Some diners might be reluctant to give Chin's Asia Fresh (422 State St.) a try. True, its picture-perfect, somewhat-corporatized d??cor lacks the charm of older Madison standbys like SukhoThai and Wasabi, but Chin's quickly makes up for this by offering a creative menu of healthy, tasty and fresh Asian cuisine.
Chin's is somewhat of an anomaly for the downtown Madison restaurant scene. It isn't a mom-and-pop place, but contrary to an urban legend wafting around downtown, it isn't owned by McDonald's either. The restaurant is owned and operated by the Minnesota-based Leeann Chin, Inc., which owns about 50 stores in Minnesota. However, the new Madison restaurant and the other in Brookfield, Wis., are currently the only two places bearing the Chin's Asia Fresh name.
Unlike most State Street eateries, Chin's food is not easily traced back to one particular country. Instead, its \Pan-Asian"" concept serves up food from Thailand, Vietnam, China and Japan, skillfully mixed with ingredients not commonly associated with Asian food such as pesto sauce, chipotle peppers and parmesan cheese.
""We found a high demand for this kind of fresh, hot-to-order Asian cuisine because students have told us it is an option they don't really have available in Madison,"" said Jeff Siegle, director of marketing. ""It's high quality and reasonably priced for people who don't want fast food but are not ready to spend 10 or 11 dollars on each meal.""
Chin's employs a ""fast casual"" concept where diners order and pay at the front counter. Their meals are cooked fresh-to-order and then brought to their table by a server.
The biggest strength of this restaurant is the menu's variety. Diners can choose from dishes like Teriyaki Udon Noodles, spicy Adobo Noodles, or Sweet and Thai Basil Chicken Salad, all under $6.
""People have become much more knowledgeable about food,"" said Executive Chef Corey Gerber. ""Asian food is no longer associated with only Chinese food. We purposely designed our menu to give people this kind of variety and quality.""
One could make a meal out of Chin's appetizers alone. Try the $6 Dim Sum Platter, which is a sampler of five appetizers. The Cream Cheese Puffs are crispy wonton pastries wrapped around a ball of garlic-seasoned cream cheese. The cheese itself is quite tasty, and unlike some wontons, they are not very greasy. Unless you're a true cheese lover, the cheese seems to be a little too powerful and creamy as it oozes out of the wonton wrapper.
The Thai spring rolls and Teriyaki wings on the platter are a bit bland. However, the real star of the appetizers are the potstickers (four for $3.25). These dumplings are stuffed full of chicken and vegetables and topped with both Peking sauce and a zesty pesto sauce. The sauces complement each other well and seem to embody what Chin's is striving for--Asian food with a creative, modern flair.
For their entrees, diners can choose to create a stir-fry, or order either a classic dish or noodle bowl. For a stir-fry, diners first choose from vegetables (with or without tofu), chicken, beef or shrimp, then choose the flavor to compliment the stir-fry. This is especially appealing to vegetarians, because the tofu and vegetable option allows them to choose from many dishes usually only served with meat, such as Sichuan, Sweet and Sour, or Shanghai Sesame.
For a fresh taste, try the Mandarin Orange Peel flavor over tofu and vegetables ($6.00). This plate comes with a huge bed of rice on one side and a stir-fry of tofu, pea pods, onions, red cabbage, carrots and sauce on the other. The orange peel sauce is deliciously sweet without detracting from the other tastes. Unlike some sauces in Chinese restaurants that are thick and overpowering, this one was light, with a sweet taste and a tangy orange aftertaste.
The Indo Coconut Curry with chicken and vegetables ($6.50) features the same rice and vegetables cooked with a light yellow curry sauce sweetened with coconut milk and spiced up with Thai seasonings, red pepper and lime. The sauce is delicious, again not too heavy or rich, but the dish is a bit light on the chicken. However, the stir-fries are quite large and the meal is plenty of food for the price.
For a lighter dish, sample the small plate of vegetable fried rice ($3.00) which includes mushrooms, sprouts, green onions and egg. While it may be somewhat bland for a main meal, as a side dish it is excellent. Again, it is not greasy and the large amount of mushrooms mixed in the rice is quite impressive.
While dining at Chin's for the first time, patron Serena Paskewitz, 22, agreed that the food was reasonably priced for the ""huge amount"" of food she ordered. ""I liked the curry I had, but the appetizers were the best part, even better than the meal,"" she said.
The atmosphere at Chin's is as appealing as its food. The light brick walls and hardwood floors create an inviting and very modern looking dining area. There are a few tables on the first floor, but move upstairs to the loft for a better view. The high ceilings, light woodwork and modern Asian decorations make the second floor seem like it could almost double as a martini bar at night--and indeed many patrons seem to linger in the airy atmosphere long after their meals are finished.
""We're sensitive to what State Street represents to students and the community, and we tried to keep the building in the realm of State Street,"" said Seigle. ""We didn't want to gut the whole building, so we left the original floors and walls."" The result is a classy, well-lit interior.
Chin's Asia Fresh definitely adds an affordable and sophisticated spin to Asian food--something previously lacking in downtown Madison. This fresh take on Asian cuisine, combined with the classy and inviting dining atmosphere, makes Chin's a welcome addition to State Street.
