You could call them Chinese Rich Melmans, or maybe the Asian Levy Brothers, except that they’re not related. In fact George Kuan and Austin Koo don’t even like each other very much anymore. But over the last 20 years, working together and separately, the two entrepreneurs have established a remarkable dynasty of restaurants, educating local palates in a wide range of provincial cooking and serving the best Chinese food in Chicago.
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This great American success story begins, of course, in China. Koo was born Kao-Tung in Hupei province in 1934, trained as a lawyer in Taiwan, and came to the States in 1972 with a wife and $2,000 cash. He opened his first restaurant, the Peking Orchid Room, in Edgewater that year. Here he claims to have introduced “soong” dishes to the city–spicy meldings of minced meats and veggies wrapped taco-style in a lettuce leaf.
The House of Hunan at 535 N. Michigan was an instant hit–and it remains one of the best spots around. In 1981 the pair opened Szechwan House only a block away, at the corner of Michigan and Ohio, and had another smash. Then they took over Dr. Shen’s in Newberry Plaza and renamed it Hunan Palace; though it received critical acclaim, business didn’t quite measure up. Today it is called Memories of China, owned by Koo and a Caucasian banker partner; by the time it opened, the relationship between Koo and Kuan had cooled decisively.
Now both Kuan and Koo have just opened up two more restaurants, but not together. Kuan established Hunan Cafe, just across the street from Szechwan House, and Koo–in partnership with the talented Hsu–founded Little Szechwan on Diversey between Broadway and Sheridan, where Lincoln Park meets Lakeview.
While the hot and sour soup ($1.75) was flavorful, it came off as neither spicy hot nor vinegar-sour as I prefer, so I doctored it at the table.
The cold starter of Shanghai-style smoked fish was rich and slightly unctuous but stimulating to the palate ($5.95). Our one indulgence in an old favorite, hacked or “bon bon” chicken in a chili-laden peanut sauce, was right on target ($5.95).
