Rene G wrote:

stevez wrote:There was also Hunan House (not 100% sure abot the correct name) on Clark near Wrightwood in a small storefront next to what was then a bowling alley. It was my goto place for spicy Chinese until they closed and moved much farther north on Lincoln (around 5400 N.).

I'm coming up blank on that one but with some more information I may be able to look it up. Was it north or south of the Playdium (I assume that's the bowling alley you mention)? Approximately what years? And the restaurant on Lincoln, east or west side?

I don't recall the bowling alley being called the Playdium, but whatever it was called, it was located at Clark & Wrightwood on the east side of the street and housed El Nuevo Mexicano, which moved to 2914 North Clark once the bowling alley closed. Hunan House was located a few doors north of that in a very small storefront next to a laundromat. The building they were in was demolished around the same time as the bowling alley to make room for the concrete high rise that is presently there. Hunan House* eventually moved to a location on Lawrence Ave. near the present location of seven seas and then (under a different name) to 6144 North Lincoln, which now is the site of Hoanh Long.

Cathy2 wrote:Yu Lin was a former wife of Peter Lo? Was she Rose's Mother who was always at Peter Lo's side?

Rose Wu is definitely Peter Lo's daughter but I'm not sure who her mother is. I have to admit some of this is pretty confusing and I hope I have the facts straight.

stevez wrote:I don't recall the bowling alley being called the Playdium, but whatever it was called, it was located at Clark & Wrightwood on the east side of the street and housed El Nuevo Mexicano, which moved to 2914 North Clark once the bowling alley closed. Hunan House was located a few doors north of that in a very small storefront next to a laundromat. The building they were in was demolished around the same time as the bowling alley to make room for the concrete high rise that is presently there. Hunan House* eventually moved to a location on Lawrence Ave. near the present location of seven seas and then (under a different name) to 6144 North Lincoln, which now is the site of Hoanh Long.

Thanks for the new information. I still can't any mention of Hunan-anything on that stretch of Clark.

The Playdium bowling alley was at 2625 N Clark (at Wrightwood) from at least 1940. El Mexicano opened in the late 1960s at 2627 N Clark, actually connected to the bowling alley. I can't find "Nuevo" in any of the restaurant's listings from that time but by then the bowling alley went by the name New Playdium. The restaurant at 2914 N Clark was definitely El Nuevo Mexicano.

I'm not sure if it's related to the restaurant you refer to but in the early '90s Little Hunan was at 6144 N Lincoln. Before that it was at 3470 N Clark. Until 1985, 6144 N Lincoln was the location of Peter Lo's (funny how that name keeps popping up, isn't it?).

Hi,

I'm hoping Yu Lin was not Rose's Mother. Otherwise it was a tough life for Rose dealing with her parents.

When I last saw Peter Lo, he was quite frail. It was clear Rose was caretaking her father.

Regards,

Rene G wrote:Thanks for the new information. I still can't any mention of Hunan-anything on that stretch of Clark.

The Playdium bowling alley was at 2625 N Clark (at Wrightwood) from at least 1940. El Mexicano opened in the late 1960s at 2627 N Clark, actually connected to the bowling alley. I can't find "Nuevo" in any of the restaurant's listings from that time but by then the bowling alley went by the name New Playdium. The restaurant at 2914 N Clark was definitely El Nuevo Mexicano.

I'm not sure if it's related to the restaurant you refer to but in the early '90s Little Hunan was at 6144 N Lincoln. Before that it was at 3470 N Clark. Until 1985, 6144 N Lincoln was the location of Peter Lo's (funny how that name keeps popping up, isn't it?).

I have no doubt that the bowling alley's official name was the Playdium. We just called it The Bowling Alley. You are correct about Nuevo Mexicano. Now that you mention it, I recall that they adopted the "Nuevo" when they moved out of the bowling alley into their new digs. Up until then it was merely El Mexicano. It was actually in the bowling alley; though separated by glass to keep out the noise of the kegglers. You could have Mexican food delivered to you room service style while you bowled.

Little Hunan is the restaurant on Lincoln that I was referring to. Before that, when they were on Clark and later on Lawrence, their name was something else. I'm pretty sure it was Hunan House, but it might have been Little Hunan or it might have even been something else that included Hunan on the name. Like my memory of many things in the early to mid 70's, I'm a little hazy on the details. The restaurant was definitely there, though. It was a pretty bare bones operation in a tiny storefront, so there might not be too much of an historical record about the place. It was historic for me, though. It was the first place I ever had three of the major Chinese food groups; pot stickers, kung pao shrimp and chili oil.

Chef Peter Lo passed away last Friday. As discussed above, he was a major influence on Chinese food in Chicago. Some new information from his granddaughter can be found in this Chowhound post.

Rene G wrote:Chef Peter Lo passed away last Friday. As discussed above, he was a major influence on Chinese food in Chicago. Some new information from his granddaughter can be found in this Chowhound post.

Just to clarify, my grandparents owned only three restaurants: Chinese Teahouse, Peter Lo's, and Panda Panda. They were never involved in Little Hunan, and Yu's Szechwan was, I believe, a venture that my mother entered on her own. (Will update as I confirm more.) And Henry Browne was almost right in surmising about the non-compete. When they signed the papers to sell Peter Lo's, my grandparents didn't know that they were also selling the name of their business. So, sadly, my grandfather's name was associated with the dismal decline of that restaurant in the years after the sale.

If they hired a lawyer to represent their interests, this person did not do them any favors. No wonder people had to hunt to seek him out. I was once at Yu's Szechwan waiting for take-out when another customer came in, recognized Peter Lo and got very excited. Unfortunately by this time, Mr. Lo was very frail.

Regards,

Panda Panda was a favorite of my ex-father-in-law's and we ate there quite often back in the late 90's. Had no idea that it was of any special lineage, though we always enjoyed it. Is it still open/decent?

boudreaulicious wrote:Panda Panda was a favorite of my ex-father-in-law's and we ate there quite often back in the late 90's. Had no idea that it was of any special lineage, though we always enjoyed it. Is it still open/decent?

It has been closed for years. The recently closed Stash's hot dog stand was the most recent tenant in that location. Before it was Panda Panda, it was Mushrooms.

Regards,

Cathy2 wrote:

boudreaulicious wrote:Panda Panda was a favorite of my ex-father-in-law's and we ate there quite often back in the late 90's. Had no idea that it was of any special lineage, though we always enjoyed it. Is it still open/decent?

It has been closed for years. The recently closed Stash's hot dog stand was the most recent tenant in that location. Before it was Panda Panda, it was Mushrooms.

Regards,

Thanks Cathy. Wow--that was a big place to convert into a hot dog stand!!

Hi guys, do any of you remember a small Cantonese (I think) restaurant that was on Clark (west side of the street) just south of Diversey in the 1970s and 1980s - probably around 2700 Clark? Maybe next to the Parkway theater? We used to go there a lot and get takeout from there and for the life of me I can't remember the name!! : ) Thanks!

krutaya wrote:Hi guys, do any of you remember a small Cantonese (I think) restaurant that was on Clark (west side of the street) just south of Diversey in the 1970s and 1980s - probably around 2700 Clark? Maybe next to the Parkway theater? We used to go there a lot and get takeout from there and for the life of me I can't remember the name!! : ) Thanks!

Could you be thinking of Wing Yee's, the longtime (mid '60s through mid '80s) Cantonese restaurant on the west side of Clark near Wrightwood? Mentioned earlier in this thread (and several others).

With regard to the Dragon Inn in Glenwood, discussed above, as I recall one of their signature dishes was a Mandarin Pressed Duck. This duck was different from the barbequed duck served at Sun Wah and elsewhere as it had undergone a pressing process as part of its preparation and was presented as flat strips. It was necessary to order Pressed Duck at least 24 hours in advance. I believe this dish was my first taste of Duck and as a youngster I remember enjoying it immensely. I cannot recall seeing this dish on a menu in recent years.

The Dragon Inn was also the first place that I recall serving "Mongolian Hot Pot."

Hi, no, Wing Yee's was two or three blocks South (but on the same side of the street). This one was pretty much adjacent to the Parkway movie theater. I think it was one door north of the Parkway (right next door). It was a little old-style place.

krutaya wrote:Hi, no, Wing Yee's was two or three blocks South (but on the same side of the street). This one was pretty much adjacent to the Parkway movie theater. I think it was one door north of the Parkway (right next door). It was a little old-style place.

I remember the place, but not the name. (Could it be Wing Hoe?). Yellow sign, IIRC. I always preferred (pre fire) Far East on Diversey.

I don't think it was Wing Hoe. It's funny we went there so many times and no one can remember the name. I agree with you on the Far East though... that was one of my all time favorites! One of best in Chicago.

MY recollection is similar to Steve Z's. I do recall the yellow sign - it was more memorable than the food - and Far East had better food.

However, the name Wing Hoe doesn't seem right. Perhaps Rene G's archives can solve this one.

krutaya wrote:Hi, no, Wing Yee's was two or three blocks South (but on the same side of the street). This one was pretty much adjacent to the Parkway movie theater. I think it was one door north of the Parkway (right next door). It was a little old-style place.

In the late '70s and early '80s, Superbowl Grill was located immediately north of the Parkway Theater and Paris Inn was just north of Superbowl.

stevez wrote:I remember the place, but not the name. (Could it be Wing Hoe?). Yellow sign, IIRC. I always preferred (pre fire) Far East on Diversey.

Back then, Wing Hoe was on Sheridan near Balmoral. It's still there after all these years.

Wow you have a good memory! Was the Paris Inn the/a Chinese restaurant? Perhaps that was it?

Santander wrote:Tae Fu in Villa Park. Those two items are slam dunks; YMMV on other offerings.

Interesting. I worked near Tae Fu, and remember when it first opened (in an old Arby's space). The restaurant is actually run by Koreans, as were many of the early Mandarin restaurants. Tae Fu was one of the first suburban Chinese restaurants to offer non-Cantonese food. There was another in Lisle, which offered Peking duck in a traditional preparation without requiring any advanced notice. In the city, there was a place on Howard Street (east of the el). I believe it was called Peking something. Unlike Tien Tsien, it was owned by Chinese. There was also a total hole in the wall on Lincoln Avenue that made some very nice Mandarin dishes including whole Carp. I remember they had an excellent chili and garlic sauce, that I would buy by the jar. Jeanies on Belmont should also probably be mentioned. I remember they served a very good Hot and Sour soup. Funny, how boring pots stickers, mu shu pork and hot sour soup seem now, but back then it was difficult to find places that offered them.

krutaya wrote:Was the Paris Inn the/a Chinese restaurant? Perhaps that was it?

Yes, despite the name, Paris Inn was a Chinese restaurant. It was an old place, around from the 1940s to the '80s. If the place you're trying to remember was really between the Parkway Theater and Diversey, that almost has to be it. A few doors north of Diversey, also on the west side of Clark, was Young Sing, another old place (but younger than Paris Inn).

Thanks so much for your help! This has been going on for months in our family (i.e., trying to remember!)!

d4v3 wrote:

Santander wrote:Tae Fu in Villa Park. Those two items are slam dunks; YMMV on other offerings.

Interesting. I worked near Tae Fu, and remember when it first opened (in an old Arby's space). The restaurant is actually run by Koreans, as were many of the early Mandarin restaurants. Tae Fu was one of the first suburban Chinese restaurants to offer non-Cantonese food. There was another in Lisle, which offered Peking duck in a traditional preparation without requiring any advanced notice. In the city, there was a place on Howard Street (east of the el). I believe it was called Peking something. Unlike Tien Tsien, it was owned by Chinese. There was also a total hole in the wall on Lincoln Avenue that made some very nice Mandarin dishes including whole Carp. I remember they had an excellent chili and garlic sauce, that I would buy by the jar. Jeanies on Belmont should also probably be mentioned. I remember they served a very good Hot and Sour soup. Funny, how boring pots stickers, mu shu pork and hot sour soup seem now, but back then it was difficult to find places that offered them.

More on Tae Fu: http://lthforum.com/bb/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=31894

Old Skool. Mongolian beef and sizzing rice soup have stabilized again, and even better, it is ridiculously close to Lunar Brewing Company, The Diviest Brewpub (excellent).

So my post of yesterday really got me thinking about Pressed Duck and almost wondereing if what I recalled was a figment of my imagination. I did a search of the site and came up with many, many posts on Pressed Duck - including posts on "The Pressed Duck Project." So I am not alone, but from the dates of the posts, I'm only about ten years late on this topic. Some enterprising kitchen should really find a way of putting a good version of this together as I suspect they would find a ready market.

Turns out we're not alone in our nostalgia for Pressed Duck. Check this out. And, if you can find Mme. Wu's cookbook, there'll be a recipe!

Geo

Geo,

Thanks for that. I would be an enthusiastic patron of a Frank Gehry designed restaurant serving pressed duck and run by Mme. Wu.

bw77, if I could, I'd put a big fat "LIKE" on your comment!

Geo

Does anyone remember a Chinese restaurant in Highland Park, IL named Chan's Tea House? It was on Sheridan Rd just around the corner from the Highland Park Theater.

Nick wrote:Does anyone remember a Chinese restaurant in Highland Park, IL named Chan's Tea House? It was on Sheridan Rd just around the corner from the Highland Park Theater.

Yes.