Kaku Bento Box Lunch from Kohan

Item Purchased: Kaku Bento Box Lunch from Kohan
Location Purchased: Kohan Japanese Restaurant / 730 W. Maxwell St. / Chicago, IL
Price: $10.00 + tax

Review: I probably shouldn't be spending so much on lunch right after the holidays, but I don't want to start off '07 by putting crap into my body during lunch time. There's at least 51 more weeks to do that. So, a slightly-more-than-I-would-like-to-pay lunch was in the stars for me again.

That's not to say that this varied and filling lunch isn't worth it, because it is. A bento box from Kohan will get you at least five different offerings in one take-out lunch container. Where to begin?!

Okay... in the order I tasted them. Ready? Go!

First, Kohan's chicken yakitori is glazed and grilled to glossy yumification along with green onion pieces skewered in between the 4-5 chicken chunks on each stick (you get two with this bento box). Next, we have two medium sized goyoza (dumplings, like samosas or peirogis) fried to a crispy consitency and filled with a pork mush seasoned with what tastes like a brown sauce. The cold and limp cucumber salad is surprisingly tasty with its vinegar dressing and chewy bay leaves and cabbage mixed in while the California rolls are a solid average (high point: you receive four... I was expecting two). Finally, if all of this didn't already fill me up, the huge scoop of teriyaki fried rice is so thick and sticky that there is no way I could walk away from this meal hungry.

Whew... In addition to all of that, I also received a cup of miso soup, but was too full to even try it.

While I may not be willing to spend $10.00 on lunch every day, Kohan offers something that no other restaurant in the vicinity of Maxwell Street offers... variety and quality food for one moderate price. The meat and vegetables used are fresh, prepared to perfection and served with a smile that makes you want to stay rather than take your meal back to the office.

In fact, I just may do that tomorrow... I wonder if they have wi-fi.

I know they have sake. :)

Rating: 4.5 / 5

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Yaki Soba from Kohan

Item Purchased: Yaki Soba from Kohan
Location Purchased: Kohan Japanese Restaurant / 730 W. Maxwell St. / Chicago, IL
Price: $9.00 + tax

Review: New year, new restaurant.

Kohan isn't all that new in the area, but it is expensive. Hence the fact that I had never eaten there before. Primarily advertised as a sushi lunch cafe, Kohan actually offers much more variety than raw fish rolled up in seaweed. Like this Yaki Soba dish, for example. Despite paying nine dollars for what is a smaller-than-usual portion, the fine mix of thin pan fried noodles, chicken and vegetables (bok choy, red onion and red pepper) is tasty enough to make you think it is well worth the money you spent. Actually, it probably is worth the money I spent, but I don't think I can afford to eat a nine dollar lunch that doesn't fill me up every day. Kohan's house teriyaki sauce is a thick brown and slightly sweet concoction that sticks to everything but doesn't overpower each ingredient's natural flavor.

In addition to the great food Kohan serves up, I was greeted by one of the friendliest waitresses with one of the biggest smiles I have ever encountered and, even though I was simply picking up a carry out order, was offered a free cup of hot tea while I waited.

Though I won't be going to Kohan every day, I will be going back soon. If I could fit it into my budget, I might even be going often.

Rating: 4.5 / 5

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Trader Ming's (Joe's) Ginger Peanut Noodle Salad (10 oz.)

Item Purchased: Trader Ming's (Joe's) Ginger Peanut Noodle Salad (10 oz.)
Location Purchased: Trader Joe's / 1840 N. Clybourn Ave. / Chicago, IL
Price: $2.49 + tax

Review: From their ready-to-eat section, Trader Joe's offers a lunch-size plastic container full of eastern noodles. I'm not sure how I feel about the cutesy attempt to make this item seem more authentic by changing "Joe" to "Ming," but the noodles sure are tasty.

Wheat noodles with a ginger soy dressing already cooked into them, this dish can be eaten hot or cold. I opted for nuking it and eating them warm. The ginger taste is subtle and even the soy isn't overbearing. Some might say this is a bland dish, but those people are probably the people who think that going to their local Chinese buffet and pigging out on deep-fried chicken strips dipped in sweet-and-sour sauce is eating authentic Chinese food. If your taste buds haven't been completely wiped out by American ethnic derivatives and fast food, you should enjoy this affordable lunch, perfect for taking to work with you.

My only complaint is the accuracy on the label. It says "Ginger Peanut Noodle Salad" and that is exactly what I got. A ginger noodle salad with exactly one peanut in it. Ah well, maybe next time, I'll buy some extra peanuts to throw in. I suspect, though, that I simply picked a dud.

Rating: 3.75 / 5