Chicago: Lao Hunan

I take every opportunity to complain about the dearth of good Chinese food in Chicago.  My scorn for Chicago's Chinatown is anything but a secret.  Yes, there's a handful of decent food joints in Chinatown, but they're the exception and not the rule.

So when CK and her boyfriend wanted to check out Lao Hunan, I was quite skeptical:

I could feel my eyebrows hit my hairline when I took in the Mao decor:

Mao on the menu, Mao on the wall, and to top it all off...servers in Mao suits.

I don't know what Mao drank growing up in Hunan, but I can bet it wasn't lychee, watermelon, or pineapple coconut smoothies:

Gotta hand it to Lao Hunan though.  Those smoothies were gooooood.  Fresh fruit, large cups filled to the brim, and no large ice chips.

According to the menu, Mao's favorite dish is the Hunan pork belly:

Apparently Mao has similar tastes to me.  We both like our pork fatty, slightly sweet, and oh-so-tender.

CK orders pea sprouts whenever she gets the chance:

The pea sprouts seemed really fresh.  Good decision, CK.  Good decision.

To round things out, we ordered the dry chili fish filet:

By far my favorite dish.  The fish was very lightly battered and the dry chili was amazingly fragrant and flavorful without burning out your taste buds.  There's definitely a slight burn, but it's a slow build.  If you really want a kick, go straight for the peppers.  I don't know firsthand how spicy they are, but CK's boyfriend ate them and lived to tell about it.

Okay, Tony Hu, you got me.  The Mao theme might be a bit overdone, but the food is legit.  Keep up the good work.  Chinatown may be salvageable after all...


Lao Hunan
2230 S Wentworth Ave
Chicago, IL 60616
(312) 842-7888