Lunch Special (Create A Lunch) from Kohan

Item Purchased: Lunch Special (Create A Lunch) from Kohan
Location Purchased: Kohan Japanese Restaurant / 730 W. Maxwell St. / Chicago, IL
Price: $7.95 + tax

Review: It's hard to believe it, but amidst the cardboard cutout pantomime of Maxwell St, there are still treasures to find. Bypass those plaques and the vaguely demeaning statues of the amalgamated memory of people who used to live, work and hustle on Maxwell St. and you will find Jim's Original. Beyond that, it gets tough. The historic architecture of the area has been covered with pristine facades. The stores that old timer's remember have been torn down, flattened and reduced to ashes of ashes. To catch a deal, you have to head over the highway to Canal St. There's not much left here but co-eds, condos and the type of businesses that come with them.

So, while treasure may be a relative term, you can still hunt around for a lunch-time deal. A hearty meal while you pass through (because, really... what else would you do in this part of town anymore?). You'll pay a damn sight more in cash anywhere other than Jim's, but you might save a few days on your veins. And when you work in the area, like me, lunchtime variety is hard to come by and the thrill of the hunt is all one can cling to without going nuts.

Kohan is a fairly new and fresh addition to my repertoire and probably one of the healthiest choices in the area. A Japanese sushi restaurant is not my income bracket's idea of a filling and affordable lunch, but this is a college campus... There are deals to be found... specials that bet it all on the chance that some student who was given a cheap California roll will bring his doctor parents here for dinner when they visit. Kohan's specials fall on Tuesdays and Thursdays and, though I'm no doctor, I am thinking of coming back for dinner when I have a few extra bucks in my pocket.

For $7.95, Kohan lets you choose one meat (calamari and shrimp are choices), rice or noodle, six fresh vegetables, one sauce and up to five different spices. I was required to fill out a piece of paper with check marks to order my meal. Briefly, my choices were chicken, noodles, bean sprouts, bell pepper, broccoli, pea pods, tofu, and garlic with teriyaki sauce. Don't pay too much attention to what I ordered though. There is a near infinite number of combinations to be made from the choices on Kohan's create-a-lunch menu.

Waiting for my meal to be created, I expected a cup-a-ramen size entree. Instead, I received a huge and heavy brick of the freshest vegetables, perfectly fried tofu and tender chicken all soaked in garlic and teryiaki. Quite simply, it is amazing that this only costs eight dollars.

So, if you find yourself near the new Maxwell St., please accept my empathy. After that business is over with, you should stop in Kohan and give them some of your business. I can't hold a business owner at fault for trying to succeed in an up-and-coming neighborhood. Especially if they are good at what they do... And Kohan most certainly is.

Rating: 4.5 / 5

Visit the Forum!