Fresh & Cheap Chinese Delivery

I may be on a quixotic quest, but...

Are there fresh and cheap Chinese restaurant deliveries in/around Chicago?

You usually have two options when it comes to Chinese food, at least in my limited experience:

1) Cheap, a la "steam table" Chinese, which to me means that everything you order sorta tastes like it was sitting in a common pot all day, and sauced up as orders roll in. Chinese fast food maybe?

2) Fresh 'n good, which usually means either a long trip to china town for a Bucktown gal like myself, or paying $$$ at upscale or 'authentic' Chinese restaurant.

Now, I'm fine with #2, but sometimes I just can't bring myself to discard the jammies and pony up the required cash for some kung pao that tastes like the veggies may recently have been intact.

Any suggestions out there?

Thanks LTHers. I'm new to the forum, but already addicted.

Amyliz,
Welcome to LTH. I have found innumerable good eats in the Bucktown, WP, Logan Square hoods since I came on board here a while ago. This post is a good start "Chinese delivery to bucktown? Not Yu Choy?". Of those listed I will say that Friendship is the best but is not cheep. I am a fan of Eat First II. It is sort of a greasy wok but a good one and with a bit of experience, you can get a great, cheep meal that doesn't leave you feeling like a drowned seal on a Russian beach. Hope that helps!

Thanks stagger! I tried to search the forum for "fresh chinese" but after sorting through about 100 of the 1600 or so search results, I caved and started a new post. Looks like I should have persevered....

Anyway, I'm in the mood for chinese (hence the post) so I'll update the thread with any inspiring meals!

I think Papajin is so-so. I have had really mixed experiences, and I feel it is a tad pricey for what it is.

Mon Lung is terrific but they do not deliver.

In my quest for good delivered Chinese, last week we ordered for the first time from Takie Outit. It was TERRIFIC. Also, they have small and large portions which is great for me because I like variety so I can order a few small entrees. And they were fast and nice. My husband even spoke highly of it and he is not a big fan of Chinese food in general. Their menu is on menupages.

Takie Outit
2132 W Chicago Ave
773-252-1880

Chloe54 wrote:In my quest for good delivered Chinese, last week we ordered for the first time from Takie Outit.

I used to live right down the street from Takie Outit... While it was useful to me when I didn't want to wait for delivery (i.e. I could walk there), I never much liked it. All of their dishes seemed to taste the same to me and they had an annoying habit of using very fine noodles for their "lo mein" (although, strangely, their window display showed the larger noodles used at most places that I now order from, including Eat First II and Friendship). I'm not saying that Takie Outit is a bad place but I can say I pretty much stopped going there after I discovered Mon Lung for pickup and Eat First II for cheep delivery and Friendship for better but pricier delivery. The other thing to consider is that, if you are willing to hop in the car and it isn't a high traffic time, Ed's Potsticker House and Chinatown are really only 10-15 min away once you get on the highway and Sticky Rice Thai (not Chinese I know but some of the best Asian food of any kind in Chicago) on Western is also very close to Bucktown. Anyway, whatever you settle on, I hope you enjoy your dinner and let us know how it goes.

DH and I have a new guilty pleasure---

Peking Duck from Peking Chinese on North Avenue in Old Town.
The rest of the food is standard Chinese delivery, however I just had to mention it because they gladly DELIVER this tasty duck to my home near Augusta and Damen in Ukie Village and I haven't found anyone else with duck and delivery to my neighborhood.

Note: I am SURE you can get better Peking duck if you go to Chinatown, but my lazy self sometimes just wants to make my lovely little pancakes filled with duck, green onions and hoisin sauce in my sweats. For this purpose it's a darn good delivered duck. However, if you know of any other ducks being delivered in my neck of the woods please share!!

Peking Chinese Food
129 W North Ave
(312) 951-7207

Chloe54 wrote: However, if you know of any other ducks being delivered in my neck of the woods please share!!

While clearly not fantastic Peking duck, my totally serviceable substitute recently has been the pre-cooked duck halves at Costco*. Pop one out of the chest freezer, crisp up the skin in a blazing oven, add hoisin, green onions, and pancakes (I make them in batches and store in the freezer) and you're good to go.

Is it comparable to what you can find in Chinatown? Nope, but it's a damn tasty, super-easy, at home substitute.

If you ever find yourself in the DC area, don't miss http://www.pekinggourmet.com/index.html and http://www.marksduckhouse.com/

-Dan

*note: I can't remember the brand (perhaps Maple Leaf Farms?), but it's a 3-pack of cryovac'd duck halves that have been pre-cooked without any sort of noticeable seasoning or sauce.[/url]

Chloe54 wrote:In my quest for good delivered Chinese, last week we ordered for the first time from Takie Outit. It was TERRIFIC. Also, they have small and large portions which is great for me because I like variety so I can order a few small entrees. And they were fast and nice.

Last week, with an empty refrigerator and a long night of work ahead of me, I decided to walk down the street and try Takie Outit. I picked up small orders of Mapo Tofu and Peking Shrimp. When I placed my order, the lady behind the counter asked me if I wanted both dishes spicy, "like traditional Chinese," to which I said yes, emphatically. Well, emphatic heat is what I got with both dishes. Takie Outit's Mapo Tofu didn't have the chili oil slick appearance of, say, LSC's version, but the chilies therein were formidable in a very welcome way. At first glance, Peking Shrimp seemed to be mainly about a thick, mildly sweet sauce with an unusual buttery note, but it, too, packed a surprising amount of heat. Shrimp, green peppers, carrots, bamboo shoots and water chestnuts were plentiful.

I was grateful for the option of small portions, but they turned out to be quite large. Fortunately, my sister stopped by that evening, so I fed her, too. Dinner for two for about $12 isn't bad. I think I still prefer Mon Lung, which is not far from me but also not around the corner. In a bind, I'd likely return to Takie Outit.