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| - After living in the area for so long and never trying Chan An, I decided to give it a go a few weeks back. Glad I did, because I'm now a fan.
It's definitely better than Phong May House (see my review if you want to compare). I think my initial reservations about going here revolved around what it looked like from the outside, and to some degree what it looks like on the inside as well. It's in the Crafton Ingram Shopping Center and it looks like a dive. But it's a great dive. There are tables for dine-in eating, but I'd say more than 90% of Chan An's business is take out. They don't do delivery.
But that's no big deal, as the food is always ready in about ten minutes, unless they're really busy, in which case it'll be twenty. So what's good here?
Well, for starters, I love the wonton soup. Chan An uses a dark broth that is actually packed with flavor, unlike all the other Chinese eateries in the area which stick to a chicken-based broth, which is always flavorless for the most part. I don't get how that happens. Someone please explain it to me. The lack of flavor, not the base, that is.
I'm a fan of the sweet and sour pork here, as well as the cashew chicken. I've noticed Chan An likes to use lightly battered dark meat pieces of chicken with a darker sauce when it comes to some of their dishes such as the cashew chicken. It can sometimes be a little salty, but most days it's right on the money. Plus they also throw in water chestnuts, which I love and wish more Chinese restaurants would do.
The egg rolls are really good. Not greasy, not overdone, but just right. The fried wontons are good and the beef on the stick is amazing. It's not your usual beef on a stick. Well, it is, but then they wind up deep frying the beef before skewering it, and I've never had it like that, but it's really tasty. It bring out the sweetness of the beef really well.
The people who run the place are super friendly and they'll do their best to accommodate your tastes if you want something made a little differently. The prices are good and in line with other affordable Chinese restaurants. So don't let the look of the place fool you. Chan An does a lot of business and I'd say that's mostly down to the quality of their food. Convenience is nice, too, but that doesn't always make for tasty eats. So give these guys a try if you've been on the fence about 'em like I was. I dig their vittles.
UPDATE: 12/22/2014
I'm upping my review of Chan An's to five stars (from four). It's become my regular go-to stop for quick and tasty Chinese food. The whole place is like one big happy family between the employees and the clientele. Everyone who goes is pretty much a regular.
A couple nights ago, I went and after I came in and placed my order, a small army arrived behind me. It got rather crowded quickly with everyone standing around waiting to get their takeout. At one point, the cashier was trying to tell one of the customers where the various sauce packets were and saw that there was one packet of soy sauce left in the bin. I offered to help him restock, and he directed me to where they kept all the packets. I was soon refilling the bins as fast as I could. It was amusing. It's that kind of place.
I returned again last night and te same guy and I talked a bit while I was waiting for my order. He had gone to the Strip District earlier in the day and bought some cheese. So we started discussing our mutual love for cheese, and I directed him to Wheel and Wedge and their great cheeses. He sliced off a piece of his Strip District cheese and handed it to me to share. It was tasty. I know this has nothing to do with Chan An's food, but it's this sort of laidback and enjoyable experience that keeps me coming back as much as the vittles.
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