replicate their recipe, any suggestion's???

tex