As I mentioned in the Openings & Closings, the former China North at Wolf and Camp MacDonald roads in Wheeling is now Chinese Munch In. The owners had a place with the same name on Golf, but it's been closed. They've got obviously rental chairs (plastic-seated folding), but service is fast, and attentive.
Upon sitting down they brought egg drop soup, a good sign (although I'd have preferred hot and sour). Decent version, nice broth. I may have added a bit too much soy. The lunch special menu has a fair number of items, and the paper menu showed a Kung Pao without too many veg (maybe peas?) so I took a chance. The takeout version "lunch box" includes an egg roll, the in-house version gets soup instead.
Generous serving ($8.75) of chicken, peanuts, green and red bell, water chestnuts, and sadly celery (no peas). Unfortunately lacking in that sour-garlic-ginger-sweet flavor I expect from the Fuschia Dunlop recipe, but some heat (surprisingly no scorched peppers). The addition of some chili oil helped.
I'll give them another try -- there are probably some winners on the lunch list, and they have chow fun on the main menu. But for now I can only say 饭馆的菜不错 (the restaurant's food is not bad).
Chinese Munch In
1960 S Wolf Rd, Wheeling, IL 60090
chinesemunchinwheeling.com
Phone: (847) 229-1818
What is patriotism, but the love of good things we ate in our childhood?
-- Lin Yutang