The next Contingent gathering...Sun Wah!

I have to drive down to McCormick place on this lovely day for a work convention and I'm going to stop at Sun Wah on the way home to pay the deposit on the pig and give them a final head count.  Let me know if there are any changes:

abe_froeman & Mr. Maki   2   
Buddy and Mrs. Roadhouse   2   
MilwFoodlovers   2
Gyp   1   
quijote   1   
X1   1   
stricken_detective   1   
ann peeples   1   
cubbie   1    
AlyceinRoadfoodland   1  
cjucoder 1
The Other Roadhouse Heiress 1
ScreamingChicken   3
irisarbor   5 

Current total: 23

And we're sticking with 5 ducks, 1 pig, 1:00pm.  

I'll check here before I leave McCormick Place around 4:30pm, so if there are any changes, you have until then to tell me!

A parting photo to tempt any last minute additions:

We scared off your friends?
 
Are we still around $11/person prior to any additional orders?  I wonder if it might not be a bad idea if you mentioned a couple of other fairly safe dishes when you put down the deposit just to give them a heads-up.
 
Brad

A quick calculation; five ducks @ $37 each, plus $80 for the pig, divided by 23 Contingent members= $11.52 per person.  Who says word problems can't be fun?
 
Of course, as you say, there will be add-ons with other entrees, but unless we go hog-wild (hee-hee) in ordering, we should be able to keep the pre-booze bill to around $20 a head.
 
Yeah, what happened to your "friends"?  Who punked out on us?
 
Buddy

$20.oo a head is perfect for me. Bob is dropping me off at Milwfoodlovers at 11:00 for the ride down. Cant wait to see al of you!

I vote for Mike's fried chicken (even if it another fowl) off the secret menu...
 

Always up for fried chicken!
 
I'll probably order something....veggie, just to offset the meat, like a tofu dish or, if they have them, garlic sauteed peapod leaves. 
 
See y'all tomorrow.

I made the deposit for the pig last night.  I took a picture of the specials mounted on the window, stuff that's not on the menu.  Most of it came out clearly in the photo, but some of it's a little fuzzy (sorry, camera phone.)
 
Stir-fried mustard greens
Stir-fried baby bok choy tips
Stir-fried pea pod greens (yay for X1!)
Chicken potstickers
Pork belly with taro root
Stir-fried string beans with minced pork
Malaysian style chicken wings
Stir-fried mushroom medley
Dungeness crab
Pan-fried tofu cubes
Home cured bacon w/ ???
Fruit sorbet [each duck will come with 4 sorbet servings anyway (they're really small servings, like melon ball-sized) and the flavor's different every time.  When I was there, it was ginger mango .
 
There's about 5 more items I can't read in the photo.
 
I confirmed we wil l have PLENTY of meat, and also found out they don't have a hard-and-fast rule about adding gratuity, but we can ask it to be if that makes things easier.    

Anyone besides me thinking that the stir-fried mushroom medley sounds good?

Definitely!

Coming from Rockford on I-90 and exiting at Lawrence Avenue, am I better off taking Lawrence east all the way to Broadway or should I take Cicero Avenue north to Foster Avenue and then Foster east to Broadway?  Or should I consider a 3rd option?  Thanks!

I am giggling with anticipation...

abe_froeman


Stir-fried mustard greens
Stir-fried baby bok choy tips
Stir-fried pea pod greens (yay for X1!)
Chicken potstickers
Pork belly with taro root
Stir-fried string beans with minced pork
Malaysian style chicken wings
Stir-fried mushroom medley
Dungeness crab
Pan-fried tofu cubes
Home cured bacon w/ ???

 
Yes, let's order one of each. :)  Particularly interested in the mustard greens, pork belly, and mushrooms. And bacon.

YAY! Definitely ordering pea pod leaves. Mmm...fried Tofu cubes? 
 

Dungeness crab sounds most excellent to my group....
not to mention BACON! and Potstickers.. I certainly have some potsticker lovers...
we might skip breakfast....

Just did some digging around on Malaysian chicken wings. If they're anything like this, they may be hard to pass up:
 
http://chefwantobe.blogsp...yle-chicken-wings.html

X1


YAY! Definitely ordering pea pod leaves. Mmm...fried Tofu cubes? 

If no one else shares them with you, I will.
 
I have Mayo Clinic on the 9th, so I will nibble/sample the meats, but you can bet your sweet bippy we're getting those mushrooms, at LEAST one order!!!!!

JRPfeff
The burger we had also blew away the In & Out burger I had last week.  Kopp's burgers are underrated.

Did you get it animal style & order anything off the secret menu? Inquiring minds want to know. Every time I'm out there, I'm too busy riding the Matterhorn @ D-land or looking for ghosts while eating brunch on the Queen Mary to bother with In & Out. :(

JRPfeff

ChiTownDiner

Better to add the bacon to the custard...now you'd be talking! 

We saw that option, I think it is called a "Sutton," but we don't know what that means.

CajunKing


The contingent is always welcome in Nashville.

It would be great meeting you all.

You'd have to pick a weekend WAYYYYY in advance. But that would be fun. Rent a bus, stop for Cincinnati Chili on the way down. I've only ever been in Memphis & that doesn't count because it was just to change planes.

abe_froeman

CajunKing


Is the contingent thinking of anything in late march??
I am spending some time in NW Indiana and would love to break bread with yall.

(Thought I posted this earlier, post must have eaten itself!)

I'd be up for a redux of Zel's and Schoop's.

I'm in. I think. What weekend, CK??

ScreamingChicken


Coming from Rockford on I-90 and exiting at Lawrence Avenue, am I better off taking Lawrence east all the way to Broadway or should I take Cicero Avenue north to Foster Avenue and then Foster east to Broadway?  Or should I consider a 3rd option?  Thanks!

If you're coming in on I-90, Lawrence is certainly the most direct route.  My Chicago atlas shows Foster as more of a primary road than Lawrence, but I think it's six of one...
 
Lawrence tends to get pretty tied up during weekday rush hours, but should be okay for a Sunday afternoon drive.
 
Buddy

I'm sorry for the last-minute change but but we'll be 2 people instead of 3.  Hopefully this won't cause any problems since 22 and 23 aren't even multiples of 4, 6, or 10.
 
Brad

I'll be happy to share the Mushroom Medley, too!
 
See y'all in a few hours!
 
Brad - I can't do math, but everyone else can - I'm sure we'll be fine on the division of the bill. 

Also, one of my FB friends named our piggy, "Sir Hamlet, Duke of Pork".
 

Nah, we'll be fine, Brad- don't worry about the change.

Had a great time! Thanks, everyone! Nice seeing/meeting you!

Thanks Abe Froeman and Mr Maki for organizing the event-- it was a lot of fun and delicious food. It was great to see old friends and meet Ann Peeples and Alyceinroadfoodland in person.

This was a blast.  It was like an adventure going to a totally new area and trying lots of new foods.  Bonus is all the nice people I was with    I'm still so full I doubt I'll be eating dinner.
 
Ditto what quijote said, thanks for organizing this, I know it was a handful.

quijote


Thanks Abe Froeman and Mr Maki for organizing the event-- it was a lot of fun and delicious food. It was great to see old friends and meet Ann Peeples and Alyceinroadfoodland in person.

 
My sentiments exactly, and thanks to Buddy for working out the bill!
 
We got a little discombobulated on the way back and wound up on eastbound I-90/94 but exited at Kimball Avenue, did a little neighborhood weaving to get turned around, and after fighting the westbound traffic (it's Sunday...what are all you people doing on the road?!?!?) we got home just as the sun dropped below the horizon.  No dinner tonight and I think it might be early to bed, too.

I had a great time!!!!!!!!!!I am hoping someone does a great trip report, as I am still full!. So much fun to see old friends, and great to meet all that I havent. I had a great tablemate to my left( you ALL were) but John (Quijote) was a blast. Chuck( gyp) kept the humor going, too. This group is very familiar with each other, and while I heve been absent for awhile, was welcomed into the fold again with big hugs. I will report on the food tomorrow.......

Couldn't agree with both of you more!  Totally worth the trip!  The pig was exactly what I was expecting.  Really crispy skin and plenty of it.  
What I really love is when there's a 'ringer'...a dish(s) I don't expect anything of which turn out fantastic.  In this case,
the mushrooms!  Not at all spicy and yet full of flavor...delicate flavor.  We had this running joke at our table about how
bland foods are often called 'delicate'.  Not necessarily a compliment but definitely in this case.  And then, Mike's Fried Chicken Wings?, the one's with the lighter coating.  I don't know what the mystery ingredient is that makes these wings different than any I've ever had, but a definite must have....again!
And then to top it all off, I was able to get Custard tarts at a bakery in Chinatown!
Thanks to all,
AlyceinRoadfoodland
 
 
 

Some selected pictures~
 

Sun Wah
 
 
T
The Irisarbor family digs in.
 

 
Asparagus with house made bacon
 

 
The duck was the star of the show but the mushroom medley seen in the background just rocked.
 

 
Horrible picture of our pig. I hope someone has a better one.
 

 
Some of the best parts
 

 
No mas
 

I see no pics
 

Hmm, you're right. I no longer see them either.
I uploaded, downloaded from my Picassa3 account and they looked fine yesterday. Hopefully the other picture takers have better luck.

We had a wonderful time, and enjoyed the great company and the great food as well!
We allso headed home with big boxes of delicious baked good, 
sponge cake cones, coconut tarts, bean cakes, and steamed BBQ park buns.
The funny thing is the BBQ pork buns didn't make it home, because son#1 decided he was hungry again!!!
Although in all fairness after eating TWO of these giants he declared "these are a little filling"
OMG I was truly ROTFLMAO

Oh to be young and have a hollow leg...
Dare I say.. we may have a young buffetbuster in the making....
(i'll try to post some pix later, but I think I forgot to take any once we started eating....)
 

Whole roasted pig



Malaysian fried chicken wings

Beijing duck

Stir fried pea pod leaves

Home cured bacon with Chinese broccoli

Pig snout and stuff
 
Mushroom medley

Duck fried rice

Duck soup

Mike's fried chicken

Duck with noodles

Yum! That pig with skin on looks wonderful!

Everything looks wonderful! I would have loved the duck and the pea shoots (tips).  Thanks for allowing use to share vicariously.

kland01s


Yum! That pig with skin on looks wonderful!

The regular body parts were quite delicious, the head meat even moreso.
 
Gyp's photos clearly prove that one table got preferential treatment, and I'm sure that Irisarbor, MilwFoodLovers, and Alyceinroadfoodland will agree!

Well, here is my little end of the wonderful day....I was lucky enough to hitch a ride with Milw.Food lover( Mike) and his lovely wife Beth. We had an animated conversation about food during the hour and a half ride down to Sun Wah.I am movig to a part of Milwaukee( West Allis) soon, and am so excited about the food possibilities there. Mike and his bride discussed MANY restaurants witih walking distance: I am more excited each day.
We felt spring in the air, as temps were in the 40's on the way down from Milw. to Chicago.
Mike had the fore sight to stop at New York Bagels and Bialy's- right of the freeway on Toughy Av.I havent had such a good, chewy bagel in years. They had fabulous smears( chive, salmon, roasted tomato, jalapeno, vegetable-more I cant recall)
I was leary of the bagels going stale( we were gone about 7 hours)so I ordered two( mish mosh-everything bagel but followed the terminology- one with chive smear for Bob, one with the salmon.)
Believe me, these are fantastic. By the time we got home-about 7 p.m., they were still as fresh as when I bought them! Next time, a dozen( they give you a free one) and several containers of smear. Top notch!
It was only about a 15 min. ride to our destination, and Mike is an awesome Chicago driver! He kept saying-"okay, I am going-hold on"-I would ride with him any day.
Having been out of the loop with these fine folks, I was stupidly nervous.
Sun Wah is in the coolest part of Chicago-, very near the lake. I saw the signs that said " Historic district"
We were lucky enough to park off street( No Pay) and admire the very cool houses, buildings, etc.., as we had our 4-5 block walk.
Windy City is right! Blew me almost away! I walked in the restaurant, and was instantly greeted by Buddy Roadhouse with a big hug! X1 followed with an enthusiastic gretting, and then I met the rest of the foks that came in-only knew them by name before......
On to the food- as you can see-we were served a whole suckling pig-which fed both tables with leftovers. God-fried pork skin with tender pork underneath!Fabulous! The duck came next, and that was even better, imo. I discovered Sun Wah's awesome hoisin sauce( Milwfoodlover and his wife declared it the best they have ever had) and I added that to the pork, duck, fried rice, hell,anything I could. We also had fantastic stir fried mushrooms-declared by both tables to be the best. After the duck was cut up-the leftovers were served in a broth. As Irisarbor proclaimed-it was "delicate". Better served before a meal than after.
There was alot more sides served-I am havig a bit of trouble recalling the names-I can taste them in my minds eye, am hoping my fellow diners will chime in!
After lunch/dinner we all took a walk along the street and stopped in several Vietnamese restaurants. I am so unimformed about this cuisine-but learned alot!
The way home was fast, temps reached 51 degress that day( its 34 and windy today)
I so enjoyed this meet up, and look forward to any one I can do........
Shout out to Aimee!
 

Brad- you guys got the back end if the pig-I would have preferred that!
I didnt like the snout-its not that I didnt like it, it eas just kinda nothingness....

Gyp, those are excellent pictures. They capture the food perfectly.

ScreamingChicken

My sentiments exactly, and thanks to Buddy for working out the bill!

Yes, a well deserved thanks to Buddy for that.  Thanks also go to Gyp for driving me and X1 to and fro. On the way back we drove up Broadway and saw a whole bunch of restaurants (including diners and Ethiopian places) that need some attention someday. We eventually found ourselves going westbound on Touhy, and we remembered that Buddy, MFL, and Ann Peeples gave props to New York Bagel and Bialy, located near the interchange. So we stopped off for bagels, bialys, rugelach, babka, and a bunch of other great treats. A nice way to end the tour.

I've got some other food pics from yesterday on my Foodspotting page if anyone's interested
http://www.foodspotting.com/24116-chuck

Gyp,
Excellent photo documentary of Sunday's lunch!  Anyone who is on the fence about clicking on the above link, rest assured, it is totally worth the time spent.
 
Buddy

That was one mighty fine lookin P-I-G Hawg.
My favorite parts are the cheek meats, and the butts/hams areas, and the snoots... heck most any part but the squeal, I have never liked squeal.

The Gypper took care of the food photos so I'll add some barely passable atmosphere shots (my apologies).  The decision to use available light came back to bite me...
 
Being seated at the back of the restaurant means you get a good view of everything.  And in Chicago it also makes it tougher to get whacked.

 
MilwFoodLovers and Alyceinroadfoodland.  If you want to know their real names I accept PayPal.

 
The other table.  AnnPeeples, Quijote, Gyp, X1, and Mrs. Buddy Roadhouse.  In the background at the Way-More-Fun-Table are Mrs. MFL, Buddy, MFL, Alyce, and Mrs. SC.

 
And one more, with the addition of The Other Roadhouse Heiress, Abe_Froeman, and Mr. Maki.

 
A mea culpa to the Irisarbor family and Cjucoder, as somehow I missed a shot of you.  Probably because I was stuffing my face.
 
And the aftermath.

 
Hey Abe, any idea of the building's history?  We were looking up at the vaulted ceiling and the skylight and noticed what looked like the remnant of a big iron hook, which has me wondering if at one point there was some sort of trap door.  Could it possibly have been some sort of granary in the past?

I have posted your inquiry to the Sun Wah thread on LTH- one of the owners posts there now and then, and people there know a lot of the back story on the place.  I'll let you know when I get an answer.
 
Tonight I should finally have time to put my photos together and at least start on the video

And, we have an answer- it used to be a livery stable.

The food looks amazing and the company looks fun!! Talk about bang for the buck..that was some impressive feast for the price.

Way more fun table? Really, Brad? LOL!!

Shout out to Annie!!
 
It was great seeing everyone, the food was amazing & afterwards we checked out Chinatown. Found a cool little art gallery. All in all a wonderful RF day.
 
It appears I'll have to carpool with MFL & Mrs MFL sometime as I <3 bagels.
 
ScreamingChicken, did you get your White Castles??? 
 

No, no WC visit this time...I had more than enough to eat at Sun Wah!

Time for another gathering . When and where? Hopefully the Northside of Chicago, Evanston or Skokie.

Ummmm....what??

I never get to go to these gatherings because of scheduling conflicts, they are too far or they won't accomodate my wheelchair. So I  was giving ideas of the area I'm interested in for a gathering. I guess I should have started a new thread.

How about this: YOU plan the next one, at a place that's convenient for you ('cause driving down from WI or flying in from CA...that's not far, or anything...) and we'll show up.
But...you do the legwork. Lucy spent a lot of time and effort planning this one, which took MONTHS. When The Contingent has an outing, it's because a member takes the time to set one up. Do you really think all you have to do is ay "I want one near me", and we'll all just fall all over ourselves to arrange it for you...especially in light of your schedule and wheelchair requirements?
I'm not trying to be rude or anything, but the "someone needs to plan an outing around my convenience" is really offputting.-

How about this: YOU plan the next one, at a place that's convenient for you ('cause driving down from WI or flying in from CA...that's not far, or anything...) and we'll show up.
But...you do the legwork. Lucy spent a lot of time and effort planning this one, which took MONTHS. When The Contingent has an outing, it's because a member takes the time to set one up. Do you really think all you have to do is ay "I want one near me", and we'll all just fall all over ourselves to arrange it for you...especially in light of your schedule and wheelchair requirements?
I'm not trying to be rude or anything, but the "someone needs to plan an outing around my convenience" is really offputting.-

I'm not trying to be lazy. I was just starting with an idea and giving others a chance to name their preference. I'll try to research several places that will accomodate my wheelchair which is the biggest concern and let everyone vote. I'll start a new thread.

http://norecipes.com/blog/nikuman-baozi-recipe/

 
This bun appears to be somewhat similar to the buns (Bao) served with the roast duck and BBQ pig at Sun Wa in Chicago.