North Shore Thai, Chinese, Vietnamese

Moved to Highland Park (Fort Sheridan area) a couple months ago, absolutely love it and most of the restaurants around us. However, cannot really find a decent, good Thai, Chinese or Vietnamese restaurant. (No problems finding good sushi, Sushi Kushi (+ too) and Happi Sushi are favorites.)

Have tried Felix Kitchen in Highwood, ok for Chinese cravings but nothing to write home about. Red Lantern - not good, Yummy Bowl - ok, Jade - good but pricey, Simon Lins - ok. Have tried rest of smaller take aways as well, again, nothing special. Found that there is no Thai or Vietnamese up here as well, been ordering for lunch while working in the city to get my fixes but would love to find other options closer to home.

I've done several searches but can't find anything other than mentions of Felix for Chinese and nothing on Thai and/or Vietnamese

BTW, LOVE Casa de Isaac, thanks to LTH it has become our go-to place at least once a week.

I've done several searches but can't find anything other than mentions of Felix for Chinese and nothing on Thai and/or Vietnamese

Maybe cause there isn't much up here in Chinese, Thai or Vietnamese to write home about. I will not go to Yummy Bowl any longer.

Across the parking lot from Il Mulino/Maria's Bakery (which you should get to know) is Mee Jun's. What I have come to really like there is their potstickers that appear to homemade. I would talk to the owner at Felix to describe what you want. My friend Helen and her Hong Kong born husband have found food acceptable to their tastes. However I do know they talk to the owner to get what they want.

Just north of Deerfield Road on Milwaukee Avenue is Wonton Express. Their owner is the Father-in-Law of the owners of Seven Treasures in Chinatown. Wonton Express soup noodles taste like those from Seven Treasures though smaller portions and slightly elevated prices.

In Deerfield, there is Szechuan Kingdom. They have a Chinese language menu with food CrazyC describes as homestyle. They will not offer the Chinese menu without asking, you should bring CrazyC's translation with you.

While not yet in Chicago, in the Morton Grove area around Dempster there is getting to be more Asian alternatives. Mostly Korean, though there is a good Jewish Americanized Chinese at China Chef

I do almost all my Thai, Viet and Chinese fixes in Chicago or make it myself.

Regards,

That's what I was afraid of...

Good to know about Felix, just wasn't impressed by what I got the two times I've had it. Anything else good at Mee Jun's?

It's a bit sad that you can't even get a decent Thai, Viet noodle dish up in the north burbs

Thanks for your input!

I am Siam in Wheeling.

There are two Thai places in Vernon Hills.

Green Basil
701 N Milwaukee Ave Ste 284
Vernon Hills, IL 60061
(847) 918-8858

Tasty Thai
275 Hawthorne Village Commons
Vernon Hills 60061-1519
847-367-1980

I've never been to the Green Basil but have heard good things.
High quality ingredients and flavors. Relatively high prices.

I've had take out and the brunch at Tasty Thai. Average food and average everything else.
Nothing bad but nothing jumps out as something I want to go back for.

Just remembered the one on Milwaukee in Libertyville.

Thai Noodles Cafe
318 S Milwaukee Ave
Libertyville, IL
(847) 362-3494

I've never been here but I have neighbor who really likes their lunch specials.

As DBigg already pointed out, I Am Siam has been recommended on the forum. I haven't tried it yet, but have it on my list of places to try because of the forum recommendations.

I believe there is a big anti-Penny's Noodle Shop feeling on the Forum, but I am a fan. There is an outpost now open on the west side of Happ Road just south of Willow in Northfield. I took the gang last night and it seemed to be doing very good business. The food was consistent with the other locations, and again, I will leave that to you if you find that a plus or a minus, but I was pleased. It's BYOB.

AlexG wrote:I believe there is a big anti-Penny's Noodle Shop feeling on the Forum, but I am a fan. There is an outpost now open on the west side of Happ Road just south of Willow in Northfield. I took the gang last night and it seemed to be doing very good business. The food was consistent with the other locations, and again, I will leave that to you if you find that a plus or a minus, but I was pleased. It's BYOB.

I'm not much of a fan but I still plan on trying it out soon. FWIW, my brother, who is a fan, has been there several times and says it compares very favorably with the original location.

Now, if they could just fill that former danny's/brasserie t/mk north/a milano grill space across the street, Northfield (aka stoplight city) will be sitting pretty.

=R=

They are a bit further south, but for Thai food, I think Thai Sookdee in Evanston and Thai Pavilion 2 in Skokie are very good indeed. Ronnie_Suburban recently posted that he liked Siam's House in Niles, which is on my list of places to try. This previous topic has more recommendations for Thai food in the northern suburbs.

nsxtasy wrote:They are a bit further south, but for Thai food, I think Thai Sookdee in Evanston and Thai Pavilion 2 in Skokie are quite good. Ronnie_Suburban liked Siam's House in Niles, which is on my list of places to try. This previous topic has more recommendations for Thai food in the northern suburbs.

My favorite Thai in the northern suburbs right now is Ruby of Siam in Skokie. I'll be posting something about it very soon.

=R=

Ruby of Siam
9420 Skokie Blvd
Skokie, IL 60077
847 675-7008

ronnie_suburban wrote:My favorite Thai in the northern suburbs right now is Ruby of Siam in Skokie. I'll be posting something about it very soon.

Interesting to see you say that Ronnie. I've tried that place several times but it has always left me flat. I'll be curious to see what you ordered.

I'll be curious too. We've been to both locations of Ruby of Siam (Skokie and Evanston) numerous times, and we've never been overly impressed. The biggest problem we had, and the reason we eventually stopped going altogether, was inconsistency in level of hotness (spicy hot, not temperature hot). We would ask for food "fairly hot"; sometimes it arrived mild, and other times it arrived habanero hot. The other thing was that sometimes the food was excessively swimming in oil. Sometimes the food there was pretty good, but these problems made it inconsistently so.

With Thai Sookdee, we've found the food hotness to our liking, either with or without being asked how hot we would like it, and it has been consistently good, time after time after time. We've only been to Thai Pavilion 2 once, but it was quite good too, and we plan to return.

Maybe Ruby of Siam has improved since then; we haven't been in a while.

stevez wrote:

ronnie_suburban wrote:My favorite Thai in the northern suburbs right now is Ruby of Siam in Skokie. I'll be posting something about it very soon.

Interesting to see you say that Ronnie. I've tried that place several times but it has always left me flat. I'll be curious to see what you ordered.

nsxtasy wrote:I'll be curious too. We've been to both locations of Ruby of Siam (Skokie and Evanston) numerous times, and we've never been overly impressed. The biggest problem we had, and the reason we eventually stopped going altogether, was inconsistency in level of hotness (spicy hot, not temperature hot). We would ask for food "fairly hot"; sometimes it arrived mild, and other times it arrived habanero hot. The other thing was that sometimes the food was excessively swimming in oil. Sometimes the food there was pretty good, but these problems made it inconsistently so.

Well, the fact that I've been digging it doesn't necessarily mean that you guys will. I think they do a great job and after eating there a few times, I'm still compelled to return and try out more of their offerings. Of course, our tastes are not all the same, so I don't necessarily think it's a case of the place improving, or anything like that. As always, your mileage may vary.

FWIW, I started a thread about Ruby of Siam here.

=R=

HI,

I arrived at Won Ton Express at 11 AM today just as they were opening. I ordered their dumpling soup with a side order of extra noodles. I like this arrangement because I get 10 wonderful dumplings and noodles. Whereas if you order the dumpling-noodle soup, then it is 6 dumplings and noodles. I will do whatever it takes to increase the dumpling to soup ratio.

Once ordered I stepped over to the picture window to watch them make my soup. The cook was in full dumpling wrapping production: soft wrapper in his left hand, then doling out the shrimp-pork filling with a butter knife and using the knife to finish shaping. He counted my dumplings into a large wire strainer, then walked forward to the two sunken soup pots. He dumped those freshly made dumplings into boiling water. The other pot was simmering broth with a scum brimming on top. He expertly took a ladle of hot boiling water and quickly added it to the stock from one edge. This caused a wave effect shifting all the scum to one side that he helped flow out of the pot. It was really quite an expert move I had never witnessed before. However since my soup pots are not flush to the drain like his, I will never have an opportunity to imitate that deft skill.

While the dumplings boiled, he scooped some stock into a wok and went to the stove. He added some seasonings and brought it to a rapid boil. He returned to the soup pots collecting his wire strainer and some fresh noodles. The noodles were cooked quickly in the strainer while the dumplings danced in the water below. He emptied the cooked noodles into my soup bowl, then began fishing out the dumplings from the water. He counted, frowned and sent his scoop deeper into the water to collect the last dumpling. My soup bowl was walked over to the stove to be filled with the freshly seasoned broth.

It was heavenly eating those soup noodles and dumplings on such a cold day. This was probably the best bowl of soup noodles I have had, though there was one wee flaw: the restaurant is a bit miserly with the heat. It was probably in the 50's, so I dined with my coat on with the soup heating my person as well as my stomach. Despite the temperature, it is likely the most authentic Chinese noodle soup available in the northern suburbs.

Wonton Express
2055 N Milwakee Ave. (just north of Deerfield Road)
Riverwoods, IL 60015
Phone: (847) 215-8850

Regards,

Thank you for reminding me that I need to try this place. I've driven by it quite a few times, but always forget that it's there when I'm trying to decide on lunch @ work. I'll definintely be trying soup, and perhaps some chow fun next week. Thanks again!

Their Website

P.s. Cathy2 - question. Was that the "Shrimp Wonton Soup?" I'm not seeing a "Dumpling soup" on their on-line menu.

seebee,

You are correct, it is the shrimp wonton soup.

You will like the chow fun. I picked at some yesterday that was intended to be brought home. I really like those broad rice noodles and soft beef.

I have always eaten-in at Wonton Express, so I don't know how well their food travels. I do wish they were more generous with the interior heat. It was so cold inside, I may as well have been eating off the car's hood on a much warmer day than yesterday.

Regards,

Thanks, Cathy, for the report. I carried out a large lunch from Won Ton Express for my office a few weeks ago and we thought it was just okay. Even though they did a nice job of packing up the order and it was completely ready when I arrived, the food suffered a bit, I think, from the carry-out aspect. That's too bad because their on-line ordering system is great and they offer a 10% discount for using it.

I will say that I too, liked the chow fun. I'll stop in again soon and order the soup, "for here."

=R=

Since Evanston seems to be within the area you are considering, you might try Siam Pasta on Dempster Street http://www.siampastail.com/.

A bright and clean neighborhood place with a broader menu than most. Not terribly exotic dishes, but a wider variety -- including the sometimes elusive Papaya Salad. Also good Grilled Squid. Fresh ingredients and cooperative spicing. Good value. Nice place.

Siam Pasta
809 Dempster Street
Evanston, IL 60201-4303

847) 328-4614
Monday–Saturday, 11 a.m.–10 p.m.
Sunday, 12 p.m.–9 p.m.

If you're considering Evanston, then Thai Sookdee is the place to go. It's the best Thai restaurant in Evanston by far (and I've tried all ~10 of them). Their tom kha gai (soup) is the best in the entire Chicago area, the panang and other curries are wonderful, they do a very nice lahb chicken (a salad served at room temp) and everything there is delicious. What they also offer is consistency, with the same excellence visit after visit, whereas other places are sometimes hit and miss - one day they're good, another day they aren't. Thai Sookdee has a very comfortable and upscale space, very spacious, and the service is friendly and accommodating. Prices are consistent with other Thai restaurants in town; click on the link below to view their menu. In the past year I've also tried several of the Thai restaurants in Chicago that are frequently recommended, and I've found that I prefer Thai Sookdee by a wide margin. Highly recommended.

Thai Sookdee
1016 Church Street (just west of the Davis Street el and Metra stops)
Evanston IL 60201
847-866-8012

Monday-Thursday 11:00 AM – 10:00 PM
Friday 11:00 AM – 10:30 PM
Saturday 12:00 Noon – 10:30 PM
Sunday 12:00 Noon – 9:30 PM

jimwdavis wrote:Since Evanston seems to be within the area you are considering, you might try Siam Pasta on Dempster Street.

Siam Pasta isn't great Thai, but it's not bad. But its real strong point (completely irrelevant on a day when the outside temperature is 14°) is the rooftop dining area, overlooking the street.

Cathy2,

You have it wrong: the owner of Wonton Express is the son-in-law of the family that owns Seven Treasures.

The owner of Wonton Express is also the owner of Wonton Gourmet in Des Plaines, which is the larger restaurant that has a fuller menu.

sinos wrote:Cathy2,

You have it wrong: the owner of Wonton Express is the son-in-law of the family that owns Seven Treasures.

The owner of Wonton Express is also the owner of Wonton Gourmet in Des Plaines, which is the larger restaurant that has a fuller menu.

I took the information from the mouth of the proprieter/manager there. Any error is not mine, but theirs. I have to admit to being a bit surprised myself when she said it was the Father-in-law. I normally would have thought it was son-in-law. I did ask several times because of my surprise and was reconfirmed.

What I do know is the soup recipe to the open soup kitchen is straight from Seven Treasures. In addition to the soup, I like their chow fun, BBQ pork on rice and pot stickers. I am so glad I don't have to travel to Chicago for this occasional urge. I am also glad it is just far enough away I am not a several times a week customer.

Regards,

I agree that Siam Pasta is a nice place, and the upstairs balcony area is delightful in warm weather. It's been discussed at: http://www.lthforum.com/bb/viewtopic.php?t=9680&highlight=siam+pasta

Please note that the last page of the menu has more "exotic" dishes such as larb and tiger cry. These have plenty of heat.

An Evanston place we frequent is Pinto Kitchen. While the heat in dishes can vary, quality has been consistently good.

Pinto Kitchen
1931 Central Street
Evanston
847-328-8881

I like Thai Palace 2 on Church Street in Skokie, just east of Skokie Blvd. Their coconut soup is yummy except it has too much galangal in it. The red curry is awesome and the massaman curry is also tasty. Their lunch special is a really good deal: soup, appetizer, and entrée for only $7.50 including tax (weekdays only). Plus they have a lunch buffet, a mighty menu, and the space is cute and hiding in a boring, run-of-the-mill strip mall.

We followed some of the excellent advice given on this thread -- and elsewhere in these forums -- and finally, a couple weeks ago, tried I Am Siam in Wheeling. I was pleased with our meal which was very good with a few highlights and a few off-notes, too. Being our first time -- and with friends who are a bit more conservative than us -- we ordered up a 'starter' meal and let the plates come . . .



Soft Spring Rolls...happily, there was only 1 dish I didn't really care for. Unfortunately, this was it . . .



Spring Rolls, interior...the interior was promising but there was just way too much super-sweet plum sauce all over the place and it was hard to taste anything else.



Papaya Salad...a tasty rendition with bright flavors and decent heat, served with an abundance of peanuts.



Fish Cakes...distinctively 'homestyle' version in which the flavorful cakes were big -- think Bubbe Suburban's Salmon Patties -- and moistened with sauce before serving.



Siam Pancake...I loved this omelet-style pancake.



Thai Pancake, up close...stuffed inside the crispy folded pancake are shrimp, coconut, radish, tofu, sprouts and peanuts.



Tom Kha...a great rendition, which may have been the best item of the entire meal.



Pad See Ewe with Pork...loved these dense, chewy, pan-fried noodles and the not-too-sweet sauce. The pork was tasty too; nice and moist.



Panang Curry with Roasted Duck...complex flavor but the curry was a bit milder than I was expecting. It was also a little thicker than most Thai curries I've experienced. The roasted duck was delicious.



Pad Kra Praow with Chicken...probably near the middle of all the versions I've tried. The sauce was tasty but thin and it lacked a certain backnote that's normally present. As such, some of the richness and depth that are normally present, were absent from this dish.

I really enjoyed this meal and would like to go back to try some of their other items. What we had was certainly better than a lot of Thai we normally get in the northern 'burbs and I'm looking forward to making new discoveries on my future visits. I Am Siam is definitely a worthy spot and I can foresee hitting it with regularity, especially when I want good Thai that's nearby.

=R=

I Am Siam
1 Huntington Lane
Wheeling, IL 60090
847 419-0698

Pie Lady wrote:I like Thai Palace 2 on Church Street in Skokie, just east of Skokie Blvd. Their coconut soup is yummy except it has too much galangal in it. The red curry is awesome and the massaman curry is also tasty. Their lunch special is a really good deal: soup, appetizer, and entrée for only $7.50 including tax (weekdays only). Plus they have a lunch buffet, a mighty menu, and the space is cute and hiding in a boring, run-of-the-mill strip mall.

The name of the place you're referring to is Thai Pavilion 2.

We ate there once for dinner and it was very very good. We ate there once for the lunch buffet and were somewhat disappointed.

I'm a fan of I Am Siam. They have a lot of dishes that I learned to love in Thailand but wasn't seeing in most suburban Thai restaurants. Not everything is perfect, but most of it is excellent.

I found Green Basil to be pleasant, but kind of suburbanized to the point of being uninteresting.

As for Chinese, one of my favorite places is Best Hunan in Vernon Hills. Cold sesame noodles or cold in temperature, but zippy for spice. They take credit for introducing the now ubiquitous General Tso's chicken to the US, and their's is excellent (as is everything else I've eaten there). When they have specials, they are worth noting -- my favorite is when it's mushroom season, and dishes are served atop nests of maitaki mushrooms that are so abundant that, the first time I ordered it, I thought it was spaghetti. Not close to Highland Park, but no farther than than I Am Siam.

Silk Mandarin, also in Vernon Hills, is also excellent, though I mostly just go there for their Sunday buffet, which includes a table of cold items that might be common downtown, but which I had only previously seen in China.

However, I have yet to see a place in the suburbs serving pho. But give it time.

Best Hunan
700 N Milwaukee Ave # 132
Vernon Hills, IL 60061
(847) 680-8855

Silk Mandarin
4 E Phillip Rd
Vernon Hills, IL 60061
(847) 680-1760

And then there's Szechuan Kingdom in Northbrook. I have only eaten there once, and enjoyed it, but there are others who have experienced it more extensively, as noted in this post:

http://www.lthforum.com/bb/viewtopic.ph ... an+kingdom

So the northern suburbs are not the wasteland they once were.

And, of course, thanks to Niles, we never have to apologize for not covering the Asian scene adequately.

The name of the place you're referring to is Thai Pavilion 2.

Oops, you're right. Guess I shouldn't change my name to Thai Lady.

Great pictures as usual Ronnie! We ate at I am Siam tonight and had an excellent meal. You are right about the spring rolls, and it pops up in a couple of other dishes as well. Bonnie tries to cater to her base and some of the choices suffer.
There are some real gems though, that are worth the trip.
Again, not quite up to a TAC or Spoon, but a very nice go to place in the north suburbs.

ronnie_suburban wrote:Thanks, Cathy, for the report. I carried out a large lunch from Won Ton Express for my office a few weeks ago and we thought it was just okay. Even though they did a nice job of packing up the order and it was completely ready when I arrived, the food suffered a bit, I think, from the carry-out aspect. That's too bad because their on-line ordering system is great and they offer a 10% discount for using it.

I will say that I too, liked the chow fun. I'll stop in again soon and order the soup, "for here."

=R=

Another "thank you" to Cathy2 -
Finally got around to trying the Wonton Express today. Gan Chow Beef Chow fun, extra spicy. While they were not very creative for the "spicy" part of the order - (red chile flakes) the chow fun was pretty darn good. Not overly sauced, but nice and dry with some noodles with crispy edges from the wok. Surprisingly, however, I was even more impressed with the egg roll that came with the lunch special. I found it to be one of the better renditions I've had in recent times, and reminiscent of my youth when I would be eager to get those crispy fried rolls of porky goodness.
The Wonton Express version had two very good sized chunks of what appeared to be bbq pork along with some ground pork as well. These were very tasty to say the least. The egg roll alone would have clearly swayed me from my normal joint "Tong's Hunan" for my lunchtime chow fun fix. Thanks again, Cathy2!