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Made a Katy's run today and the Dan Dan noodles had the same impact on me that they did on GardenofEatin. Wow. It took a little bit of recovery time to get back to normal and I don't remember that from my previous Dan Dan Noodles.

Luckily I subscribe to the Mike G method of having a direct correlation between the number of orders and the distance to the restaurant. The mild by comparison beef noodle soup was a delicious salve. Tomorrow, I might take another crack at the Dan Dan noodles (or I might just work on the cold szechuan noodles).

Also, no pickles

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Was it the bizarre overly tingly, numbing, no flavor experience? Mine was like eating a bowl full of Novocaine broth. That's disappointing, I was really hoping that it was just a fluke. I hope there's not a new cook or something (I didn't notice who was cooking when I was there).

Yes that was the feeling. At first, I thought it was spicy, but then realized that it was just an odd reaction. I can usually deal with a fair amount of heat, but it wasn't normal.

The woman who usually takes orders at the register was in back cooking when I was there. That probably isn't a good sign.

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I'm getting old. I remember when a common complaint about Chinese food in Chicago (and most other places) included a near-complete lack of Northern, noodles 'n bread based cuisine, and no Szechuan peppercorns (previously illegal or something). Now I can get competent XLB, good northern pancackes, 100 different hot pots, and lamb swimming in oily Szechuan peppercorn broth all over Chinatown. It's a much better world for this stuff when too much Szechuan peppercorn is the big problem. Much, much better. Still unfortunate to hear Katy's mini-downhill alert.

Good to hear, Steve.

For what it's worth, in the really old days Katy's broths were sometimes overwhelmed by Szechuan pepper, which to my tastes was like too much black truffle in my risotto, too much whatever that is in Al's giardinera, or too much marbling in my steak. But I'm an American of coarse and blunt sensibilities.

The one dish that I realize now is really a phenomenal version, having tried it from Lao Beijing to various spots in NY and CA is the cold noodles. If you have to choose one, that's it I think. Someone please tell me they haven't messed with the "ragu" dolloped on top.

[PS, this was in reply to a Steve Z post that seems to have vanished....]

Now that you say that, I do recall that she was helping out whoever was cooking when we got there; we had to wait a minute or two while she finished up before we could place our order. I didn't think anything of it at the time, though.

She was in the back when I was there too; it looked like she was pulling noodles and boxing up takeout orders and dumplings for the cooler. She wasn't behind the wok that I could see, that was the same guy as always. Mr. Red Shirt was there too (though I haven't seen him in a red shirt for a while); he left a few minutes after I ordered.

How do you get Katy to understand:

There are two items: fried potstickers (8 pcs) and boiled dumplings 10 pcs)

What I want are an order of the potstickers boiled (or steamed) but everytime I order it and think she is on the same page I keep getting fried potstickers!!

Potstickers are dumplings which are fried initially, then they pour in some water and cover with a lid to steam. Once the water has evaporated, they continue to fry until crisp.

If you want boiled/steamed dumplings, then don't ask for potstickers. Ask for steamed/boiled dumplings with a ground pork filling.

Does this help?

Regards,

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Cathy2

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This won't happen - even if you ask in Mandarin. The two are made differently and appropriately so for each type of cooking method. The potstickers won't boil or steam well - you'll probably end up with wet goop either way. I'm sure one could insist on the cooking method in Mandarin, but that wouldn't be advisable. It's like asking for an onion pancake steamed (vs pan-fried)...

I'm not sure that's true, I've brought home bags of the frozen dumplings from Katy's, and they both steam and pan fry very well.

mike

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stopped in yesterday for lunch, no mr red shirt and my request for cold water was denied (comp tea only). i did scoop up a package of pickles. they were ok but too sour for my tastes.

You buried the lead. I'm heading there tomorrow!

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Steve Z.
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Please report back with quantity. If it looks like there may be some left, I may make a trip later in the week.

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when i was there, the fridge had 2 packs... i got 1. call first maybe?

Somehow my Chinese friends don't like the dumplings at Katy's. They say they are too big and the skin is too thick. I don't know how they are supposed to be in any case. Maybe they are made that way in some part of the country.

Their loss I say - you'll always find someone who thinks that a certain dish taste different from their "old country" benchmark. The important thing is whether you enjoy them.

I feel like it has been ages since I've been on LTH. I've recently gotten married. Two other of my friends have gotten married. So the three of us couples (does that make sense) made a good ol' trip to Katy's a couple weeks ago. Man I love that place. Even my wife who is straight from Argentina (she does speak perfect English, I dunno why people keep asking) was raving about the noodles for days. So I'm pretty sure I'm going back sometime soon.

Anyway, apart from all the personal information. I'm just happy to eat food and read about food on this forum. Hooray.

I have been to Katy's 3 times in the past 2 months. I have tried a variety of dishes. I liked the potstickers. I don't get it. I think the food is OK but nothing more than that. I do admit that on the last visit I added hot sauce and the vinegar that they leave on the table to my beef noodles. It made a huge difference, but still if I am going to have a noodle dish with a beef based broth give me a bowl of pho from Pho Ha any day. They are both small hole in the wall joints but at least at Pho Ha they serve me water in a glass. I also love the Bánh mì and egg rolls better than the potstickers at Katy's.


Pho Ha
(630) 894-4000
1971 Bloomingdale Rd 

Glendale Heights, IL 60139

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Dan Dan Noodles were spot on and much needed on a cold day.

Mr Red Shirt (attired in blue) was in attendance as well as the tall gal and the tall and older cook.

Also had the boiled dumplings and the way the ingredients cook to make that rich broth inside the dumpling. Great!

They were having lunch on what appeared to be a great looking soup and when asked they mentioned it was not on the menu. Looked great!

Secret menu at Katy's?

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You are comparing apples to oranges. I don't think you can really lump the Chinese food at Katy's in with the Vietnamese food at Pho Ha. Different food for different folks. Personally I love pho, but that is about the only soup "meal" that I will get at any restaurant - it is just not my thing normally. At Katy's, I tend to stick with the shredded pork stir fried with pancake or one of the dry (non-soup) noodle dishes. With those dishes you can really taste the home-made chewiness of the noodles, and that really makes Katy's stand out. Of course, I also tend to add a little hot sauce to those dishes as well.

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One thing that really annoys me about Katy's Dumplings is that they don't have water. I mean, seriously ... no WATER?? Especially for a restaurant that serves spicy dishes?

I asked for cold water to offset my spicy noodles and they told me they only had the tea, which is boiling hot. Sorry, that's just unacceptable for any restaurant.

a long time ago (before the expanded to naperville), i was aware of this limitation and went to the gas station nearby to get a fountain drink to bring in. i wasn't scolded or anything.

on my most recent visit i had forgotten and was stuck with the tea. sad times.

They do sell drinks, including bottled water, in the cooler just to the left of the cash register. Everything is only $1.00.

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Steve Z.
Photographer/Pseudojournalist

"The only time to eat diet food is while you’re waiting for the steak to cook." - Julia Child

Not to mention that even if you do resign yourself to the tea, they steadfastly refuse to bring you a variety of both caloric and non-caloric sweeteners. Beyond the pale.

It's not surprising that since the original Katy's is basically a Chinese restaurant for primarily Chinese customers (at least at first), they don't automatically serve cold water with hot food. It's just not done in quite a few Asian countries. Inconvenient or not, Katy's kind of marches to the beat of its own drum, and that's a part of its appeal.

mike

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Just out of curiosity, does Katy's have Chinese language only menu items?

I'm interested in possibly visiting Katy's again and sampling the tea, as I will be in the same strip mall for other business near the luncheon hour in late March. What can you tell me about portion size and cost?

Cost was $9.50. But maybe you're not interested in the degustation menu?

We ate at Katy's in Naperville last night. We had fried noodles with chicken and onion pancake with shredded pork, and eggrolls and potstickers.

This was my son's first time at Katy's and he said the food was just okay, he was not wild about it. Somehow I think the food is tastier at the Westmont location. My favorite is the onion pancake which I remember being addictive the first time I had it at the Westmont location but here is was kind of blah and I don't think as good.

The potstickers and eggrolls are okay but the sauce for the potstickers is just a variant of soy sauce and does not have any green onions or sesame seeds in it to zip it up. The eggrolls are never served with hot mustard unless you ask. I asked and we got one packet, although we could have asked for more.

They did serve ice water and we ordered tea which was good on a cold night.

They took credit cards.

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