Chinese
Fortune cookie coin purse anyone?
Diana Eng Fortune Cookie Coin Purse
Here’s one way to (theoretically) double your luck: keep your loose change in a Fortune Cookie Coin Purse by Diana Eng. Each leather purse comes with printed fortune inside.
Price: $45, available at www.dianaeng.com
The Top 15 foods I miss at U of I
The Quad at U of I Photo Credit: UIUC.edu
This post is going to be really fat of me. But remember I mentioned that there were so many dishes I missed from my college days at UIUC? Well, I wasn’t kidding when I said I was going to compile them in a list. I think it’s also where my interest in food heightened since there were so many options (I have my fat pictures to prove it…you’ll probably never see them though). I’m not sure if all of these are even standing still, but regardless:
15. Coffee filet steak from Radio Maria. One of those hidden gems in Champaign that created unusual combinations with common food. Hence, the coffee steak.
Chef Yu Chinese food, Midtown West
When I was living on 35th Street, Chef Yu was probably the best bet for dinner since there weren’t really a lot of great restaurants in the part of town. The restaurant is actually really formal looking, and it will probably surprise you how much food you get for what you’re paying (most entrees are $9-$13). The food is great and one entree can easily feed two people. My favorite is the Kung Pao diced chicken, which for some reason is not on their dinner menu (only their lunch one for $6.50), but you can still order it which is more like $9 for dinner.
Ordering in, Chef Yu's Kung Pao chicken
Up close
Saint’s Alps Teahouse should..uh..stick to tea
I don’t do this a lot, but I’m actually going to recommend that you don’t come here for the food — maybe for the cold drinks though. The Hong Kong original Saint’s Alp Teahouse in Brooklyn is a funky abode, with red walls and Chinese art hanging on different ends. I stopped by here after seeing Ida Maria and Glasvegas perform nearby (amazing!) on a coldish night a couple weeks ago.
I was super excited to sample their slushes, and ordered a quick bite to go with it — only I could barely finish a bite. And I think that’s about as far as I got with their $3 chicken dumpling and $4 chicken skewers.
