chigago & int’l
Boiling Down To The Basics Get a taste of Chinatown’s best hot pot. By Wendi Gu Mandarin Kitchen 2143 South Archer Ave. (between Wentworth Avenue & 21st Street) Chicago, IL 60616 This is another all-you-can-eat hot pot restaurant for $16.95, and you get a pretty comprehensive checklist of fresh veggies and meats. There are three broths to choose from: spice, regular and nutrition, but most patrons seem keener on the spicy. The hot pot also comes with three sauces: barbeque paste, peanut sauce and garlic in soy sauce to add some flavor to the boiled ingredients. Oh, and don’t you dare forget to BYOB.
Lao Sze Chuan
A. KELLER / NU ASIAN
2172 South Archer Ave. (between Wentworth Avenue & 21st Streete) Chicago, IL 60616
W. Cermak Rd.
S
e Av
S. State St
er
rch .A
S. Wentworth Ave Rd
Here, it’s all about the sauce. There’s a nifty buffet table with a wide range of sauces varying in spice and flavor that you can dump at will into your hot pot. However, they don’t offer all-you-can-eat, so prices can add up. A soup base starts at $3 per person, and veggies and meats range from $3 to $6. But one thing that Tao Ran Ju has over all the other restaurants is service. Chinese or American, all customers will be helped, even if they don’t know what they’re doing. The staff offers full explanations before you over-boil your beef or accidentally eat raw noodles.
S. Princeton Ave
2002 South Wentworth Ave. (between Cullerton Street & Archer Avenue) Chicago, IL 60616
S. Canal St
Tao Ran Ju
As difficult as it is to find authentic Szechuan food in Chicago, Lao Sze Chuan, located in the middle of Chinatown Square, does not disappoint. Patrons gather here for the allyou-can-eat hot pot for a reasonable $16.95 if you go with two people (single restaurant-goers pay $19.95). The broth is delicious. Opt for the “MaLa” if you’re into spice, but the blander, chicken-based broth isn’t bad either. Perhaps the beef is fattier than I’d like, but you can’t blame them for being authentic. Service isn’t great if you don’t speak Chinese, but maybe that can be your excuse to start taking some classes in the Program of African and Asian Languages on campus.
SPRING 2012 | 11