Some ethnic cuisines seem settled, you just have to discover what they have. That’s not the case with Chicago’s Asian scene which, if not as vast as those on the west coast where immigration is focused, is nevertheless always changing and full of new discoveries. Here are a couple of recent pieces aimed to help you find what’s out there. Chefs always seem to be up on Asian offerings, as they’re endlessly novel and usually cheap, and Tasting Table asked local chefs what their favorite Asian finds were; there’s no General Tso Chicken here, the suggestions range from clay pot soup at Tank Noodle (from Kristine Subido of Pecking Order) to custard buns at Patisserie P on Argyle, courtesy of Ryan Poli (we’ve had the ones at Chiu Quon, but we’ll have to check these out).
Meanwhile, at Time Out Chicago, John Greenfield goes looking for a traditional Japanese breakfast. He tries out in the suburbs by O’Hare, where there’s a lot of authentic Japanese food, but doesn’t find anything. Then he’s tipped off to try downtown hotels, which cater to Japanese travelers and often offer such a breakfast off-menu, but it’s not till he’s directed to a once-hot culinary star that he finds the closest thing to a classic ryokan breakfast. [TOC]
