If you're not wedded to eating in Chinatown, my favorite is actually Furama, on Broadway just off Argyle. If you must go to Chinatown, Three Happiness does a nice dim sum. Joel D. S. wrote: >I'd appreciate hearing about your favorite dimsum restaurant in >Chinatown. We're going this Sunday. > > >Thanks so much.... > >======================================================================== >Debra and David Simon >[email removed] > > "We don't know a millionth of one percent about anything." > --Thomas Alva Edison
Chicago, IL
Best Places For Dim Sum In Chinatown
I'm registering a vote for Hong Min. Not just the dim sum, everything is good. Hot and Sour soup can not be beat - and because this seems to matter to this group - the staff is nice.
I've found Three Happiness to be grungier than even I can tolerate, with mediocre food and rude service. I understand Furama opened a place on Wentworth, south of Cermak, where the old Chiam used to be. I usually go to the Furama on Broadway near Argyle. Another option in Chinatown is Hong Min. A grungy dive, with no dim sum carts, but fresh and well-prepared dim sum. However, it's not for a novice, as English is barely spoken, and you order from their Chinese/English menu for items brought fresh from the kitchen. I've yet to find dim sum in this city that can rival even the mediocre places in San Francisco, New York or Seattle.
NNTP-Posting-Date: Thu, 21 May 1998 09:33:49 CDT Xref: chi.eats:2466 Desiree K. wrote: >The bestest place -- and if you have eaten a lot of >pseudo-Americanized-dim sum, you will understand what I mean when you go >there -- is Phoenix Restaurant on S. Archer, stop light north of Cermak, >the main Chinatown street. >It has the most authentic dim sum in the city <snip> Yes!!! I agree. Phoenix is with out a doubt the best Dim Sum in Chicago. The Dim Sum is lighter, more refined and does not have the Chicago/Midwestern tendency to resemble pierogis. Three Happiness is reliable and Furama, well if you don't have something nice to say it is better not to say anything at all. Enjoy, Gary Phoenix 2131 S Archer 312-328-0848
O.K., I'm never an iconoclast when it comes to Chinese food! With the way places come and go, and the way chefs move around, one must be flexible. The Phoenix it is, and will be next on my morning run. Gary, please tell me which Furama you've tried, Chinatown, or Broadway. My feeling about them (reliable), is the same as yours about Three Happiness, where I have a hard time standing the general rudeness. G W. wrote: >Desiree K. wrote: > >>The bestest place -- and if you have eaten a lot of >>pseudo-Americanized-dim sum, you will understand what I mean when you go >>there -- is Phoenix Restaurant on S. Archer, stop light north of Cermak, >>the main Chinatown street. >>It has the most authentic dim sum in the city ><snip> > >Yes!!! I agree. >Phoenix is with out a doubt the best Dim Sum in Chicago. >The Dim Sum is lighter, more refined and does not have the >Chicago/Midwestern tendency to resemble pierogis. >Three Happiness is reliable and Furama, well if you don't have >something nice to say it is better not to say anything at all. >Enjoy, >Gary > >Phoenix >2131 S Archer >312-328-0848 >
I also like Hong Min Very Much. I don't find the staff rude, 3 Happiness has the corner on that market. Although I am a regular, and they do seem to take special care of us regular customers. The hot and sour soup is made to order and best I have had. Thier Chow Foon noodle dishes are incredible, the stir fried wide rice noodles are both crispy and soft, the textural range is wonderful. I tend to over order the dim sum, because they give you a sheet and pen and you can check off more than you can eat if you are hungry. One of my favorite dishes, its not on the menu, but you can talk them into making it for you, I always do. Its Roast Duck and Asparagus Chow Foon. I also like the Pork and Onion puffs which are a little heavy but not to be missed. The potstickers are not on the dim sum menu, but you can order them nevertheless. Also, they have dim sum every day from 10am to 3pm, 365 days a year including all holidays. They are also open to 2am every day of the year. Its easy to become a regular here.
NNTP-Posting-Date: Fri, 22 May 1998 10:08:06 CDT Xref: chi.eats:2475 On Thu, 21 May 1998 16:03:12 GMT, [email removed] (J. Smith) wrote: <snip> >Gary, please tell me which Furama you've tried, Chinatown, or >Broadway. My feeling about them (reliable), is the same as yours >about Three Happiness, where I have a hard time standing the general >rudeness. I am referring to the Broadway Furama, I have not tried the Chinatown branch. I have eaten there maybe 5 or 6 times over the past few years and each time I have been unhappy with the service, food, accompanying sauces and general cleanliness of the place. (The phoenix has wonderful hot chili oil) Why you ask has he eaten there so many times if he doesn't like the place? Good question! I love Dim Sum and am always willing to give a restaurant a second, third or even sixth chance in this case. I am also in the neighborhood at least 4 or 5 times a month as I like to shop at Viet Hoa and I have a few favorite restaurants in the area. I do not find the staff at Three Happiness rude, Hummmm sometimes casually indifferent or distracted. LOL... I like "Big" Three Happiness (what I assume we have been discussing), but I love the "Little" Three Happiness. I always differentiate between the two with the designation "Big" and "Little" as they both have the same name, but different food, service and owners. The "Big" is at the NW corner of Cermak and Wentworth and the "Little" is across from the firehouse on 22nd. "Little" Three Happiness is one of my favorite restaurants in the city. I love their Blue Crab dry stir-fried with ginger and scallions and I have considered seeking professional help regarding my affection for the crispy rice noodles with fresh and dried squid. I have to mention the crispy skinned chicken served with lemon wedges, fresh cilantro and a dipping salt laced with Szechuan pepper. OH MY.... I do not find the service at all slow, indifferent or distracted here. Raymond the owner is quite interactive and always makes sure we get huge portions, a quality I admire. "Little" Three Happiness also has Dim Sum and if I am alone during the week at lunchtime I frequently pop over there for a quick meal. LTH has a paper and pencil order system, as does Hong Min. I stand by my statement that the Phoenix has the best Dim Sum in Chicago. I love Dim Sum and have even considered having Fed Ex deliver from my current favorite, Yank Sing in San Francisco. Enjoy, Gary "Big" Three Happiness 2130 S Wentworth 312-791-1228 "Little" Three Happiness 209 W Cermak 312-842-1964 Phoenix 2131 S Archer 312-328-0848 Viet Hoa Grocery 1051 W Argyle Yank Sing 427 Battery St. San Francisco, Ca 415-362-4799 Hong Min 221 W Cermak 312-842-5026
NNTP-Posting-Date: Tue, 26 May 1998 15:20:16 CDT Xref: chi.eats:2487 On Tue, 26 May 1998 13:51:03 GMT, [email removed] (t r i l l i u m) wrote: >But that's not saying much <g>. How does it compare to west coast (Seattle, >Sf, Vancouver) dim sum? Hummmm.. Having the best Dim Sum in Chicago is like being the tallest mountain in Kansas...<grin> >They're good, but you could do better. Yank Sing has gone down hill in the >last 5 or so years. Next time you're there try the Ton Kiang on Geary and >22nd Ave for what many consider the best dim sum in SF. <snip> Yank Sing has only recently replaced Ton Kiang as my favorite Dim Sum in San Francisco. I still like Ton Kiang (I can not type the name without my mouth watering) I agree that the 22nd Ave branch is great for Dim Sum, for Hakka Cuisine I like the Spruce St. branch. The Salt Baked Chicken with ginger/scallion dipping sauce is fantastic, as are the Soups, Clay Pots and Szechuan Squid with red chili pepper. I could go on, but this might best be discussed in ba.food. LOL Thank you for the recommendations for new Dim Sum places to try, our next visit to San Francisco will be in July and I will try to get in all three. Enjoy, Gary
There is no place for good dim sum in Chicago. The closest is a bakery, The Happy Garden Bakery, on Wentworth south of most of chinatown. Otherwise go to NYC of SF. D. S. wrote: > I'd appreciate hearing about your favorite dimsum restaurant in > Chinatown. We're going this Sunday. > > Thanks so much.... > > ======================================================================== > Debra and David Simon > [email removed] > > "We don't know a millionth of one percent about anything." > --Thomas Alva Edison
t r i l l i u m wrote: > ~I love Dim Sum and have even considered having Fed Ex deliver from my > ~current favorite, Yank Sing in San Francisco. > > They're good, but you could do better. Yank Sing has gone down hill in the > last 5 or so years This may be, I don't know. But I just happen to have had deem sum (their spelling) at the Yank Sing on Stevenson Street in S.F. last Sunday, and I thought it was terrific. Carefully prepared; delicate noodle wrappers; great fried stuffed eggplant; unusual (to me) ingredients, e.g. spinach dumplings. My only regret is that I was alone and could only sample enough for two people. The Stevenson Street location is much smaller and seemed brighter than how I remember the Battery Street location, which I haven't been to in years. I'd be thrilled if Chicago had a place that equaled Yank Sing. The Phoenix on Archer is better than OK, but, after you finally get in, the service is usually so slow that you can never try a very large variety in the time you have, and to me the quality, though good and about the best in town, isn't *that* much better. I'm about as happy with homely Hong Min's food a block away, though not its decor. For that matter, I can usually be satisfied by Furama on Broadway, just because it's quick and closest to me even though mediocre. Thanks for your other S.F. recommendations. I hope I have them with me the next time I'm there, and I hope it's soon. Bill Kelley, Chicago