Chin's, Arlington Heights: Just like grandma ate

Armed with recommendations from Eat! You look so thin. and grant, we stopped into Chin's in downtown Arlington Heights the other day.

The front is rather forbidding, with no view into the restaurant. Inside, there's old-fashioned Chinese-American restaurant decor, with orange vinyl booths, kitschy hanging lanterns and zodiac paper placemats. The menu is equally old fashioned.

We liked the crispy egg rolls, plump with cabbage, shrimp and pork, served with mustard and sweet and sour sauce in squirt bottles. They taste as if there's some peanut butter inside as well. We also ordered chicken soong from a specials list. This was a bit on the sweet side, but otherwise pretty good, with peanuts and lots of crunchy rice noodles.

For entrees, we tried the recommended jar chong chow mein, pork and onion in a sweet, spicy sauce over thin fried noodles. Again, for me, this was a bit too sweet, though it had plenty of heat, too.

The highlight was classic Cantonese-American pressed duck, crisply battered cubes of ducky goodness sprinkled with sliced almonds and served over lettuce, with savory brown sauce containing peapods, water chestnuts and mushrooms presented on the side.

Dessert, gratis, featured a wedge of fresh pineapple, excellent almond cookies and fortune cookies.

Chin's
847/255-9080
10 E. Miner St.
Arlington Heights
http://members.aol.com/clients333/chins/pages/home.htm

Glad you enjoyed LAZ, but since Mary and Eddie Chin turned it over to a new proprieter,"Bill" i think, their quality has slipped a bit. Mary told me this was a trial run only and she will always be in the fold. It is a cool place, with awesome Mai Tais!

Is this Chin's related to the Chin's that is on Mannheim Road just north of Oakton in Des Plaines/Rosemont? I have always enjoyed that location, although the food tends more towards the Szechuan rather than American-Jewish-Suburban at that locaton.

Steve,

Nothing on Chin's menu or Web site indicates any relationship to another restaurant. But I can't find anything about any other Chin's. Could you be thinking of Chung's? (1591 Lee St., Des Plaines, 847-297-8888)

Only the Arl Hts location. BTW what is their website address?

grant wrote:BTW what is their website address?

LAZ wrote:http://members.aol.com/clients333/chins/pages/home.htm

LAZ wrote:Armed with recommendations from Eat! You look so thin. and grant, we stopped into Chin's in downtown Arlington Heights the other day.

The front is rather forbidding, with no view into the restaurant. Inside, there's old-fashioned Chinese-American restaurant decor, with orange vinyl booths, kitschy hanging lanterns and zodiac paper placemats. The menu is equally old fashioned.

We liked the crispy egg rolls, plump with cabbage, shrimp and pork, served with mustard and sweet and sour sauce in squirt bottles. They taste as if there's some peanut butter inside as well. We also ordered chicken soong from a specials list. This was a bit on the sweet side, but otherwise pretty good, with peanuts and lots of crunchy rice noodles.

For entrees, we tried the recommended jar chong chow mein, pork and onion in a sweet, spicy sauce over thin fried noodles. Again, for me, this was a bit too sweet, though it had plenty of heat, too.

The highlight was classic Cantonese-American pressed duck, crisply battered cubes of ducky goodness sprinkled with sliced almonds and served over lettuce, with savory brown sauce containing peapods, water chestnuts and mushrooms presented on the side.

Dessert, gratis, featured a wedge of fresh pineapple, excellent almond cookies and fortune cookies.

Chin's
847/255-9080
10 E. Miner St.
Arlington Heights
http://members.aol.com/clients333/chins/pages/home.htm

Sorry LAZ i didn't look carefully at your link to Chin's. I thought it was something different. Thanks! Tough one to remember anyway!

LAZ wrote:Steve,

Nothing on Chin's menu or Web site indicates any relationship to another restaurant. But I can't find anything about any other Chin's. Could you be thinking of Chung's? (1591 Lee St., Des Plaines, 847-297-8888)

I think you may be correct. My Chinese is not very good.