Category Archive: Chinatown

July 19th, 2011
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Hing Kee Phohung Restaurant and a Chinatown outing

Sunday Beckicita and I went to Chinatown.  Our first stop, after surviving the parking lot, was Hing Kee.  I was a little concerned that the place would be too crowded, because wouldn’t you know it, Steve Dolinksy featured the restaurant on the Hungry Hound on Friday.  We arrived within an hour of opening time, so we beat the crowd. 

We both started out with a smoothie.  Mine was lychee, but they put some sweetening in and since lychee is already sweet, I couldn’t really finish it.  The strawberry one looked good, though!

We ordered two appetizers.  The first was chicken and cabbage and the other was pork.  They were both incredibly delicious. 

I ordered the Pho with BBQ duck.  It came with baby bok choy and those delicious noodles that are hand pulled.  Beckicita had a beef type stew over rice.  The beef was seasoned with pepper, and had a kick when you first bit into it, but the heat dissipated quickly.  It too, was delicious! 
The noodle maker in action:  




After lunch, we walked over to the Ping Tom Memorial Park.  When you are getting heat baked and the place you want to go lies beyond the train crossing, it can seem like a longer distance than it actually is to get there.  Just so you know, don’t plan on taking a short cut through the park to get back to the Chinatown Mall – there is only one entrance to the park.  Also, if you are craving something to drink and you are still at the Mall, consider getting something there before heading over to the park, since there are no refreshments available there (and thus, less discarded garbage littering the area).

We then walked back through the Chinatown Square to the south part of Chinatown, to go to a bakery. Unfortunately there was a street festival, which increased foot traffic and made maneuvering very slow. By then we had spent so much time in the sun and heat, we were both feeling rather tired. We ducked into Ten Ren Tea on Wentworth, and both had an iced tea. Beckita had Black tea with Raspberry syrup, and I had Green Tea with Apple syrup. We both gave the teas 3 tea leaves up, and left much refreshed.
.
We also stopped at Saint Anna’s Bakery, and picked up Char Siu Bao and Sesame Rice Balls for later.  The Sesame Rice balls have a red bean center, covered by rice (similiar to Japanese mochi) and then covered in sesame seeds.  These have been fried so it is crispy on the outside and oh so good, with only a hint of sweetnes!

While an exhausting day because of the ghastly heat, humidity and air quality, we both had a great food outing and the trip to Hing Kee by iteself was worth it.

HIng Kee Phohung Restaurant
2140 Archer
312 808-9538

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anna, bakery, Chinatown, hing, kee, Pho, Saint
April 11th, 2011
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Ten Ren Tea and Ginseng Co. of Chicago, Ltd.

Last week my friend Jane took me to Chinatown.  On the way to the car, we stopped off at a lovely tea shop on Wentworth, called Ten Ren Tea and Ginseng Company of Chicago.  The clerk that helped us was very friendly, and she gave customers samples of various teas, which was a nice way to try something new. 

I needed matcha Green Tea and they had an exquisite one, which I have been enjoying in the middle of the day.  I should have bought some Christmas gifts there, as they had some darling dishes and cups. 

I love the way the dry loose teas are stored.  So often stores are so quick to dowse their products with light and this tends to degrade the quality of the food, especially teas and herbs that are in clear jars.  Their teas are in solid containers which would keep them much fresher and flavorful.

This is my all time favorite, and I regret not getting it for my favorite cousin, who loves cats.  Good thing Christmas isn’t till December!

Another added bonus:  the owner also likes LeSportsac Tokidoki bags.  THAT alone is a reason to go shopping there! 

Ten Ren Tea and Ginseng Co. of Chicago, Ltd.
2247 S. Wentworth Ave.
312 842-1171

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beverages, Chinatown, cups, hot, loose, Shop, Tea
April 10th, 2011
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Shui Wah, at 2162 S Archer Ave

Last week, my friend Jane took me to Shui Wah in Chinatown.  We went for Szechuan Dim Sum.  Shui Wah is in the Chinatown Mall, just north of the older part of Chinatown. 

For the most part, we really enjoyed our food.  The only thing we weren’t crazy about were the potstickers, due to the very doughy consistency.  We’re both used to Gyoza with the rice paper think skin, so this could just be a difference in cooking style.  The filling was very flavorful, however. 

One of my favorite Dim Sum items is the taro root, which I was first introduced to by an old college friend named Kate Yuen, who used to call them “footballs”  (except when ordering, when she’d order in Chinese).  This was the first time I had them with a lacy edge to them, which was quite pretty when they were served.   

 The next item was the eggplant Dim Sum.

 Dipping sauce

 Dessert was a chestnut hard cube of some sort, which was very sweet.

 The fried stuffed tofu was very good.  I would definitely order 2 of these next time I visit.

The Shu Mai was also very, very good!

These sesame balls had to be one of our favorites.  The inside is hot, puffed, mochi-like chewy rice with some sort of almond paste in the center.  It was unusual, very light, and really quite tasty. 

Service was very good, although it helps to know what you want.  I didn’t think our server knew too much English, and on the day we were there, the majority of the tables were occupied by Chinese speaking patrons.  Also, the menu you receive does not have photos, so you’ll have to choose based either on prior Dim Sum experience, or the description. 

We both really liked the food, and it was well worth the trip (thanks again, Jane!). 

Shiu Wah
2162 S. Archer Avenue
312 225-8811

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Chinatown, dim sum, Szechwan
July 5th, 2010
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Saint Therese Chinese Catholic Mission in Chicago’s Chinatown

Saint Therese Catholic Mission was established in what is now Chinatown on August 14, 1904.  As a  vibrant institution, it reflects the changing demographics from when it the demographic was primarily of Italian immigrants.  When Sean and I were in Chinatown, we were told by an active Church member that it is about 40% Italian and 60% Chinese in ancestry.  I won’t replicate what is already fascinating information on the Church website, but the history of St. Therese Chinese Catholic Mission is well worth the time spent reading.  It is a reminder of how any organization can be a part of a community and, how in this case, together, they enrich the lives of each other and the Church.

As happenstance would have it, Sean and I were walking down Alexander Street, looking for the church since we had spotted the steeple while leaving the Chinese American Veteran’s Memorial.  I was taking photos of the front of the Church when Sean noticed the Rectory, and we walked closer and were greeted with a most lovely garden of flowers, with enough bursts of color to bring anyone out of the doldrums!  While I was trying to take a photo, a man who had pulled up to the Church in his car came over and said we could go in.  Apparently he is very involved with the Church, and filled Sean in with some interesting historical facts about worldly activities and the experiences of some Priests.   We spent a good amount of time there, and I have more tan lines where my watch is as proof!  His presence and company allowed me to spend a lot of time taking many, many photos, not only of the garden but the inside of the Church.

The Church garden was tended to by one of the Priests who was leaving after a lengthy tine serving the Parish.  While we never met him, we did get to see the beauty of his work in the garden.


There was a profoundly beautiful use of color and flowers, pots and artistic placement of plants in this garden.  I have never been in a garden that felt both so beautiful and happily situated.  It was truly a pleasure to have been invited in.  
  

In sharp contrast to the glorious canvas painted by nature, the inside of the Church is an architectural and artistic work of beauty made by man.  The stained glass windows are simply stunning. 

 

As if the beautiful stained glass wasn’t enough, the architectural design of the structure itself is truly magnificent.  It was simply one visual delight after another. 

Saint Therese Chinese Catholic Mission
218 W. Alexander Street
312 / 842-6777
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Catholic, chicago, Chinatown, Mission, Saint, Therese
July 2nd, 2010
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Chinatown in Chicago

Thursday my friend Sean and I spent the day in Chicago’s southside Chinatown.    Although Chinese immigrants had been here since the mid 1800s, the focus on developing a community in Armour Square occurred around the 1920′s.  The first thing you will notice when you arrive at Wentworth and 22nd is the archway welcoming visitors.

While we were walking down a side street, we came across The Chinese American Veteran’s Memorial, which neither of us knew existed.

Chinatown, like any ethnic enclave, is not only about tourist shops, bakeries and grocery stores;  it is home to the many immigrants and Chinese Americans who have chosen to make it their home.  As we walked down some of the side streets west of Wentworth, we came upon several vegetable gardens, all of which provided a fragrance that only home grown vegetables can.

On one of the corners, Sean spotted this interesting relief done in the concrete, which was at both corners of the side of the street that we were on.
Further east there was this mural celebrating the Haine’s School’s diversity. 
We decided to have DimSum for lunch at Three Happiness, on Wentworth.  If you’ve never been there, when you walk in, the restaurant is upstairs.  When I was an undergrad, I used to go to Three Happiness on 22nd Street with the family of one of my friends, when the restaurant opened on Sunday morning.  I’ve been there several times for a regular meal, and it wasn’t until I started to think about it that I remember going to a friend’s wedding which was hosted there.  It was one of two traditional Chinese weddings that I have gone to, where there seems to be an endless supply of traditional foods served, a lot of talking and eating, and an all around unique cultural experience as well as a wonderful jewelry custom.
If you haven’t had DimSum, the closest thing I could think of that is like it would be Pierogis or Gyoza, the latter which are also potstickers.  We ordered shrimp, shrimp and vegetable, and vegetable pot stickers. 
The one below is made of Taro Root.  The outside is fried but not oily, and it has a delicate, wispy and crunchy outside with a soft, delicately seasoned taro root inside.  It has always been one of my favorites.  My friend Kate is the one who turned me onto them — she used to refer to them as “footballs.”
This dumpling was meat filled, and in comparison with the others, was much heavier both in terms of the filling and the wrapper.  The seasoning was, however, still very good. 
This is one that Sean and I both liked:  eggplant dimsum. 
This was another shrimp dimsum, which was very good, light and difficult to eat with plastic chopsticks. 
For dessert, we split a mango dimsum.  Okay, if you eat tapas you probably feel like your reading the Chinese version, but remember, the Chinese culture is one of the oldest so it may well be that tapas are really just the Spanish version!  This was light, and splitting one seemed to give us both the perfect amount of a dessert taste to end the meal.  Of course now I am getting very hungry again!
The structure pictured below greets you at the shopping mall north of the older part of Chinatown. 
The lantern with the dragon is in the older part of Chinatown.  
Last but not least, this is Saint Therese Catholic Mission, which deserves its own separate post. 
There was a previous post on Chicago’s Chinatown on the Tamale Chica Chronicles on both an earlier visit this year, and the Ping Tom Memorial Park. 
You can find the larger Three Happiness at Wentworth and 22nd.  It’s nearly impossible to miss.  There is also a parking lot across the street that serves many of the stores and restaurants in the area, and if you stay within the time limit you can have free parking.  We did not, but for our lengthy stay our parking was $10.  
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chicago, Chinatown, Chinese, dim sum, memorial, Mission, Saint Therese, Veterans
July 2nd, 2010
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Chinese American Veteran’s Memorial

The Chinese American Veteran’s Memorial is located at Cermak and Archer.  We came upon it quite by accident, as we decided to walk down a side street.

What struck us was that there were not that many names, yet I have known many Asian American and Chinese American Vietnam War Veterans.  I am also familiar with our history as a nation, and know that many Chinese Americans have served in the military, so I was perplexed at the lack of names.  Apparently this memorial honors those from the community.  There are more names than you see in these two photographs, but hardly the amount that represent all who have served who are Chicago Chinese Americans. 

One interesting tidbit I came across was that “Director-General Thomas Cheng of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Chicago and Madame Anna Chennault, widow of General Claire Chennault, commander of the famed U.S. “Flying Tigers” in China during World War II, were among the guest speakers at the dedication ceremony on June 12, 2005 of the Chinese American Veterans Memorial in Chicago.”

According to the press release on the Republic of Taiwan, “The CAV Memorial Committee and Chinatown Post 1003 are currently raising funds to engrave the names of Chinese American veterans on the Memorial and complete the project, which was begun five years ago.”

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american history, Chinatown, Chinese, memorial, servicemen, veterens
May 23rd, 2010
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Chinatown – A Quick Look

Chicago’s Chinatown has always been dwarfed by the ones in San Francisco and New York City, but it is OUR Chinatown, our definable area of yet another part of Chicago’s ethnic immigrant diversity.  Yet Chicago’s Chinatown is not only comprised of immigrants, but also American Born Chinese (no gum jokes, please), who have either chosen to stay in the community, often opening up stores that serve primarily the immigrant and Chinese American demographic or those who have left suburbia to live in an ethnic enclave.

Usually I’ve been in Chinatown either at night, or to visit friends, or during a festival, the latter of which is always crowded and does not afford the luxury of looking around more and taking photos.  When my friend Sean, from grad school, and I got together last, we visited both Chinatown and Pilsen.  Chinatown has changed a lot since even the 1990′s, and even more so if your last visit was in the 1980′s or 1970′s.  Like any ethnic enclave, neighborhoods change, stores change, the population changes and people open and close businesses, move them, or they often change management, often still in the family. 

Because we were there in the late morning, the tourist crowds weren’t around and this gave us some measure of time to walk around and take photos, despite a time constraint that we had.  We certainly plan to return, to take more photos and to drink in the aromas of  food that permeates the neighborhood. 

The above mural should also serve as a reminder that Asian Americans have been here for a very long time, and while there are always immigrants, there are also many 4th and 5th generations of Americans of Asian ancestry, whose story is really about being Asian American.  It is what makes our subcultures rich and complex to study and to reach, no matter where our ancestors immigrated from.
The next photos are of the Pui Tak Center, which I had always known as the On Leong Merchant’s building.  Check out the Wikipedia write up from the link — it is quite fascinating.  These photos are of the outside of the building, and they are beautiful both in the photos and in person.
Above is a photo of my old lady cookies, which I got addicted to when I was an undergraduate student.  They are filled with Chinese Wintermelon.   The parents of one of my friends in college grew these in their backyard, and everyone had a good laugh when some kid climbed the fence and stole the melon, apparently thinking it was something completely different.  I’m sure he was more than shocked when he cut into it. 
Before you visit, don’t forget to check out the Chicago Chinatown website and the Ping Tom Memorial Park post on this blog.  
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Center, chicago, Chinatown, Near West Side, On Leung, Pui Tak, southwest
May 17th, 2010
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Ping Tom Memorial Park Chinatown

Situated north of both the newer Chinatown area and the older neighborhood south of that development, sits a quiet piece of park, a bit of tranquility, called the Ping Tom Memorial Park.  My friend from grad school, Sean, and I took a trip there.  We parked on a residential street, filled with relatively new housing — a definite contrast to the very old buildings and homes down by 22nd and Wentworth.  Anyone who grew up in Chinatown during the 1970′s and 1980′s knew what a congested neighborhood this is, and how influxes of new residents were contained in a small area, primarily bound by the Stevenson Expressway to the South, the feeder streets to the right, and the Chicago River, which cut a diagonal path.  Together this combination of geography made the natural expansion of a neighborhood very difficult.  The natural migration of American born children leaving the area, a common occurrence in ethnic enclaves, also was a concern.  

Business leader and visionary, Ping Tom, not only saw the need for a way to expand Chinatown, but he was initiated the groundwork for both community and business expansion, and the seeds to develop a park, which the Chinatown neighborhood was so badly in need of.   

From Wikipedia:  In 1962, construction preparations for the Dan Ryan Expressway necessitated the demolition of Hardin Square and Stanford Parks,  the only two public parks that serviced the Chinatown community. In the mid-1970s, a small, 1/3-acre park was developed on a strip of land between 26th Street and the Stevenson Expressway; the Chicago Park District purchased the park in 1977 and named it Sun Yat-sen Playlot Park.  However, in a 1992 study, 75 percent of Chinatown’s community leaders and 49 percent of business leaders felt that “the lack of open space in the Chinatown area is one of the most serious problems facing the community”, and both groups ranked it first among 15 community issues, including crime, education, housing and employment. Community efforts to construct a larger park were impeded both a lack of funds and the absence of any suitable site.



After fighting for decades for the construction of a new park in Chinatown, civic leader Ping Tom formed the Chinese American Development Corporation (CADC), a private real estate firm, in 1984. Five years later, the firm purchased a former 32-acre (130,000 m2) Santa Fe rail yard and began construction on Chinatown Square, a $100 million residential and commercial development project. Six acres along the Chicago River, however, were left untouched. The Chinatown community then formed the Chinatown Riverside Park Advisory Council to work with the Chicago Park District to assess the possibility of developing the remaining area into a public park. With the support of Park District Commissioner Raymond Lee, the Park District approved the proposal to purchase the land, along with an additional 6 acres that extended along the river northward to 16th Street in 1991.

Tom died of pancreatic cancer in July 1995—three years before construction of the park began. During a Chinatown Chamber of Commerce meeting held in March 1998, the Riverside Park Advisory Council suggested renaming the park in honor of Ping Tom, the driving force behind the its creation. The request was approved on August 3, 1998, and the park was renamed Ping Tom Memorial Park. The park was dedicated and officially opened by Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley during an ceremony on October 2, 1999. In 2005, the CADC and friends of the Tom family commissioned sculptor Liao Huilana to create a bronze bust of Ping Tom. The bust was dedicated and installed at the park on October 22, 2005.
 
I knew of Ping Tom through friends, and I was invited to a memorial dinner held in his honor after his passing.  One of my friends was dating a nephew of Ping Toms’ and since I also knew other friends of the nephew, I was honored with an invite. During the memorial dinner, I heard about this incredibly accomplished man, and I urge you to read about Ping Tom in this Wikipedia  article.  It is impossible not to be impressed.

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CADC, chicago, Chinatown, memorial, Park, Ping Tom
February 25th, 2010
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Argyle Street and Little Vietnam / Chinatown North

One of the joys of living in Chicago is the simple fact that there is no dearth of good restaurants. For those who love authentic ethnic foods, Chicago offers a panoply of cuisines, from Peruvian, Argentinian, Mexican, Ecuadorian, Guatemalan, Thai, Japanese, Italian, Polish, Croatian, Greek, Swedish, German, Turkish and more. Sean and I had not visited Argyle Street together, and it was an adventure to finally try some new items while also revisiting some old standbys.
Usually when I’ve been in the Argyle Street area, it has either been to a Chinese Herb shop, a Chinese Bakery or to the grocery stores in the area, while running errands. It was nice to be able to browse a little.
Our first stop was lunch. I’ve heard very good things about Sun Wah BBQ from friends and an uncle who had eaten there. I used to see their BBQ ducks hanging from the window when they were on Argyle, and my mother used to stop in to buy Char Siu (BBQ pork). They have since moved to a large, spacious and updated space on Broadway. For as long as it is available, The Chicago Tribune has an excellent article about the restaurant.
We arrived at around 11:00 AM and you can see from this photo that the area is spacious. This only accounted for about 30% of the floor space, as most people were seated away from the windows and towards the back. By the time we left, the place was fairly packed, which was not bad for a Wednesday lunch crowd.
We ordered the Beijing Duck Dinner, an incredible value that included a whole duck, duck fried rice, duck soup, bao (for the duck), and a fresh raspberry sorbet, all for $32.
The duck is delivered on a cutting board, and the server will slice the duck in front of you. He slices most of the duck off of the carcass and places the pieces, including skin, on the plate. Soon after, the waiter or waitress brings the bao (bun), hoisin sauce (plum sauce), and vegetables, and you can make yourself a duck “sandwich” — it is almost like a taco except it uses bao.
Our lunch was fabulous, and hands down the best duck either of us has ever had. Even better, despite only a $16 tab for each of us for all this food (sorry, I forgot to get a photo of the generous portions of duck fried rice), we still had enough to take home for a second meal, so essentially we had a complete meal for four people at $8 per person.
From outside you can see the cooks working on the duck.
We needed to feed the meter, and stopped into one of the gift shops, where I am still thinking about this jacket that I saw with the Mandarin collar. It was lovely and in my favorite colors but I decided not to buy it.
We went on a search for my preserved plums. I buy these every so many years or so, and of course I can never remember the name of it. The first grocery store we went into was Broadway Supermarket at 4879 N. Broadway. We walked up and down the aisles to no avail. I ended up asking someone about them, he looked in the same aisle we had just been in and concluded they didn’t have the plums I was looking for.
We did find some interesting teas.

Still plum-less, we walked north on Broadway and ended up at Tai Nam. We quickly found my plums. These are seasoned with licorice and orange peel, and are moist, not hard and dried, and they contain the pit. I bought 3 bags. The bags look large, but each piece is triple wrapped so there are actually less plums in the bag than seems apparent. Tai Nam was very busy, and in general there was an air of people bustling about doing their shopping.

Incidentally, for anyone who ever had these plums and is thinking, “Now I know where to go buy them!” — don’t go rushing out quite yet. After I had finished this blog article, I decided to do some research on the plum brand. What prompted me to do this was that I know for a fact that the plums I’ve had like this in the past were not this brand. I was trying to get information on the different brands of this type of plum, when I found out that the Texas Department of Health Services issued a warning not to eat certain brands of imported dried plums due to elevated levels of lead. And yes, right there on that list was this particular brand of dried plum. You can see this memorandum issued in October of 2009 by clicking this link. I must have eaten about 5 or 6 of them. Since they are quite tasty, I’m lucky I hadn’t eaten more.

Another stop was for a Ba Le. We went to Ba Le Sandwiches, on North Broadway and Argyle. I purchased a BBQ pork ba le. The sandwich was as good as I had heard they are. Mine had BBQ pork, cilantro, lemongrass, and hot peppers. Although Vietnamese, it was like Thai food meets the French Baguette. This very substantial sandwich was only $3.25.

Another item I picked up there was the Khoa Mi, a dessert made of sticky rice, red bean, coconut milk and bananas, and wrapped in a banana leaf.

Next was the Chiu Quon Bakery. I’ve gone to both the bakery in Chinatown South, and this one, and their baked goods still looked great and the place was busy. This is a melon cookie that I picked up. When I was an undergrad, I used to have an addiction to these melon cakes (Lo pau bam). I still laugh about the story one of my friends told me about the melon they were growing in their back yard. At one point, it looked like a watermelon, and a kid trespassed and stole the melon, running down the street with it. He took a wintermelon, which needs to be cooked to be used. We were all amused at what a surprise this kid got when he cut open his bounty and had no idea what he ended up with.

I While at Chiu Quon, I also picked up Char Siu Bao, both the baked one and the steamed type. These are buns with cooked, seasoned BBQ pork inside.

This being Chicago, our last stop was over to an Austrian Cafe and Bakery, Julius Meinl. What is there not to love about a city that can transport you from parts of Asia to an Austrian Cafe, a short car ride away, to Lincoln and Montrose?

Sean ordered tea and the Chocolate Decadence.

I ordered a mocha espresso latte and a passion fruit tart.

We enjoyed the dinner at Sun Wah BBQ so much that we both look forward to returning there. It’s too bad that so often, a person’s only experience with duck is a greasy mess, which understandably leaves them with no desire to try duck again. I’ve had duck at people’s homes, I’ve prepared it myself, and I’ve had it at several restaurants. I have to say that Sun Wah’s duck is the without a doubt, the best I’ve had.
Sun Wah BBQ
closed on Thursday
5039 N. Broadway
773/ 769-1254
Tai Nam Food Market
4925 N Broadway
773/ 275-5666
Ba Le Sandwiches
5014 N Broadway
773/ 561-4424
Chiu Quon Bakery
1127 W Argyle Street
773/ 907-8888
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Argyle, Ba Le, Broadway, Chinatown, Chiu Quon, grocery, Little Vietnam, north, Sun Wah BBQ, Tai Nam

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