The tag line on the menu at Friendship Chinese Restaurant read "180 degrees from ordinary Chinese." That's a radical statement (or, should I say, a sharp turn).
(Chris Sweda/Sun-Times)
2830 N. Milwaukee Avenue Chicago,IL,60618
Phone: 773-227-0970
Cuisine: Chinese
Parking: No
Serving: Lunch Dinner
To some degree (I had to say that), Friendship has definitely taken a turn from ordinary Chinese. One of the differences is the atmosphere, which is seductively elegant (but not over the top) while remaining casually comfortable. In other words, a pleasant place to dine.
The menu is not as sharp a turn. Standard Chinese fare like egg rolls, spring rolls, hot and sour soup, lo mein and fried rice pepper the menu. But delicious is in the details. And the won ton soup was one of the best versions I've had in quite some time. The soup was rife with flavor and clean-tasting as could be, but the real pleasure was all about the two very large, quite delicious won tons, their silky and properly chewy wrappers filled with a tasty pork ball the size of a marble.
Another starter, the baby back ribs, was every bit as good. The meaty ribs, glazed with a bourbon barbecue sauce, was an instant hit around the table. For a more extensive take on the appetizers, there is an "appetizer sampler" that includes egg rolls, cigar egg rolls, BBQ ribs, crab Rangoon, pot sticker and shrimp balls. Party on.
Entrees break down into basically six food groups: soup and salad, poultry, meat, seafood, vegetables, and noodles and rice.
The sweet and sour chicken was terrific. All too often the idea of "sweet and sour" gets lost in the translation. Not here. Chunks of meaty, tender chicken got a proper gloss and toss, and it all came out great.
Sesame beef was the real deal. The chunks of tender beef glazed with a light soy sauce got a liberal dose of sesame seeds. Nestled among the beef chunks was enough broccoli to make a statement.
Over the years, I have received e-mails lamenting the absence of chow fun in newer (as in chain) Chinese restaurants. Friendship Chinese Restaurant has not walked away from this classic dish and does a version that is a bundle of joy. Lots of meat, lots of thick (and meaty) rice noodles, lots of flavor and, yes, lots of fun.
Vegetarians will find ample choices to consider, including spicy long beans, Kung Pao eggplant (the best use of eggplant outside of eggplant Parmigiana), curry tofu and wok-tossed garlic spinach.
One of the best lunch deals around can be found at Friendship. A dozen choices (from Mongolian beef to chicken chow mein to pineapple-walnut shrimp) are priced at just $6.75 and include won ton soup, steamed or fried rice.
Pat Bruno is a free-lance writer, critic and author. E-mail brunoeats@aol.com.
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