| rev:text
| - I think the Chin's story is of the franchise that couldn't remain consistent in it's food prep. Hubs and I used to live at the Chin's on State St. LIVED there our entire undergrad years due to our hole in the wall efficiency apt. being directly across the street from Chin's, and the fact that they served healthy, fresh, fast food with rice. This was probably the only place doing that back then. The chicken and veggie teriyaki was always my default, as the Szechuan chicken was for hubs - mine was chock full with crisp pea pods, carrots, red and green cabbage, scallion, and light teriyaki sauce. We also loved the Thai peanut lo mein. We were always happy it was actually spicy and the sauce used to coat the noodles was just genuinely good.
We moved to Milwaukee after our rendezvous with the campus life and during our first weeks getting to know the city we saw there was a Chin's on Oakland Ave and got excited. Yet eating there was like an entirely different experience. The food was horrible!! The noodles were overcooked, the peanut sauce used in the peanut lo mein was like an entirely different recipe - the Szechuan was not spiced well at all and my teriyaki no longer had the delicate flavor and the crisp vegetables I so appreciated. We tried again just to make sure, and it was the same story. We had conversations walking out of there questioning if Chin's changed it's recipes. A couple months later they closed down. I think a Five Guys now takes it's place on Oakland.
Not long afterward the State St. location went the same way. Some karaoke spot stands there now and in my bitterness at seeing Chin's go I've refused to check out what they have to offer in it's place.
Fast forward five years and somehow we'd found ourselves back on campus for varying reasons, with an ache for Chin's as soon as we touched foot on good ol' State. Finding out there was still a Chin's in Madison was a spectacular find for us. Having eaten at this location in Middleton now multiple times in the past couple years I can safely say I remain a fan.
People here have a lot of complaints and I'm feeling quite protective. This is my spot! This place is not "gross," it's not dirty, the service has always been absolutely fine, and I'm not reducing stars for them being who they are: NOT AUTHENTIC!
I appreciate Chin's as I appreciate Noodles N' Company and Chipotle. It's fast casual food that won't bust your gut if you're into the healthier side of things and look for those options at restaurants.
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