spinynorman99 wrote:I may represent the minority here but China Chef has been wildly inconsistent - and not especially good - during COVID
Giovanna wrote:I live near China Chef and can confirm some inconsistency in the kitchen.
nsxtasy wrote:Before the pandemic hit, we alternated between China Chef in Morton Grove (when their Mongolian beef is on, it can be awesome) and Great Beijing in Lincolnwood (where we love the off-menu item, orange scallops). Now we're limited to carryout. We tried China Chef a few months ago for carryout, and it was only so-so; we thought maybe it was due to not traveling well (15 minutes away), but based on comments here, it sounds like we should chalk it up to inconsistency. We haven't been back. And we haven't tried Great Beijing for carryout yet. Tonight we had carryout from Ho Ho Chinese Kitchen in Skokie (see new topic here) and it was solid - everything was pretty darn good for carryout food.
Given that we're currently in a carryout world, travel time can be a significant consideration, not just for convenience, but in terms of food quality. So while you might be willing to drive from Evanston to Lake Bluff or vice versa to dine in, you might want to stick pretty close to home for carryout.
You could add Joy Yee and the Indo-Chinese at the rebranded and well received Shangri-la to the list too. I must confess Shang wasn't good my last order. The pot stickers were just atrocious. But power to them since they're pleasing enough people to be expanding with locations in the South Loop and Streeterville.Indianbadger wrote:Downtown Evanston has a real plethora of good Chinese.
Shang Noodle
Peppercorns
Cafe 527 (Taiwanese)
Lao Sze Chuan
Indianbadger wrote:Downtown Evanston has a real plethora of good Chinese.
Shang Noodle
Peppercorns
Cafe 527 (Taiwanese)
Lao Sze Chuan
All within a block of each other. The food rivals what you can get in Chinatown.
bweiny wrote:You could add Joy Yee and the Indo-Chinese at the rebranded and well received Shangri-la to the list too. I must confess Shang wasn't good my last order. The pot stickers were just atrocious. But power to them since they're pleasing enough people to be expanding with locations in the South Loop and Streeterville.
Cathy2 wrote:Indianbadger,
Do these lists indicated best-of or merely their existence?
Thanks!
Regards,
CAthy2
I interpreted 527 Cafe as opening the door since Joy Yee has just as much Chinese items. Most of the other places are 2+ blocks away as well.Indianbadger wrote:My original post was best of, for Chinese only. The rest are pan-asian stuff; that is something you can probably get anywhere else too(like Joy Yee and the like); i.e.; not remarkable or destination worthy. Except NaKorn, which is really good, but is Thai.
bweiny wrote:I should've gone to Tsing Tao sooner. Only George R has mentioned them as best I can tell, and not on this thread. Being a half mile from home is a big plus, but the pot stickers are good stuff regardless of proximity. Wah Mei on Linden/4th had the best in the area for a while before closing about a decade ago, I should have checked out Tsing Tao when looking for a replacement back then. Lo mein and moo shu are also good. Hot & sour wasn't flavorful enough however. Don't dismiss if the location is convenient.
Tsing Tao
537 Green Bay Rd, Wilmette, IL 60091
847-251-7760
http://www.tsingtaowilmette.com/
Richard Sun, whose parents Chih and Mei Sun opened Tsing Tao in 1980, told The Record that it was the right time for his family to make a change, and they have a deal in place to sell the business and building at 537 Green Bay Road.
Glad they mentioned the liquor license. It's so completely unnecessary in the current form, I told myself I'd have to order a Singapore Sling or two if I ever dined in.Dave148 wrote:bweiny wrote:I should've gone to Tsing Tao sooner.Richard Sun, whose parents Chih and Mei Sun opened Tsing Tao in 1980, told The Record that it was the right time for his family to make a change, and they have a deal in place to sell the business and building at 537 Green Bay Road.
https://www.therecordnorthshore.org/202 ... ass-it-on/