Chinese Downtown?

Mr. Pie and I are thinking of heading downtown at some point this week to wander mindlessly. Any recommendations for inexpensive Chinese in the heart of the city? We're thinking a trip to a museum (undecided as of yet), a walk by the lake and some egg rolls.

I've not tried it yet, but my co-workers like Triple 1 Chinese on State and Lake (above the Halsted Street Deli). I also thought Hot Wok Cool Sushi was ok, but not great .

Sixty Five Chinese has a few locations downtown:
111 W. Jackson
336 N. Michigan
201 W. Madison

Pie Lady wrote:Mr. Pie and I are thinking of heading downtown at some point this week to wander mindlessly. Any recommendations for inexpensive Chinese in the heart of the city? We're thinking a trip to a museum (undecided as of yet), a walk by the lake and some egg rolls.

You don't want to pop on red line to just hit Chinatown? It's really really fast once you are in the Loop to get there.

I heartily endorse the suggestion to hop on the Red Line for Chinatown. Easy, quick and infinitely better than any choice downtown... Shui Wah for dim sum, especially the gai lan that comes around with oyster sauce...

bjackson wrote:I've not tried it yet, but my co-workers like Triple 1 Chinese on State and Lake (above the Halsted Street Deli).

I've been there twice and think it is the best mid-priced options downtown (granted there aren't too many options). Dishes are cooked (or at least finished) to order, rather than cafeteria style at Sixty-Five. The Sesame Beef was quite tasty.

The chinese dishes they make at Market Creations Cafe are easily the best I've had in the loop. Always fresh, plenty of selections, and it's by sold by weight so you can choose from everything they offer. Additionally, they offer many other more traditional dishes as well as a salad bar. They have a few locations in the loop:

Civic Opera House:
20 N Wacker Dr, 3rd floor

Willis "Sears" Tower:
233 S Wacker Dr, Restaurant Level

Prudential Plaza:
130 E Randolph St, Lower Level

Dirksen Courthouse:
219 S Dearborn St, 2nd floor

I've only been to the Opera House and Willis Tower locations, so I can't vouch for the food at the other locations.

I recommend you DO NOT go to sixty-five or market creations. My goodness, you might as well go to 7-11 and get some La Choy in a can.

Take the red line to Chinatown.

champs2005 wrote:I recommend you DO NOT go to sixty-five or market creations. My goodness, you might as well go to 7-11 and get some La Choy in a can.

Take the red line to Chinatown.

I agree.

A long time ago, way back in the 80's and 90's, going to 65 was not a bad choice. When it was founded, it was one of the first Chinese restaurants with tanks filled with live crabs and fish. Daddy retired and sonny took over, then it morphed from terrific Chinese to Panda Express-ish Chinese.

If you do go to their Michigan Avenue location, according to a conversation last night the upstairs still serves the better food. This is second hand information, I would read the menu and look at what people are eating before sitting down.

Regards,

Not entirely fair (mostly fair, though). Yes, 65 has devolved toward the Loop's bucket of breaded/fried meat with sticky sauce Chinese American norm. However, at least the 65 on Madison and the "fancy" one by the CBOT have decent Cantonese breakfast items -- congee with preserved egg and pork or white fish, baked buns/bao, and decent made to order noodle soup with dumplings. The congee is my current breakfast gruel of choice since Harry's (grits) closed. They also have dim sum that is barely passable when it's first steamed in the am. Damnation by faint priase, I know, but 65 does cater around the margins to Loop workers looking for more "authentic" Chinese foods.

PS, on a lark trip downtown, fast food Loop Chinese is the very last thing I'd recommend. In this weather, take the Water Taxi to Chinatown if not the Red Line.

Cathy2 wrote:A long time ago, way back in the 80's and 90's, going to 65 was not a bad choice. When it was founded, it was one of the first Chinese restaurants with tanks filled with live crabs and fish. Daddy retired and sonny took over, then it morphed from terrific Chinese to Panda Express-ish Chinese.

If you do go to their Michigan Avenue location, according to a conversation last night the upstairs still serves the better food. This is second hand information, I would read the menu and look at what people are eating before sitting down.

Regards,

I wonder if last night's conversers have actually been to the restaurant. Upstairs is just a seating area. All the food comes from the downstairs steam tables, or is produced in the one kitchen in the if you specifically ask for something to made to order. It's really several notches better than Panda Express.

Hi,

We were discussing Chinese restaurants in Hong Kong, where the food gets better and more expensive as you get further from ground floor. This person likened it to 65 on Michigan Avenue. As I said, it was second hand information.

While 65 may or may not be better than Panda Express. I am dismayed how it changed from a time when it was a finer Chinese dining option. It's one of those, "Remember when ..." moments.

Regards,

It's not chinese but you can walk to Ruby of Siam on Washington and LaSalle for some Thai. But I would definately do Chinatown via watertaxi-great views especially when the weather is nice.

JeffB wrote:PS, on a lark trip downtown, fast food Loop Chinese is the very last thing I'd recommend. In this weather, take the Water Taxi to Chinatown if not the Red Line.

A good suggestion but the Water Taxi doesn't run to Chinatown until May 1, and then only on weekends. From the Loop, it's either the Red Line or the #62 Archer bus (catch southbound on State).

For another mediocre fast food Chinese choice in the Loop, consider Eat & Drink (212 W Randolph) for "our most requested dish," hot dog fried rice. Wiener versions of egg foo young and lo mein are also offered and you can even get kung pao hot dog or curry hot dog. You'll still wish you went to Chinatown but at least you'll have a chuckle.

Market Creations is okay for what it is -- I work in the Civic Opera building and eat there almost every day -- but I wouldn't go out of my way to eat there for the Chinese food. It is a cafeteria-style restaurant (with limited seating), and the Chinese food varies from day-to-day (Orange Chicken is the only item that consistently appears) and tends to sit out for a bit. I've always liked 65, but my tastes probably aren't as refined as some of the others when it comes to Chinese food (I tend to like the Americanized dishes like sweet and sour chicken and fried rice). If you can swing it, a quick detour to Chinatown seems like it would be the way to go.

Cathy2 wrote:While 65 may or may not be better than Panda Express. I am dismayed how it changed from a time when it was a finer Chinese dining option.

But on the plus side, the 65 on Madison just west of Wells now also has Wedding Cakes for sale! ??

I agree with the suggestion of Hot Wok Cool Sushi if you're going to AIC, you could get the egg rolls you want and some sushi to go. Or hit Tokyo Lunchbox. It's better than the panda express or oodles of noodles around the corner on Adams. Me, I'd grab a Fontano's sub and head to Millinium Park.

Kennyz wrote:It's really several notches better than Panda Express.

I may have to eat my words, which is OK since they will likely taste better than today's lunch.

Kung Pao Chicken from 65 Chinese on Michigan Ave:



Luckily I like peanuts and celery, because there was absolutely nothing else giving this dish any flavor. Next time I'll just bring a bag of peanuts and some celery sticks to work.

thanks for taking one for the team there Sad that you had to follow up what sounded like a lovely lunch at Purple Pig with that...

Do not go to 65 on Michigan Avenue. I know by experience since my office was in the building across the street for years and during really bad weather in winter I sometimes ventured there for a quick lunch, a move that I regretted every time . It offers very depressing settings and the food is not the best American-Chinese in town by far. If I were you I would walk a few blocks to the River North district to 52 W. Illinois and a have a very nice lunch at BEN PAO.
That is a much better investment and a few dishes are really original and well-prepared. Besides you can have a drink there in very pretty settings.
Their egg rolls are beautifully tasty and for lunch Ben Pao offers a good but inexpensive formula, called "Lunch bundle" at $ 10.95 that proposes 4 main dishes of different Chinese provinces.
Or go to the Big Bowl at 60 E. Ohio. The food is less exciting and more pan-Asian than Chinese. But for a quick lunch its fine. And the fried dumplings are really tasty.

i'm going to chime in on Ben Pao or Big Bowl. Or red line it/water taxi it down to Chinatown for a real meal. Egg rolls at BP or BB are certainly fine and won't taste like peanut butter (now...some people like that -- i do not). Another option in the dim sum category might be to go pick up some Bao at Wow Bao at the Water Tower. I think there's a loop location but I'm not sure where it is.

I think Egg Rolls of a similar variety can be found at Foodlife too. No matter how more "mainstream" they are -- they're definitely superior to any of the Chinese in the Loop -- at least IMHO.

If you haven't seen the new wing at the Art Institute -- i highly recommend it. Gorgeous space -- it totally makes the collection have new life.

enjoy!

shannon

I think there's a loop location but I'm not sure where it is.

State & Lake.

There is a Market Creations at the base of the Prudential Building, on the alley one block east of Michigan Ave and just a bit north of Randolph. My standards for Chinese are mildly based in the 1970's take out my parents brought home: Egg Foo Young, Won Ton Soup, Pork Fried Rice etc. I loved them as a kid (just to give perspective: when I was a kid in the 60's there were three foods we got to enjoy as takeout and they were Chinese, Mexican (tacos only) and Bieraks from some Eastern-Euro Bakery). But as I got older Chinese seemed horrendously greasy and thickened with cornstarch. I literally didn't eat it for almost a decade.

I am going to set myself up for some damnation here but I started going to the Market Creations a few years ago because I work kitty-corner from there and they have a decent/good salad bar. But they also have one Chinese side of the hot bar that I have dabbled with and been impressed at times at how fresh it is. They have S&P Shrimp, Scallion Dumplings, they almost always have two seared/steamed fish offerings and a fresh veggie lo mein. They had fried smelts last week. Some days they have fried calamari that has very little breading on it. Yes, they have Kung Pao Chicken and Beef & Broccoli but they also have long beans and healthy-ish veggies. The manager/owner is always there during the lunch rush and he connects with customers. So it's not a sit down place but I feel for a chain-y thing it is so so so much better than Noodles Etc. If it was a weekday and you were looking for lunch to take to MP I would happily steer people that way.

bjt

Rene G wrote:For another mediocre fast food Chinese choice in the Loop, consider Eat & Drink (212 W Randolph) for "our most requested dish," hot dog fried rice. Wiener versions of egg foo young and lo mein are also offered and you can even get kung pao hot dog or curry hot dog.

Eat + Drink is my favorite spot for a quick, cheap pre-show meal in the Theatre District. They make good fresh-fruit smoothies. It's not Chinatown, but better than Panda Express. I wouldn't go there if there were time to go elsewhere, though.

Ben Pao, Big Bowl and Wow Bao are all much tastier -- if costlier -- Chinese options in and near the Loop. Big Bowl has wonderful hot & sour soup. If you want to really splurge, you can go to Shanghai Terrace in the Peninsula Hotel in Streeterville.

We ended up going to Shui Wah in Chinatown after all. It's a shame we didn't get to ride the water taxi. Anyway, he had some kind of chicken with peppers and I had the beef in chinjew sauce with broccoli; both very good. We split an order of egg rolls which left much to be desired. The service, too, was a little lacking; his dish came out at least 10 minutes before mine. But I'd definitely go back! Thanks for the tips!

By the way, what is chinjew sauce? I can't find a non-racist definition online.

Pie Lady wrote:By the way, what is chinjew sauce? I can't find a non-racist definition online.

Chaozhou (Chiu Chow)?

Alternatively, one of the mother sauces of the fusion cuisine practiced here?

Singapore 'Xin Zhou' Noodles maybe?

cilantro wrote:

Pie Lady wrote:By the way, what is chinjew sauce? I can't find a non-racist definition online.

Chaozhou (Chiu Chow)?

Alternatively, one of the mother sauces of the fusion cuisine practiced here?

gleam wrote:Singapore 'Xin Zhou' Noodles maybe?

No idea. It was spelled chinjew on the menu, and it was a very dark brown, slightly salty sauce.