Evanston’s flavors of China and Japan

[rating=5]Evanston is one of my favorite suburbs. In fact, I would love to live in this North suburb ( just North of Chicago), filled with the feeling of a city and a college campus ( Northwestern, of course). Several weeks ago, as we went to the city for a play, we stopped in Evanston for a drink and a lite snack. Knowing Sushi is quick, and having had some readers mention a great Sushi spot, we stopped in Evanston at Koi of Evanston, located right in the “downtown” section at 624 Davis Street ( at Orrington) in what was the original Chandler’s Book Store ( where I bought all my school supplies in Jr. High, High School and College.

Jane and I enjoyed our drinks and several Maki Rolls and vowed to make it a point to return and try their Chinese Cuisine as well. Koi brings to its menu 8 regions of cuisine designed for family sharing ( which is the tradition of the culture). The menu says that their staff will guide you through your experience ( I love the idea that they refer to dinner as an “experience” rather than a meal) to ensure a lasting memory. When we do a large menu, we bring another couple so that we can savor many flavors, so Alan and Vickie joined us for this experience.

Our server was John, a knowledgeable fun guy who is also a singer. In fact, if you are celebrating an event, and coming to Koi, I suggest requesting him as your server, as his rendition of “Happy Birthday” was worthy of the trip on its own. For beverages, I had my usual martini ( they make a great one) and the others enjoyed some of the flavorful teas options.

We started our experience with: Shanghai Spare Ribs, a divine spring roll ( we did the beef), a plate of Crab Wontons and the extraordinary Shrimp Dumplings ( steamed and juicy) along with their home prepared Edamame in sea salt. All of the portions were enough that we could share them, which is the way to experience the full menu ( this menu is large enough that one might visit every week and still not cover it all).

For our Maki Rolls, we decided on :

spicy tuna, rainbow, shrimp tempura, sweet potato, tiger tail and dragon fire (from the signature list- these were a bit hotter, but sooo yummy!!).

Our entrees were from the Chinese Menu:

Glazed Orange Beef in a sweet & spicy sauce. This is Hunan and has a great kick to its flavors. From the Lu, Shandong region, we enjoyed the Cumin Lamb ( very fresh and aromatic. The meat is very tender.) The final meal was from the Huaiyang region- Sesame Chicken with a honey glaze, also very fresh tasting as well as sweet. I know that Alan and Vickie absolutely loved this dish. We had both brown and white rice sides to compliment these three meals, and while we all enjoyed our share of the plates served, there were leftovers to enjoy for lunch this afternoon. Owner Sandy Chen makes sure that no one ever leaves Koi with hunger pains ( and the prices are great values).

We had no choice but to order a desert to see if they were able to complete the “experience” and John suggested two, both very sharable: Triple Chocolate Mousse ( to die for!) and an incredible Tempura Banana that had four banana sections fried with ice cream in the middle- delicious!

As we left Koi of Evanston, we knew that we would talk about this experience on the way home and probably make arrangements to go back for another meal, probably their Dim Sum Brunch on a Saturday or Sunday (11:30 a.m.- 3 p.m.). They have several rooms so one could have a party or event at Koi as well. You can view their Private Dining experiences at http://www.koievanston.com

Their menu is loaded with special events as well as “Happy Hour ( remember Happy Hour?) where all starters are 50% off. So are Makis and drinks. Koi also belongs to the Five Stars program for rewards, so besides great values and meals, they give you rewards. On top of all this, they are very involved with many charitable organizations giving back to the community of which they are a part..

If you love Sushi, Japanese food or Chinese food, mark it on you to do list- Visit Koi in Evanston at 624 Davis Street ( they have valet parking) in Evanston. 847-866-6969 or visit www.KoiEvanston.com

They are open seven days a week:

Mon-Thursday  4:30 p.m.- 9:30 p.m.

Friday                  4:30 p.m.-10:30 p.m.

Saturday            3 p.m.-  10:30p.m.

Sunday               3 p.m.- 9:30 p.m.

Dim Sum  Saturday and Sunday from 11:30 a.m.- 3 p.m.

They are pretty busy, so I suggest making reservations. This is an experience, not just a meal!