hi everyone,

thanks to marlacollins'husband for getting the word out on our feast early. =) i do want to make on note about the "orange" sign. as guessed, the sign does need to be up for a certain amount of time. it is for a license expansion that includes our liquor license. we are close to the end of that waiting period and are just waiting for inspections on our contractor's side to get our expanded license finalized and printed. we hope the room will be up and running soon. have a great year of the horse! =)

quack quack!
kelly

I'm sad I'll be out of town that weekend - the New Year's Feast is always such a wonderful meal and a lovely experience of your family's food traditions.

Have a very good New Year!

Chinese New Year's Feast Menu
February 1st – 2nd, 2014

錦繡前程
Future Filled with Embroidered Treasures

丁財兩旺
Children & Wealth Arrive Together

如意富貴袋
Wishing Wealth Bags

雪上紅梅
Cherry Blosson Upon the Snow

三喜報平安
Birds of Happiness Brings News of Peace

翡翠伴雙玉
Green Jade Dotes Upon Double Jade

好市發財就手
Good Markets Make for Easier Wealth

和氣生財
Serenity Begets Wealth

黃金滿屋
House Filled with Gold

遍地金錢
Gold Coins Abound

馬年有余
Abundance in the Year of the Horse

八仙迎春到
Eight Gods Welcome the New Year

甜入心肺
Sweetness Melts in Your Heart

got the menu done early. enjoy everyone! happy guessing! =)

Is the menu (well, the actual ingredients/prep) up? I didn't see it on the website...

They don't publish what the actual dishes are. They tell you during service. If you have dietary concerns/restrictions, I'm sure they'd let you know what to avoid but it's all served family style so I doubt there's much they could do to alter anything.

It's funny to look on every block and see so many health inspection failures posted by many surprising restaurants. Just goes to show that sun wah was just a victim of overly publicized happenstance. Not to make light of their issues but I can see those things happening.

This year's Chinese New Years feast was excellent, as always. We skipped a year due to a young baby in the family, but brought the now 1-year older, very fussy baby to the event. The food was diverse and interesting, and the communal dining aspect was a lot of fun. Unfortunately I can't translate the fancy names for the dishes, because the baby trashed the menu...

See you again next year, if not before for some duck!

mike

ll982 wrote:It's funny to look on every block and see so many health inspection failures posted by many surprising restaurants. Just goes to show that sun wah was just a victim of overly publicized happenstance. Not to make light of their issues but I can see those things happening.

Sun Wah is on a totally different scale. Since 2010, along with 5 inspection failures, they were shut down by the health department twice. Reasons cited were roaches, rodents, waste water backup and improper temperatures. Sun Wah isn't a victim. Not by a long shot.

I agree. Many people appear to want to sugar coat these violations because they enjoy the food so much. IMO there are many health violations in that area because the businesses operate as if they are in their own country, which are very lax on health codes. I had an incident at Sun Wah last year that was so bad we paid and left, before our food arrived. I am somewhat surprised that people are willing to overlook issues that can make them very ill. I wouldn't dream of returning.

ll982 wrote:It's funny to look on every block and see so many health inspection failures posted by many surprising restaurants. Just goes to show that sun wah was just a victim of overly publicized happenstance. Not to make light of their issues but I can see those things happening.

When you say "every block," do you mean every block in that neighborhood? Because I keep my eyes pretty open as I go about the city, and on the blocks I visit, I don't see the postings you're talking about.

riddlemay wrote:

ll982 wrote:It's funny to look on every block and see so many health inspection failures posted by many surprising restaurants. Just goes to show that sun wah was just a victim of overly publicized happenstance. Not to make light of their issues but I can see those things happening.

When you say "every block," do you mean every block in that neighborhood? Because I keep my eyes pretty open as I go about the city, and on the blocks I visit, I don't see the postings you're talking about.

I interpreted that poster as referring to the website Every Block (http://chicago.everyblock.com/) that among other things posts information about restaurant inspection infractions.

I do agree with the last couple of posters that Sun Wah unfortunately has had multiple serious infractions that is above and beyond what is acceptable. I previously enjoyed a couple outstanding meals here and find Sun Wah a phenomenal value, but am presently nervous about returning and plan to take a hiatus until there is an extended period of no further health code violations. While I appreciated that the owner of the restaurant posted on this forum rather than hiding, I did not find the content of her comments to be all that inspiring.

Mikelipino wrote:This year's Chinese New Years feast was excellent, as always. We skipped a year due to a young baby in the family, but brought the now 1-year older, very fussy baby to the event. The food was diverse and interesting, and the communal dining aspect was a lot of fun. Unfortunately I can't translate the fancy names for the dishes, because the baby trashed the menu...

See you again next year, if not before for some duck!

mike

Your post makes me realize I never posted about the feast.

Our group of 5 also had an outstanding meal at Sun Wah for Chinese New Year. In addition to the always wonderful food, this year we were also very impressed with the excellent service--it was smooth, well-paced, and professional. Dishes were brought and removed promptly, water and tea kept topped up, etc. Kelly was at the top of her form as she introduced and explained each dish. The New Year's decorations, courtesy of the Latin School's young students of Chinese, are charming (they were still up the last time we were at Sun Wah, maybe 2 weeks ago) and really added to the festive atmosphere. To me, this feast is one of the great food events of the year in Chicago.

Gonzo70 wrote:

riddlemay wrote:

ll982 wrote:It's funny to look on every block and see so many health inspection failures posted by many surprising restaurants. Just goes to show that sun wah was just a victim of overly publicized happenstance. Not to make light of their issues but I can see those things happening.

When you say "every block," do you mean every block in that neighborhood? Because I keep my eyes pretty open as I go about the city, and on the blocks I visit, I don't see the postings you're talking about.

I interpreted that poster as referring to the website Every Block (http://chicago.everyblock.com/) that among other things posts information about restaurant inspection infractions.

Oh, I bet you're right about 982's meaning. Appropriate capitalization makes such a difference!

Ok, folks. Let's get back to discussion of Sun Wah, please.

If you'd like to discuss more general health department issues, it's best to start a new thread in Other Culinary Chat.

Thanks,

=R=
for the Moderators

After all these years, after only carry-out Peking duck from Sun Wah, I finally dined there last night, with a large group.

Magnificent stuff. Best traditional egg rolls I've eaten since Pekin House on Devon or Lin's Garden in Niles. Two ducks, expertly sliced at the table. That skin--shining, crispy & decadent. The duck fried rice & soup were just OK, but the bao buns were perfect for mini-sandwiches of duck slices, pickled daikon & julienned carrots and a green onion/salt garnish. And the hits kept on coming---salt-baked chicken, octopus 'whiskers' (baby octopus flash-fried) and steamed baby bok choy. We were sluggishly satiated at the end, no doubt, and will return soon.

We are headed to Sun Wah for dinner tonight - anywhere near that you'd recommend for a cocktail before or after dinner? I'm unfamiliar with the area.

Green Mill

If Green Mill isn't what you're looking for (I've never been there for just drinks and definitely never before 10:00pm or so), it depends where you're coming from because there really isn't anything in that area. If you can go north a bit, I've had some solid cocktails at the Brixton in Andersonville which is less than a mile away.

Ollies or Tweet

haven't been in awhile, will they cut up the duck non-tableside? we've seen it enough that we don't need the full dog/pony show. admittedly it's a crowd pleaser, but i'd rather they do it behind the curtain so i can dive in immediately.

IIRC, you can order the duck without the three courses. You get the sliced breast, parted out legs and thighs (maybe they are "hacked") no fried rice no soup.

They're cutting it for your sake, not theirs. I'm sure they'll be glad to cut it in the kitchen if you ask.

I went to Sun Wah tonight for my birthday dinner with my husband and in-laws. They have, if anything, gotten better. The Peking Duck was out of this world, the service impeccable. I love the new drinks menu and they still allow BYOB (with a $5 corkage charge). Our duck was amazing, we ordered noodles instead of rice. The soup was a bit unseasoned, but a jolt of shoyu perked it right up. Kelly Cheng came by to say Hello. The whole evening was perfect. Sun Wah is Back!

Curious if folks can help with two SunWah questions - I'm taking a group of friends for a birthday event and wasn't sure:

1- how many people do the large tables seat? 10 or 12?

2- does anyone remember the name or description of the vegetarian dish - some type of cabbage roll I think - that was served at the GNR awards dinner at SunWah a few years ago?

Thanks!

hello to all! just wanted to let you guys in on this first...hahaha!!

if we don't see some of you, happy holidays! i will post holiday hours and the annual chinese new year's dinner menu as those events get closer. see you all soon!

Our annual BYO turkey for Thanksgiving is on again! So, please follow the “rules” below. Gobble gobble!

1. There will be a LIMITED number of slots available for different times throughout the day.
2. We will be accepting turkey orders (either our birds or yours) now.
3. You can come in or phone in to leave a $15 deposit and hold one spot. (If you are ordering two turkeys, then double the deposit to hold two spots.) We take cash, visa, or master. We ONLY accept visa or master over the phone. NO CHECKS ARE ACCEPTED. We will determine the final price when your turkey is brought in for BYOs or at pick up time when our birds are weighed.
4. ALL BYO birds must be brought in no later than 5pm on November 24h, 2014. Any birds brought in after those times MUST be approved by Kelly, Laura, or Eric.
5. We will be carrying fresh “regular” turkeys this year. Last orders for our birds must be taken by 5pm on November 24th, 2014. Any exceptions to this time will only be approved by either Kelly, Laura, or Eric.
6. Pricing is as follows: BYO is $1.60/lb, our turkeys are $4.50/lb.

Side notes: we will be open for business thanksgiving day from 8:30am-6pm. First pick up times will be 9am. Last pick up time will be 5:00pm. If you are running late, please call us so we know. Please bear in mind that we may run out of time slots as we try to accommodate as many customers as we possibly can. If the time you want is not available, please be amenable to a different time slot. Because we are cooking all orders on hour and a half increments, please be advised there may be a +/- 45 minute wait for your turkey. We try our hardest to stick to our schedule but sometimes technical difficulties and changes during the day will affect our output times. Be patient with us on this busy day. We will try to get your bird to you as soon as possible. Please feel free to email any questions you may have to Kelly at [email protected].

Hi everyone,

We moved all the posts about the upcoming CNY event here.

Thanks,

=R=
for the Moderators

Friends went to dinner there tonight only to find them unexpectedly closed. Call ahead...

DNAinfo Chicago reporting Sun Wah closed down by city again for multiple, nasty violations. Id post the link but i am on my phone.

Not gonna pile on to much, but

squeek..squeek.

Yep, Sun Wah is closed . . . again!

http://www.dnainfo.com/chicago/20150210 ... ings-found


And for reference, here's the DNA article from December 2013, discussing their other most recent closure and multitude of failed inspections:

http://www.dnainfo.com/chicago/20131203 ... violations