North Side/Evanston Chinese

(This is a little off topic..)

Dim Sum places: I'll mention a few below, but unfortunately none of them compare to the ones I've gone to in California. (and even Toronto from what I hear)

Phoenix in Chinatown:
Pro: Probably still the best dim sum in terms of the food. Con: Slow service, I usually can only get about half of the stuff that I want. They're either gone by the time the cart reaches me or I'm full by the time they have new ones.

Dragon Inn (?) in Chinatown:
Pro: Very good dim sum.
Con: Very dirty and unsanitary looking, and that's just the dining room. Who knows what the kitchen looks like.

(Forgot the name) in Westmont next to the Diho Market: Pro: good enough dim sum food. Con: The WORST service I've ever experience from a Dim Sum place. We literally walked out after 30 minutes there and getting only 1 item. Slow and understaffed and clueless servers (half of them seemed like it's their 1st time ever serving food)

Jockey's in Schaumburg
Pro: good on some items
Con: Lacks the variety that others offer, and tend to be greasier than the others.

If there's any that I'm missing, please add.

Anyways, to get back on topic:

If you like Northern style Chinese (Mandarin) cooking where the specialties are norther style noodles and seafood dishes, you can try the Great Beijing on Lincoln in Lincolnwood or Nan Garden on Dempster in Skokie.

If you're willing to venture a little farther out, this new Cantonese place on Rand Rd in the Dominics mall in Arlington Heights is also quite good (but not cheap).

-et

> Someone wrote:
> >
> >I'd like to put in an opposing NAY to the Lulu's votes.  In general, Chinese
> >food in Chicago is pretty abysmal, and Lulu's is no exception.  I hates it, I
> >do.  I think it's an insult to the true genius of this evolved Cantonese
> >breakfast habit to call what they serve dim sum.
>
> In that case, where would you recommend we go instead?
>
> (said the girl who realizes that it's not "authentic", but enjoys it a
> heckuva lot!)
>
> --
> Janet F. Caires-Lesgold         [email removed]
> Speaker-to-Toys                http://www.enteract.com/~jfc/
> "I brought marshmallows.  Occasionally, I'm callous and strange."
>         --  Willow Rosenberg, Buffy the Vampire Slayer: "The Zeppo"

NNTP-Posting-Date: Mon, 21 Aug 2000 10:07:57 PDT
Xref: usenet.INS.CWRU.Edu chi.eats:7995

Eisen C. wrote:

>   Mei Shung   - Broadway & Bryn Mawr - Taiwanese food
>
>   (?) Palace  - Corner of Argyle & Broadway
>                 Good salt-n'-chili shrimp, crab
>
>   Furama      - Across the street from (?) Palace
>                 Crispy Skin Chicken, Lobster, Dim-Sum
>
>   Sun Wah     - North of (?) Palace
>   BBQ           Great Duck, salt-baked chicken, BBQ items,
>                 singapore mei-fun. Avoid all other dishes.

First, regarding Sun Wah: The dishes named are fine. But "avoid all other dishes"? I think not. The place looks like a dump and sometimes isn't as clean as it should be, but the only bad dishes (to my taste) I've ever found have been dumpling soups, where the soup can taste thin and the dumplings taste like hay. Otherwise, I have yet to find a bad dish there. Closest is when there's a substitute cook and a given dish will go from fine to just OK. The seafood dishes in particular are great. And my Malaysia-born, ethnically Chinese other half agrees.

Mei Shung: It has Taiwanese and mainland menus. I've generally enjoyed what I've had there, and it's quite a cut above others in looks (tablecloths, dcor) and hospitality. A Taiwanese friend enjoys it.

Furama: At least on a weeknight, judging by a recent visit, it's full of messy tabletops and virtually deserted. Seemingly for good reason, because the quality of food at dinner had sunk below the sometimes mediocre level of a few years ago. On the other hand, I've had a few decent dinner dishes there over the years. As for dim sum, it's not world-class, but it's good by Chicago standards, and it's where the place shines. It has improved in the last couple of years, no doubt because of competition from Archer Avenue's Phoenix or other dim sum places. I think Furama is the only large dim sum place on the North Side, and it's pleasant enough for a weekend morning visit (in fact, it serves dim sum every day, but selection is best on weekends).

Regarding the ? Palace on the corner of Argyle and Broadway (I can't remember the full name, either): I've seen or heard some favorable comments, but on our one visit we weren't impressed--food was generally under-flavored.

Bill Kelley, Chicago

Sun Wah
1134 W. Argyle St.
773-769-1254

Mei-Shung
5511 N. Broadway
773-728-5778

Furama
4936 N. Broadway
773-271-1161