Chou's Kitchen — Restaurant in LaGrange

We missed opening week but remembered that the new restaurant was open, so we decided to stop by. We went for an early-ish dinner. The place is bright and clean. Our server was prompt, friendly, and attentive. The menu is quite large. The wife said there were one or two words misspelled, but no biggie. I opted for the Thia Basil Fried Rice with Shrimp. This dish had one 🌶️ on the menu. What we learned is that that just means spicy. I don't recall seeing spice levels so you might want to just ask how spicy something is. Now, all that said, what I ordered has a nice, just above "spicy" level that tended to build the more you ate. It wasn't too hot is what I'm saying, at least not for me. Normally I'm pretty much a wuss when it comes to heat. But I could handle this alright. The Thai basil is very fragrant and has a light sweetness that permeates the air. Thick slices of onion with occasional welcome char scattered throughout the rice. This dish also has bean sprouts. 👍 Nice! The wife went for General Tso's with fried Tofu. I could smell the sauce when it came out. Now, her dish came out about 10 minutes or so after mine. We learned this was because the tofu was being freshly prepared to the perfect level of crunch. We've tried to do fried tofu at home and know how difficult it is to get right. Per the wife, perfection! Her dish came with a side of fried rice. She complained, only a little, that her fried rice was so different from my fried rice. Her version had smaller chunks of veggie, onions not as big, etc etc.. Pretty sure we decided that this was because my dish was an Entree and most likely prepared fresh whereas her side is probably prepped in bulk and warmed through for service. We've seen many cooking YouTube videos. Almost certain there's usually a white rice cooker and then one to prep fried rice. She also ordered a veggie lo mein to bring home for one or two lunches during the week next week. When we got home, she opened it and gave it a taste. She said it is some of the best veggie lo mein she's had in quite a while. So kudos to the chef! Our only suggestion might be to offer a veggie option for most of the dishes instead of just meat for protein. Maybe offer tofu as a protein option. We know several people who are vegetarian for medical reasons. Given the excellent quality of the food, if they can implement some serious vegetarian and/or vegan options, they'd be a popular hotspot for those who don't normally eat meat. All-in-all, no complaints. We will be back. The wife has claimed this as her new takeaway...

Stopped there for lunch today. Asked to see the lunch menu.. Fair price, $11.99 for broccoli chicken, rice and egg roll. I got this giant plate of broccoli chicken with a huge bowl of fried rice. I could only eat about 2/3 rds of the meal. I got the check, didn't look at it, just handed her my credit card. After she ran it i saw it was $17.00 plus. I went to the counter and talked to the lady there and my server was standing there too. I asked why i was being charged so much for my lunch. The server said, "you got the dinner portion", which answers many questions. I reminded her that It was 11:30 in the morning. Why would she serve me a dinner portion. The server rudely spouted back that i should have specified the lunch portion. I asked her why I should specify that I wanted lunch and not dinner at 11:00 in the morning. She spouted back that is was my fault for not asked for the lunch portion. I pointed out that she was stupid. To be fair, the cashier apologized and changed my ticket. The food was good but the chicken had the texture of bread. I will not likely go back. When you do, make sure your server understands what time...

What a wonderful addition to LaGrange! The restaurant is clean and bright. The staff is attentive and friendly! The portions are beyond plentiful. The prices are reasonable! We tried the Thai Basil Fried Rice with Shrimp — wonderfully flavorful and enough for two easily, maybe three. The sampler platter has a bit of everything, which my 93-year-old mother ordered because she recognized the entree descriptions. She tried everything on the platter, couldn’t eat it all in one sitting. She said it was all very good. Their presentation of food is pleasing and it tastes as good as it looks. The spring rolls are very good. They offer a big sushi menu… so we’re going back to try more. Big parking lot, but if you need handicap parking, go to end of building so you can access the ramp rather than steps in front of building. Plenty of room for Mom to operate her walker or motorized wheelchair. We do recommend...