Moon Palace...has it changed since the fire?

I was off tonight and we both wanted Chinese. With Sun Wah closed, and Chinatown much closer, we headed south, not really knowing where we would end up. At 5:30, there were parking places everywhere...Archer, Wentworth, Cermak. Not in the mood for spicy, we were longing for soup, egg roll, maybe some mu shu and the like.

Somehow we ended up at Moon Palace. The menu seemed different than before, but I couldn't put my finger on exactly what. Service was very good. We ordered two small Hot/Sour soups, an order of egg rolls, mu shu pork and shrimp in lobster sauce.

I remember praise on this board for the hot/sour soup, but last time we were there (maybe 5 years ago?) it seemed too mild as well as unbalanced. Well, it was delicious. Tasty broth, nice vegetables and pork, enough vinegar twang, peppery, although I needed more. Just one thing...where was that hint of sesame oil as a crowning touch? Also absent were the barely coagulated threads of beaten egg. Sort of like an unauthentic but still pretty tasty rendition.

Egg rolls were tasty. We didn't have to beg for hot mustard and duck sauce like the fabled place across the street. The china has been updated as well, with condiments served in classy little dishes.

On to the Mu Shu. Since when has Mu Shu Pork been served with flour tortillas? Tasty...Yes? Again...sort of like a Bizarro version. I remember the dish as fairly equal amounts of egg/vegetables including tree ear mushrooms and tiger lily buds/ and protein. Very light on the exotic stuff and almost no detectable egg. Hint of sesame oil...? No.

Shrimp/Lobster sauce. No ground pork...no scallion, and no barely set whipped egg. Since when does this dish contain sautéed mushroom? Also, I understand that shrimp prices are going through the ceiling, but these were very tiny shrimp, although I have to admit that they were nicely cooked. Sauce was way to dark and salty. Again...I remember that crowning drizzle of sesame oil as part of this dish, but it was absent.

A large bowl of rice was brought to the table with the first main course. We didn't have to wait ten minutes for an ice cream scoop of rice like at more than one board favorite. No strange look from the server saying, "You want rice?"

With a diet coke the meal was a very reasonable $35. We even got almond cookies with the tab.

A pretty good, yet not totally satisfying meal from an authenticity standpoint. I'm going out on a limb here, but I believe that Moon Palace has new non-Chinese ownership. I can't pinpoint why I think so, but everything seemed to be transposed into a different key altogether.

what wrapping was the mushu previously served with, lettuce? i've had it (at other places) with flour tortillas before. they always tear and the juice gets all over my hands.

aside from that i know nothing of the current MP, haven't been there in... 15+ years. (I would not be opposed to one of them LTH writers doing a feature on the history of Moon Palace)

Mandarin pancake is traditional. Thinner than a flour tortilla, although there is a similarity.

These were about 1700% better than Ding Sheng's (which I liked fine). Hadn't been to Moon Palace in a minute, and while these are a slightly different style (thicker wrapper, more and softer pork, aiming lower on the soup content), they were clearly made to order and, in the words of my company, freaking delicious. Freshly slivered ginger, vinegar, chili oil delivered to table without special request.

Moon Palace turned up on a best meal of 2015 list:

http://chicago.eater.com/2015/12/29/106 ... meals-2015

Egg rolls, hot and sour soup, and fried rice on our recent visit were archetypal - very satisfying Chinese American comfort food, and some Shanghainese offerings are still there for exploring as well.