dudefella wrote:

Pucca wrote:My dad still works in the area and tells me that Wonton Gourmet of Mt. Prospect (closely related to Seven Treasures in Chinatown) has opened up Wonton Express on Milwaukee. IMHO, their shrimp wonton is much better than Sun Wah's.

Wonton Express
2055 Milwaukee
Riverwoods, IL 60015
847-215-8850

been here, if i had a huge soup noodle craving they would fit the bill nicely. however i find their business model quite strange, everything is plastic and disposable, and they seem to really push the online ordering.

(also the place still looks like the baja fresh that used to be there)

I also found the food to be of a lower quality that the other two restaurants. The menu is also very limited

Hi,

I finally got to Wonton Express for lunch recently. The connection to Seven Treasures is familial: Wonton Express is owned by the Father-in-law of Seven Treasure's owner. These people must have good relations because there were quite a few similarities.

We ordered the eggrolls, which was exploratory on my part. No hidden jewel here, just a cabbage filling with trace amounts of other stuff. No reason to buy again.

The potstickers had a very good filling and appeared made on the premises. My friend Helen agreed the filling was good. She did not like the potsticker's skin because they were too thick. We were split: I'd order them again and she wouldn't.



One of Seven Treasures features has been their open soup kitchen allowing you to watch them prepare vegetables and dumplings for soup. Wonton Express also has their soup preparation station at a window behind the order/pick-up area. I might park myself there next time I dine there just to watch the show.

Wonton Express offers shrimp dumpling soup in two variants: 1) Six dumpling and either rice or egg noodles for $5.15 or 2) Twelve dumplings for $5.75. Helen and I both choose the dumpling soup with noodles: Helen had the egg and I had the rice noodles. Helen and I agree the soups came straight out of Seven Treasure's playbook: stock appeared to be the same, dumplings slightly smaller though pretty much the same taste and egg noodles were precisely the same. We have always liked Seven Treasure's, which the soup mimicked precisely. While the prices were higher, they had the advance of closer to home without searching for a parking space. My rice noodles were fine as an experiment, though I would rather have in the future the egg noodles.



For a sick child at home, Helen got a take-out order of Gan Chow Beef Fun for $8.95. This tasted pretty much like Seven Treasures down to the odd burnt oil taste I often detect. Again I like this dish, so it is with pleasure to find it nearby.



We will be trying more stuff from the menu, though it wouldn't surprise me if Wonton Express mimics Seven Treasures strengths of soup (and BBQ, which Wonton Express has scant offering) and its weakness: main course Chinese food.

Prices are higher than Seven Treasures, though it is nearby without having to fight traffic.

Regards,

Cathy2 -
I'm kind of a Chow Fun freak of sorts. For my fix up here (work area - Northbrook) - I have been going to Tong's Hunan in the strip mall next to Dominick's on Sanders and Dundee. Also, they do offer an egg roll with some substance and a little flavor unlike a lot of places now. Just wondering if you have another chow fun joint you like in this area that serves up the nice chewy thick noodles?

seebee,

If and when I find other chow fun places, then I will advise. Generally I am more than willing to hit the road to Chinatown. I find Chinese food dining in the northern suburbs more likely to be disappointed with local offerings.

I was at Shermer and Waukegan Roads the other night. I finally saw where Tong's is located. I am interested in checking out their egg rolls as well as your recommendation above.

If Ed's Potsticker House or Lao Sze Chuan ever considered opening in the northern suburbs, they wouldn't have the strong competition they have in the western and northwestern suburbs. It would be like shooting fish in a barrel at least initially.

Regards,

cathy2 wrote:I was at Shermer and Waukegan Roads the other night. I finally saw where Tong's is located.

I'm thinking you may have seen Fong's Chop Suey? Discussed in this egg roll thread: http://www.lthforum.com/bb/viewtopic.php?t=11614

The Tong's I was referring to is on Sanders and Dundee west of the Dominick's grocery in the same mall. I do plan, in the very near future,
on hitting the spots in that egg roll post - maybe seeing if there are any other serviceable (dare I say "decent") chinese spots up here. I'm just looking for lunch spots, as I work up here, but live not too far from chinatown. Love chinese food tho, so searching is fun.

Hi,

My friend Helen indicated the beef chow fun at Felix Kitchen in Highwood is better than Wonton Express in Riverwoods.

Regards,

George R wrote:Cooker's, in a mall a block west on Lake Cook is our favorite for hot dogs in the area. Not cheap, but they do a good job. I agree that hot dog prices in the area are much higher than in the city. If you're going to spend the money, you may as well go to a decent place.

I definitely like Cooker's too but they seem to have clearly defined strengths and weaknesses. Meats (hot dogs, gyros, burgers, turkey burgers, chicken breasts), are high in quality as are the breads (buns, pita, french). I also think their hand-cut fries, included with every sandwich, are excellent.

Peripheral items like tsatziki, cheeses/cheese sauce and chili are not as good and hold the place back a bit. If they could improve on these few things, I think Cooker's would be a top-of-genre spot. As it is, it's still very good.

=R=