Sun Wah BBQ

-Grubbing in Chicago
Where the locals eat.

It's time for one of them epic posts, you know the ones that after reading your starving thinking about how good I eat this city and it's top food stops up, wouldn't you agree? Let's get at it. If you saw the Chicago episode of the recently new show on Food network called Meat & Potatoes then you saw today's place which is one of my favorite stops in the city. In fact I was at Sun Wah BBQ the day they were filming the segment on it for food network. Except this wasn't my first time like it was the hosts and his crew, this was an uncountable visit. Those of us that have been going to Sun Wah for a while now remember when it was back in its little spot around the corner on Argyle right off the train line. With its booming success and popularity they have since moved into a bigger building around the corner on Broadway. They now have more room for both the kitchen/butcher area as well as people dining.


a city wide favorite along Broadway in Uptown

Sun Wah is one of the best family owned and run restaurants in the city with the entire fam being involved in one way or another and always making sure service is smooth, the food is good and your dining experience enjoyable. It's impossible to pass by when you get a view of the Chinese bbq from outside, it attracts me in every time.


Chinese bbq in the window

It was possible to keep on pushing this post back since there are so many good options to eat at Sun Wah. The menu has 200+ Cantonese and Hong Kong style dishes and noodles and wontons are made in house. I could go there ten more times and keep getting different items off their menu and always be satisfied. I do have a few things that I order on different occasions or if I feel like feastin', then all in one order. Two things that remain a constant in every visit I make to Sun Wah are the hot pepper soy sauce (ask for it at the table or when picking up an order to go) Its just soy sauce infused with sliced super hot peppers and is not for the faint of spice. The stuff is legitimately spicy and will have you sweating if you use too much. I love a little mixed in with almost anything I'm eating from there.


pepper infused soy sauce

The other constant is an order of bbq pork fried rice. As you'll see as you read on the bbq pork at Sun Wah is stellar and they always do up a perfect batch of fried rice. I would recommend getting to Sun Wah with a group so you can try a few different things off the menu. However if you go solo they have stuff for you too at a really great price. Even if I'm solo and picking up just for myself I get a fried rice to have in the fridge for the next day. Some of the best fried rice in the city. I know it doesn't take much to make a good fried rice but so many places screw it up, not Sun Wah.


Sun Wah's bbq pork fried rice

Then there's the beef chow fun. While this dish might not the most adventurous eat on the menu, it's without a doubt one of my favorites. I'm a sucker for a good beef chow fun and Sun Wah's is the best in Chicago. In order for a chow fun to be superb it need a few things and Sun Wah achieves all three with theirs. The noodles are cooked up perfectly in an extra hot wok and the veggies are always fresh. So check and check. Lastly is the beef, so many places have awful beef in their beef dishes and in alot of cases you might wonder if it even is that. At Sun Wah they got it figured out and the beef is always tender with little fat and never chewy. I give them a ton of credit for this because at too many places it isn't like this at all. I eat it up every time.


Beef chow fun

Even though I did say that Sun Wah is great for a group, its just as good for a solo diner. They have the best lunch plates in the city and this is for both price and taste. They take their famous Chinese bbq which has options like roast duck, bbq pork, roast pork, soy sauce chicken, and ribs and you choose your choice and then a huge pile of meat goes atop a heaping mound of white rice and it comes with Chinese broccoli and half of a hard boiled egg. These individual lunch plates could feed two in some cases and cost less than $6. They will also let you do a combo if your having trouble choosing your meats. I'm a big fan of the soy sauce chicken. They are marinated boneless chicken thighs that are sliced up after cooking and can be highly addicting.


Soy sauce chicken individual lunch plate

The house bbq is the biggest draw for people into Sun Wah. Some of the items not pictured on here that I love include the salt baked chicken, bbq duck and bbq spare ribs with honey. But the main draw for me is the house pork. Sun Wah is thee Chinese place for all things pig and their Hong Kong style roast pork is from the high heavens. It doesn't matter which way you order it, by the pound, in a lunch plate or in your soup, it will all be good and a big part of that is the pig. I can assure you we will be taking a 2nd look at Sun Wah here on this site in the future. Stay tuned.


BBQ Pork from Sun Wah

Sun Wah BBQ
5039 N Broadway
Chicago, Illinois 60640
(773) 769-1254
Website

Great Seas

-KingT's Wing Fling

Good morning, how is everyone today? Everyone getting settled in with Fall and football season? I know I am. I want to go to Great Seas restaurant today 'cause its a place I've been meaning to post about for well over a year now. Located in Albany Park along Lawrence ave its a very unassuming little spot on a block with many of them. The area is one of Chicago's most ethnic one's with there being many Latin Americans and Asians specifically Mexicans and Koreans and thus alot of dining places featuring these styles of cuisines.


In the Albany Park neighborhood

I was put onto Great Seas by the Godfather himself GWiv who sang high praise about their popular Korean style chicken wings. After doing a websearch I came to see that he wasn't the only one who had love for the wings from here. It's been a while since I've been but this post will get me back there sometime in the very near future. I went with another friend of mine who is a wing fiend and we knew it was on when upon entering inside the little corridor the wall was plastered with pictures of people and how many of these famous wings they put down on their visit when the pic was taken. Just for the record at the time we went which was over a year ago, the record was 86 wings downed in one sitting.


Anyone out there going to try for the record?

Great Seas has a Chinese menu with some other Asian country dishes like the famous wings which are Korean. I was told by GWiv and what seemed like everyone else who reviewed the place online that this was a one dish spot. You go here for the wings and you eat alot of them and that's it. Since these were the words of many we decided on just the wings and went with some egg rolls to see how true this judgment was. Based on the egg rolls the words are true. I find it hard to accept a place that cant put out a good housemade egg roll which is something that shouldn't be too hard to do. These were just bad.


egg rolls

But we weren't there for the rolls and I wasn't disappointed because I wasn't expecting them to be much, we were there for the wings. For every review of how the rest of the menu sucked there was a glowing one about the house special Korean fried wings. So these I was expecting big things from and just like how I got what I expected from the egg rolls, I got what I reckoned I would from the wings. BOMB indeed and well worth the trip there just for these. The old family recipe for Korean chicken wings from the people who own Great Seas has a cult following and I am one of the people in it.


Platter of wings from Great Seas

The wings here are served lollipop style where the meat is removed from the bottom part of the drummette. They are thus very easy to eat and it helps out due to the fact these wings are some the stickiest, crispiest most sweet and spicy tasting things you will ever eat. I thought they were one of the best things I'd eaten when we had them and as is evidence from this site I eat well. They were tangy and had a nice citrusy taste to them and I couldn't go thru enough. I didn't try for the record but I did get another order of them and was happy to take some home for later. Surprisingly enough they were almost as good as leftovers, still crispy and great cut up and mixed in with the white rice included in each order. I'm going to be getting back here very soon and would suggest you do the same. I wouldn't disagree with anyone who calls these the best non Buffalo wings in the city because they really are that good.


One of Chicago's best eats

Great Seas
3254 W Lawrence Ave
Chicago, IL 60625
(773) 478-9129

55th Annual Ginza Fest Chicago

-Feastin' at locals favorite festivals

The next festival in our most recent series here at S'C'&C is one of my favorites and also one I've been to many a times. This year marks the 55th time the Ginza Holiday will be celebrated in Chicago's Old Town neighborhood. Back in 1956 when this all started the former temple was located a few blocks east of the current one and they chose the name Ginza for the festival because its a district in Tokyo known for its entertainment. The purpose of the fest was to raise money for expenses to upkeep the temple and also as a way to share Japanese culture and traditions with the people of the neighborhood and city. It's a great time and I always had fun as a kid with all the great activities like the karate demonstrations, live music and just running around the 'hood having a great summers day. Anyone from around the area has been to the Ginza fest in their lifetime and if you haven't you should check it, for those that have or those that want too, its around the corner and will be held August 13th, 14th and 15th, 2010 and like always it is the 2nd weekend of August. So hows the food?


Midwest Buddhist Temple (Chicago, IL)

Well the current temple seen above was built in 1972 and it is often referred to as "The Temple That Teriyaki Built." That's because the chicken has long been a part of the celebration and is what people eat when they go to Ginza fest. I've been eating this charcoal grilled chicken for a while now and last year it was as good as ever and same as will be this year. Its simple and succulent and always sold out by weekends end.


Chicken Teriyaki Dinner Ingredient List

Part of the fun at the festival comes from watching the grill veterans take care of all the party goers and their Chicken Teriyaki dinner needs. The chickens start out getting cooked thru in a large baking device and they are marinated in a sauce mixture and once ready thrown into a large pot located next to the charcoal grills where they are eventually charred and slathered with teriyaki. You can you can see them in this stage in the picture below.


Teriyaki Chicken over charcoal


Video of the Ginza Grillmasters at work


The crowd heard in the video above always has a good time...and great eats

If the open pit charcoal chicken and some outdoor time in the summer wasn't enough the other shows put on at the festival stage are stellar. You can also go inside the temple and see exhibits of bonsai, flower arrangements and other Japanese arts and crafts many of which are for sale. All of this with some great people and a beer or five makes the Ginza Fest a great time. If you want to learn anything else you can check the website listed below under the address info. Just make sure you don't miss out on that open pit chicken. Maybe I'll see you there.


The neighborhood favorite Teriyaki Chicken from Ginza Fest

The Midwest Buddhist Temple
435 W. Menomonee St
Chicago, IL 60614
(312) 943-7801
Website

Hip Asian in LP

-Oh Yeah, I've been there too
Little Brothers

Neighborhood: Lincoln Park/Depaul
Cuisine: Korean/Pan Asian
Price Range: $8-$10
Would I go again? Ya I'll get back there again, I enjoyed my first visit


a popular stop for students in Lincoln Park

Little Brothers has been open for a few years now, maybe even just a couple and it seems to be doing pretty well. Its on Fullerton right off Lincoln about a block down from the Fullerton Red Line stop and right near the Depaul campus. Its menu is pretty simple and it can best be described as Hip Asian with a feature on Korean menu items. What is hip Asian you ask? Its basically a spot that was made to attract the young aged crowd that it rests around. The main menu item ordered from here are plates and they come with two sides. You can build your plate with steak, chicken or tofu and have your meat one of three ways-Korean Spicy, Thai Sweet Chili or teriyaki. For those that cant decide you can also go with a two meat plate or just get all three. On my first visit I got a steak Korean Spicy style and got some dumplings and edamame to go with it along with a big side of white rice. I was very pleased with my plate and am eager to try it again and have my eye on another favorite of mine they have on the menu bibimbap. The steak was really tender and had some great flavor. I like how they keep the menu small yet still give you a nice selection that everyone can find something they like from it.


Korean Spicy Steak Plate

Little Brothers
818 West Fullerton Avenue
Chicago, IL 60614
(773) 661-6482

The Egg Roll King?

-Grubbing in Chicago
The Elusive Egg Roll (Part 3)

Were back on the hunt for that elusive egg roll perfection we've been seeking. So stop #3 takes us to a place on Broadway over in Uptown. Well anyplace that calls itself the Hunan Egg Roll King certainly deserves a shot at the crown however I'll be determining who's King around here. I've actually been here for egg rolls before my recent visit but that was at least 3-4 years ago way before I had a camera and was on this quest. I didn't remember loving them but I also don't remember them tasting like hot garbage so I needed another visit and that came a few days ago.


In Chicago's Uptown neighborhood

Hunan has been in its small storefront for awhile now, I remember it from way back. Inside its a small no nonsense dining room and most of the orders are taken to go or delivered, which is what I recommend you do. The menu is your typical Chinese-American spots menu but I cant speak for anything but the egg rolls. The prices are really low over there and when I paid my recent visit here there were a couple people dining in and at least three others that stopped in for pick up and the lunch specials seemed to be popular. I peeked at the menu and saw that egg rolls came in orders of two and were about three bucks, so pretty cheap. The nice lady told me to give her 5-10 minutes and I said no prob and took a seat to wait for the Hunan Egg Roll Kings egg rolls. Would they take the crown?


Egg Roll from the Egg Roll King

So are they the self proclaimed King of Egg Rolls? or the peoples choice? well while they were not bad I still enjoyed the rolls from stops one and two much more. The Hunan's rolls were a little longer in length than the other two spots but that's about where it ended with advantages it had over them. The egg rolls were somewhat soft and not very crispy and it was even hard to slice it open because the roll was pretty limp. After I was able to gut it open I noticed it was real heavy on the cabbage and real light on the meat and or shrimp. The hot mustard was the stuff in the packets that most places use so another not so good thing. All in all the egg roll was fine but nothing about it was top notch. If I lived right near here I may even get an order of them again here and there out of convenience but have no reason to drive there for them.


These egg rolls didn't have the perfect balance sought

Hunan Egg Roll King
4204 North Broadway
Chicago, IL 60613-1610
(773) 883-2647

Going Back to Katy's

Smokin' Bowls of Soup
-Back to Katy's for more Soup

Well for a little while there we had some pretty damn good weather for the middle of January here in Chicago. However it looks like the cold and its windchill are back. So I thought it was a good time to take a trip back to Katy's for some satisfyingly delicious bowls of soup. With the now annual Super Bowl recipe blowout post coming next week I just wanted to remind people about Katy's and her so so good food out in Westmont. In all of my food travels throughout Chicagoland and beyond it is still one of the great examples of how in order to find the best you gotta look everywhere. Even if everywhere is a small unassuming storefront (next to a head shop) in a strip mall in Westmont, Illinois.


Katy's was already featured HERE

Katy's isn't exactly easy access for people in the city without a vehicle. However if you have one or know someone that does and loves Chinese food that's actually eaten by Chinese people, you need to get over there. I was tipped off a couple years back and I still haven't found a better place for noodles, which are made fresh daily. The soups at Katy's are the ultimate prize upon arriving after a haul in winter weather all the way from the city. You can take Ogden ave. in the city all the way to Cass st to get there. Should you make it you will be rewarded with some of Chicago's best Chinese dishes and oh yeah, did I mention the soups?


beef noodle soup


wonton soup


Szechwan Noodle Soup

Click Here for some in-depth coverage.

Katy's Dumpling House
665 N. Cass Ave.
Westmont, IL 60559
(630) 323-9393

Hours: 11am – 9pm
Closed Wednesdays
Cash only

China Chef

-Eating like a local: Regional food specialties
The American-Chinese food of...America

So I decided China Chef's time was coming with the holiday season here. The Christmas holiday and Chinese restaurants have always shared a common bond together. We all remember in "A Christmas Story" when the dog eats the turkey and they spend thanksgiving dinner at the local Chinese restaurant. If your eating out on Christmas day then your going to Chinatown or your neighborhoods local Chinese joint, they're the only spots open. Its become an American tradition to do so. Although people of the Jewish faith don't celebrate Christmas they do have some traditions that go with it. What do Jewish people do on Christmas day? eat Chinese food. If your city is lucky enough to have a Chinatown then I guarantee that it will be the most hopping place this December 25th. No visit to Chinatown today though, which is the obvious place to visit for authentic Chinese regional cooking. Nope today we are going to the suburb of Morton Grove for Jewish American Suburban Chinese food. So its off to China Chef, a place that's been serving the mild tastebuds of the locals of the Morton Grove/Skokie area since 1977 with their mostly Cantonese-American-Chinese menu.


a locals favorite along Lincoln ave

At some point in time, my guess being when suburbs started forming, Chinese restaurants with an Americanized menu for the suburban eaters tastes started popping up across the country. Many spots around the city still have their vintage signs with "chop suey" all lit up and flashing. They also have the exact same menus today with all the regular dishes you would see on your local Chinese restaurants menu should you live somewhere in Suburbia. However most of these places can be very hit or miss and some are downright awful and others come and go in the same rental space on what seems like a monthly basis. The China Chef has managed to take everything loved by their neighbors and put that with excellent service and a dedication to great tasting food. Probably like that you grew up on if your from middle America somewhere. You can expect excellent takeout and delivery service along with all the regulars like the Chinese Zodiac papermat. The service is very friendly and during the weekends and Hanukkah season it can get very busy with all the parties dining in and orders being called in for pickup. Somehow they don't ever miss a beat.


2010 is the year of the tiger

The owners of China Chef call their restaurants food "homestyle Chinese" and have become a part of the community in their 32 years of China Chef's existence. What exactly is homestyle Chinese? What dishes make up this cuisine? well in this case its the aforementioned Jewish American Suburban Chinese and its dishes like chop suey, egg foo young, fried rice, egg rolls, crab rangoon, sweet & sour chicken and pork, General Tso's chicken, beef & broccoli, Mongolian beef etc...You know the stuff you grew up on or lived off of in college and high school. Well over the years this spiced down and in many cases dumbed down version of Chinese food became an offspring of Chinese food and in its own right, its own cuisine. Over these years I have been to many JASC food joints and I think China Chef takes the crown for best overall in this category. Its a family run joint where its so Americanized your servers will be named "Jeff, Joe and John" (which are obviously not their real ones) and of course they have the fish tanks and fortune cookies to go with your experience. But the food is really good especially if you know what to get. They deliver, do a wonderfully sufficient pick up business and have great lunch specials. There's not much not to like about this Suburban favorite.


What a to-go box from China Chef looks like (everything included)

China Chef is just another one of the gemmers I found over the years thru LTH. Since I never said I was a graduate from Princeton with a degree in writing let me quote poster Kudho who said it so perfectly...like I would like to say.

"This is a good example of how something positive can come out of a restaurant modifying it's original ethnic cuisine to suit local tastes. 'Jewish Chinese food" as served here along with other longstanding favorites, now exists as a cuisine unto itself (like Indian-Chinese), and should be evaluated accordingly." Kudho

I couldn't of said it any better. Its not just American-Chinese either, there's also Canadian-Chinese and if you remember my post on Negril, Caribbean-Chinese. Don't miss my upcoming monster post on where to eat Hawaiian (another Chinese fusion) in Chicago. I love it all, if its a Chinese fusion, I'm trying it and I'm loving it. Chinese cuisine made its way into other countries when immigrants moved from China across the world and cooked with local ingredients and to the tastebuds of Westerners. So as long as you don't go to a place like China Chef looking for dishes like Ma Po Dou Fu with ground pork or Xiao Long Bao, you should be just fine. Now onto the food!

The Elusive Egg Roll (Part 2)

China Chef is also the spot for the next stop in the hunt for the "best rolls in Chicago" an ongoing chibbqking series. If you don't remember the first stop was at Orange Garden, another American-Chinese favorite around town. The places featured in this series have a reputation for excellent homemade egg rolls and are always mentioned when the "best rolls in Chicago" are discussed. China Chef is one of these places mentioned and its a spot that has very good renditions of a few of the JASC appetizer favorites. Including the egg rolls.


China Chef's Egg Roll...

I thought the rolls at CC were better than average to good but not quite as good as Orange Garden. I felt the peanut butter addition that I like so much was lacking in China Chef's rolls and the big downer was the hot mustard. China Chef's hot mustard would have your grandma saying "that's not hot". The one problem I have with this place is even the dishes listed as hot are anything but spicy. You really have to let them know that you like it hot like they do if you have a high heat tolerance. The dude (stevez) who put me on this place over at LTH says they are his favorite and that he thinks "they put just a tiny hint of curry in with the peanut butter when they make the egg rolls. That's what puts them over the top for me." I cant disagree with the fact they are very good and I always order one to start.


...Good ingredients in the rolls, not enough heat in the hot mustard

As long as you know what to order when visiting, at pretty much any Chinese restaurant, you can have a great meal. Here are some of the China Chef's loyal patrons favorites eats. If there was ever a type of food to eat with groups of people, Chinese is it. Try and go here with a bunch of people and this way you can have it all.


Potsticker perfection at China Chef

^I have a distinct memory of when I was younger and we were at a Chinese restaurant before a Bulls game or something with my dad, uncles and grandpa and I wanted Pot Stickers. So my grandpa asked me what I was ordering and I said "two orders of potstickers" and he said "ya I know were ordering that for the table but what do you want for a main course" I said "potstickers" he thought I was crazy. My dad tried to make me order something else for the table but hey, I'm hard headed and I loved potstickers and I still do. The China Chef version is as good as I can remember. Crisp, light skin with good flavor inside made great with the vinegar sauce they serve with it.


Pork Fried Rice...as good of a preparation of it as I've had

^Too many places screw up fried rice which is pretty hard to do. Not at china chef where they fry up huge piles of pork fried rice with the perfect color, phenomenal flavor and crispy pieces of pork. I could eat fried rice 4-5 days a week if its cooked correctly and China Chef does it up just right. Again, one of my favorite variations of an American-Chinese favorite.


Sweet & Sour Pork lunch special...made with CC's famous sweet & sour sauce

^S&S chicken is a dish I rarely order when eating out American-Chinese. Half of the time its not fried (which is how I prefer it) and the other half of the time the sauce is not to my liking. Its not the flavor of S&S sauce I don't like but the gooiness of it. Usually its too sweet and has too much cornstarch. Not so at CC. I'll also usually get chicken if ordering this but thanks to a tip I always get pork here.

If I can quote Cathy2 from LTH she tipped off that..."China Chef's sweet and sour pork is the best version I have ever had. The pork has a very light coating almost tempura-like with a light fruity sauce not weighed down too heavily in cornstarch."

Guess what? I totally agree. This was my favorite pork version, Chicken Lavish still has the best chicken version I can remember.


JASC favorite: General Tso's chicken...done up right

^I think that of all the main entrees on the American-Chinese menu that General Tso's chicken is the most consistent. I usually find good versions of this dish that has no origins back to China or General Tso and was first mentioned on record in 1977 in the NY Times. Its pretty hard to screw up the deep frying of dark pieces of chicken, which is then tossed in a sweet and sour sauce with a bunch of common American-Chinese ingredients. I do wish CC's version was hotter but I already knew that they don't respect my heat level. Other than that it is great.


Kung Pao Chicken

^Now here is one of my favorite dishes in Chinese food. Unlike the rest of these we've seen, this dish actually has traces back to China. So I guess because of this, China Chef doesn't excel in this dish. I would have to say take a pass on the Kung Pao at CC but this is my personal preference. I didn't like the chicken at all, thought it was too stringy. Kung Pao chicken is one of my favorites because when good its full of flavor but the taste and heat was lacking at China Chef.


The House Specialty: Mongolian Beef

^I always have to have an order of the house special Mongolian beef when dining at China Chef. Like most American-Chinese dishes it has no traces to China and the name is misleading. It has nothing to do with Mongolia as far as ingredients and preparation. However they do a great version of this JASC classic. Grandma, Grandpa, the kids, me, you, everyone likes this dish.

On top of all these favorites China Chef also has a Filipino menu and from what I've heard from reading around, its not all that bad. You better believe that they will be open and packed on Christmas day this upcoming holiday. Listen to a story about the Chinese food-Christmas day connection aired on NPR by clicking HERE.

China Chef
5920 W. Lincoln Ave.
Morton Grove, IL
847-967-6050
Website

Late Night Thai

-Grubbing in Chicago
Where the Hipsters eat.

Its not too often you find a food spot who's hours are 9p-5a. Its pretty obvious that Late Night Thai was aiming to serve the drunks and shade balls of Chicago when they opened up over a year ago. Located in the Lakeview neighborhood on Belmont it is located in the spot that used to occupy the legend that is River Kwai II. Just like RKII its idea is to offer the clubbers and night hounds something other than hot dogs, pizza and Mexican food into the early hours of the morning. While I am no Thai expert I know enough of it too say that this place wont be anyone's favorite Thai joint in a city with some good ones, but it might be your favorite spot for food after 3am.


Hours are 9pm to 5am

I've been over to LNT a few times since its opening and have had something different each time. The first thing that I noticed was kind of weird was the fact its pretty well lit inside and that can be annoying after a night of partying. The food however does come out fast and it a BYOB so why not bring a few cold ones and sip them down while eating some Thai food in between bar stops. Now I will say that the best part of my visits weren't the food but the little girl who's family runs it. She's maybe 3 or 4 years old and is probably the cutest little kid I've ever seen and so friendly. Its worth stopping in just if shes there's but that was over summer and I'm sure shes not going to be there at night this winter. Here are a few of the items I've tried.


Potstickers

^These were your typical frozen stickers but they were fried nicely and can be appetizing at 3:30a after a few too many John Daley's.


Chicken Pad Thai

^The Pad Thai is not their strongest dish. I know you might be thinking then what do they do good? Well I'm not a frequent eater of Pad Thai I didn't like this version very much compared to other places around town. I would also suggest going with beef or shrimp when making your choice. I didn't find the chicken good and wouldn't get it again.


Crazy Beef Lard Nar

^I love me some stir fried wide rice noodles and anything spicy. While this dish was listed as spicy I didn't find any heat to it whatsoever. I thought it was also just ok and have had better versions at many other joints...but not after 2am.


Late Night Fried Rice

^On my most recent trip there a few months back I finally found my go-to item. Should I ever make it back there in the wee hours of the a.m then the Late Night fried rice with shrimp, peas, carrots, corn and green beans all in a special sauce will be my choice again. Was it the best fried rice dish I have ever had? nope. It was however pretty satisfying and something I would order again if I'm in the area or have a fried rice craving that hits me after midnight.

I checked out Yelp! and like usual its about half and half as far as satisfaction reviews. I tend to agree with the people who like it for what it is, a late night Thai joint in an area where there isn't anything else open too late.

Late Night Thai
1650 W Belmont Ave
Chicago, IL 60657
(773) 327-9945

Bahn Mi from Ba Le

-The Sammy's of Chi

Summertime is the time when certain foods shine like the sandwiches at our next stop in Chicago's uptown neighborhood. The businesses of Argyle st. in Uptown have long been known for their Asian goods. The street goes by the community name of The Argyle Asian business district. Most of the shops along and around the street are Vietnamese owned and all our Asian of some sort. So you better believe theres some good eating to be done in these parts and its an easy get-to since the red line drops you off right there.


Land of Good Eats

Located right at the corner of Broadway and Argyle is Ba Le-a French/Vietnamese bakery that's one of the areas most popular eateries. The shop is loaded with all sorts of goods to eat and special drinks but the star of the show are the Banh Mi sandwiches. These foodie worthy subs can best be described as a Vietnamese baguette. I want you to think of everything Subway is-awful bread, gray colored meat loaded with fillers and tasteless toppings. The people at Ba Le do it the exact opposite way and guess what? It's cheaper than five dollars and they have no annoying commercials.


an Uptown staple

Besides the subs Ba Le has many different selections of ready to eat Vietnamese style lunches, noodle salads, a hot case with egg roll's, wings and other hot appetizers, a fresh bakery that bakes their own bread-used on the sandwiches and available to go by the roll along with many coffee drinks and dessert drinks made with tapioca, yogurt and other interesting items. The store is small but you would be amazed if you haven't been on how much stuff they pack in there. Since there's not much room to eat its mostly takeout but that's ok because everything is easily eaten on the go. With the weather warming up, there's no really no excuse not to.


yogurt mixed with fruit and other random dessert drinks


so many different choices packed into the shop


salads and takeout lunches are quick, cheap, easy and great


sausage, different egg rolls, crispy pork stuffed in rice and wrapped in banana leaves etc...

The lines of people waiting for a sandwich is pretty much a regular but don't let that deter you because the sandwiches take 2-3 minutes to make. There quick with the sandwich like Wild Bill was with his gun. A bahn mi sandwich is the above mentioned French bread with a Vietnamese twist and the most popular meat toppings are usually pork and chicken in various forms. What puts the exclamation point on the whole thing is the fresh veggies. Usually consisting of julienned carrots, onions, cilantro, bean sprouts and my favorite the spicy thinly sliced jalapeno. The choices are many at Ba Le with a heavy does on the pate, pork and chicken ones but also a lovely fried tofu vegetarian version. These subs are the perfect lunch on a hot summer day-the veggies make it a really fresh sandwich on a hot day.


banh mi from Ba Le

I don't have a go to sandwich from Ba Le because I'm still busy trying to taste them all and I have yet to find one that I cant stand. Some people cant take the pate and headcheese and various cuts of pork they don't normally consume but I'm not normal. I think I even remember not liking the first banh mi I ever ate and so I threw it out immediately after my first bite. Within two minutes I wanted to dig it out of the trash when I realized my stupid mistake. Now its one of my favorite sandwiches to enjoy during the summer months. Even better is they have nice pictures on the wall of every sandwich just in case your not sure whats in it looks like.


Vietnamese Lunch


Get at it

Ba Le Bakery & Restaurant
5018 N Broadway St
Chicago, IL 60640
(773) 561-4424
Website