There were no ball drops last night at midnight, but Friday is the Chinese New Year. The Year of the Ox would typically usher in parades and family feasts in Chinatown, but with COVID-19, it’s obviously a different story. I visited a pair of restaurants this weekend. One specializes in Hunan cuisine and the other focuses … Continued
The Chinese New Year is coming up on Tuesday, and if you’re headed to Chinatown, be prepared to see a lot more baked goods and specialty teas. Tous les Jours 2144 S. Archer Ave. 312-225-8488 Bingo Tea 2150A S. Archer Ave. 312-328-6668
Waffles are usually thought of as a breakfast food, but not in Hong Kong, where “bubble waffles” are a popular snack these days. Since they opened a few weeks ago, Joy Yee Plus in Chicago’s Chinatown has been selling them, since they imported the special machines needed to make them on-site.
There won’t be any ball-drops Friday night, but the Chinese New Year does begin at midnight. The “Year of the Rooster” will have just about every restaurant in Chinatown busy, of course, but you might want to seek out a new spot on South Wentworth where you’ll find hand-pulled and hand-shaved noodles exactly as they’re … Continued
The Chinese tradition of dim sum has been around for centuries. Typically, the small plates of fried, steamed and baked items are a great chance to share and sample a lot of different things at one meal. In Chicago, one of Chinatown’s most popular dim sum houses — MingHin Cuisine — is now making a trio … Continued
In a tiny Chinatown storefront, the outside doesn’t look like much, but inside, a family-run restaurant features the nuanced dishes from Xi’an. The two stars: handmade noodles – made in two distinctive ways – plus a homemade bun stuffed with ground lamb and cumin that is completely unique to Chicago.
I’ve been spending a lot of time in Chinatown recently, looking for stories for Chinese New Year. Frankly, I hadn’t even thought to stop by Phoenix, the venerable 19 year-old restaurant hidden up on the 2nd floor of a dingy building across the street from the more dynamic Chinatown Square Mall. But the restaurant underwent … Continued
It had been awhile since I ventured into Katy’s Dumpling House in Westmont. A few weeks ago, I had tried, but arrived just as they were closing. On Saturday, however, my son’s soccer game ended nearby at 7 p.m., so we had plenty of time (why the Chicago City team plays in Westmont every week … Continued
NOTE: Just in case you’ve landed here from a Google search, there is a newer, updated Top 5 Pho post. I ranked all 32 of the pho joints in Chicago, complete with statistical analysis and maps. Published January of 2017. Nearly every culture has its go-to winter comfort soup. The “Jewish penicillin” has always … Continued
Two years ago, I embarked on a magical, fatty/crispy sojourn to Beijing, in search of the real Peking duck. Nearly every great restaurant I visited had their own procedure – be it air hose between skin and meat, large fan for blowing on and drying out the ducks or poaching in hot water for 30 … Continued
There are only a handful of places I like for dim sum in Chicago’s Chinatown. Phoenix is the stalwart – and much-needed renovation in 2014 really brought them into the modern era. Cai, on the 2nd floor of the Chinatown Square Mall, is more elegant, but still, bustling on a weekend (which means plenty of … Continued