If anybody wants to try some Oreintal wings, there is a chinese restaurant at 3254 W. Lawrence that serves them in a way that I doubt most of you have ever tried. Great Sea 773-478-9129 between Kimball and Kedzie. All major CCs but street parking only. It is called "Hot and Saucy" chicken. One order is enough for two hungry adults or for 4 just trying it out. They even sell the sauce separately so you can take it home and try to make them yourself (this never works).
I have eaten there for over 15 years. They also off the normal chinese cuisine. If you have any Asian friends(especially Korean), odds are they will know about it. Try it out and let me know.

Hi k71 - Welcome to FT! I haven't had the opportunity to meet you at a Chicago FT get-together,,,but perhaps another day!!

Thanks much for the recommendation!! It sounds like a GREAT dish, and I just wanted to encourage any more posts in this board!!
Best wishes.

I will try them tonight!!!!

My wife called and said she would dining w/a friend of hers in the evening. While I miss my wife, I also think "GREAT! Now where am I going to dine?!?" Having just read your post a few minutes after my wife called I decided upon your suggestion of the Great Sea Restaurant.

I showed up at 5pm and the place was 2/3 full, Great Sea has about 12 tables, many 6 place tables so groups can dine.

I was able to convince a subcontractor who is working one of my projects to come dine w/me.

Based upon your name korea71 and the fact that the restaurant is on Lawrence I mistakenly assumed that Great Sea was Korean, but it is Chinese food.

We started w/the jellyfish upon my friend��s suggestion. I had tried jellyfish once before and was not thrilled as there just really was not much flavor at all. Same goes for this time as well .

We then tried three dishes: Twice cooked pork, shredded pork w/hot garlic sauce and the wings mentioned above.

The twice cooked pork and shredded pork were virtually undistinguishable from one another, when there should be a night and day difference. Both were very mediocre and reminded me of the average Chinese restaurant fare one would find in the middle-of-nowhere-USAville .

BUT THE WINGS were very delicious as you described, in fact, when I looked around the restaurant, out of 9 occupied tables, only one did not have the wings. EVERY other table knew what to get.

First of all they are huge about the size of drumsticks not wings. Even though the meat was very white in appearance I still think they might have been. Anyways they are fried, but not very greasy. The sauce reminds me of a Korean BBQ sauce that I purchase in my local Asian grocery store, it is a beautiful dark amber color w/a sweet/hot molasses taste to it. My friend and I spooned the sauce over the rice and then would scoop up some sauced rice w/the chicken. VERY TASTY.

I will go back and have the wings as an appetizer but based on the weakness of the other entrees we had; I will venture onto another restaurant for the entrees.

Great Sea Restaurant
3254 W. Lawrence Ave
Chicago, IL
Open 7 days a week
Phone: 773.478.9129


PS: Korea71, can I assume correctly you are Korean or know Korean food? If so, could you post some Korean restaurant suggestions in Chicagoland that you enjoy. I have been to a few, but have only written up one experience.


[This message has been edited by Sweet Willie (edited 03-03-2003).]

Although the place is Chinese, the owner is Korean. There are 2 different kinds of Chinese food that I know of in Chicago. Chinese restaurants run by Chinese and Chinese restaurants run by Koreans. The ones run by Koreans are biased towards the Korean tastes. A little spicier. Nonetheless, these are all interpretations of the melded cultures. I went to Beijing last summer and the food outside of the hotels were pretty bad. Super greasy with no flavor. It made me wonder how Chinese food outside of China was ever created. In conclusion, Chinese restaurants in any neighborhood probably cater somewhat to the local diners.

Their noodle dishes are pretty good but their specialty is the Hot and Saucy chicken.

This place is still going strong. They also have this dish with shrimp.

oh man, count me in^, when do you want to go ?

Why don't you call me because you never answer your phone.

& who has been the one not calling back lately??

On a similar note (I think?), has anyone tried the wings at Crisp? I had them recently and really enjoyed them. It's a Korean-inspired wing place that is definitely worth visiting.

I love them. They have fast delivery too, I'm almost 2 miles away and got delivery (via bicycle) in about 30 mins at dinnertime. Most places at dinnertime are more like an hour.

Crisp
2940 N Broadway
Chicago
773-697-7610/7611
crisponline.com

closed monday, delivery lake-ashland, north-irving, 10-ish tables and a small counter at the restaurant.

Will have to try Crisp (thanks for the posts).

The wings at Great Seas I don't think are as good as they used to be (still darn tasty though), they have fried them too long. Great Seas did have salt & pepper smelt which were quite good but not as crisp as I would have liked seeing as they were coming straight from the kitchen, my guess is that they sat a bit before our server got them out to us.

Crisp is great - Korean fast food is how I think of it.

While we're on the topic of Korean, there's a tasty Korean BBQ place on Foster and Western that I've been to several times. I seem to remember an old Korean friend who took me there the first time telling me that it's open 24 hours, but I don't remember if I ever verified that. Every time I've been there, I've been one of relatively few white people in there. Service is a little...lackadaisical. And you must get the seafood pancake appetizer thing (which is big enough for several people as an appetizer or a meal in itself for one or two people).

San Soo Gab San
5251 North Western Avenue
Chicago, IL 60625
(773) 334-1589

I am sure I walked by this place a hundred times and never really noticed it. Several days ago I looked inside: bright, clean, very busy and the food looked good. Am sure I will try it soon.

wings at Crisp still going strong? I've been jonesen for some Korean Chicken