When I heard a new Chinese restaurant was opening on Van Buren Street, right around the corner from long-time East Side favorite Emperor of China, I had two thoughts.
First, the owners are really brave.
Second, the restaurant had better be good.
With only a month under its belt, Lucky Liu's, 1664 N. Van Buren St., has already proved itself to be good to great. Lucky Liu's is actually a hybrid Chinese and Japanese restaurant, and both cuisines are served from the tiny storefront that for many, many years housed Aveni's Italian Specialties.
The interior is sparsely decorated and carries the slight scent of new construction. The walls and floors are all new, as are the smattering of tables and chairs within the tiny space. A sushi bar is deftly tucked along one wall, and a long checkout counter that stays bustling with takeout orders is positioned at the entrance.
While the Japanese section of the menu and sushi selections cover nearly as much space as the Chinese section, sushi here would not be my first pick, mainly because the Chinese options are superb.
Sushi connoisseurs will be less than thrilled with the maki and nigiri, which have that carefully rolled deli case look and feel. For novices, or sushi first-timers, Lucky Liu's may be a good place to start, if for no other reason than because you can switch to a Chinese option if the sushi doesn't please your palate.
Appetizers at Lucky Liu's include shrimp egg rolls (two for $2.80) and crab rangoons (six for $4.95), both of which were surprisingly crisp and devoid of any lingering fryer oil for excellent results. The egg rolls were not overly flavorful, but they had a lovely freshness. The rangoons were stuffed with thick cream cheese and bits of crab meat and twisted at the tops to resemble tiny drawstring purses. Pairing these with a dab of Lucky Liu's homemade hot mustard made for an absolute treat.
Mongolian beef ($9.25) and General Tso's chicken ($9.25) came with individual rice containers for each diner, which we loved, and were bright with fresh vegetables and tender meat. Both portions were generous and expertly prepared, making this one of the more enjoyable Chinese dinners I've had in a long time.
The beef arrived with tender crisp julienned vegetables in a mildly sweet brown sauce, and the chicken carried large pieces of steamed broccoli and a sweet and spicy traditional General Tso's brown sauce -- but, unlike many renditions, Lucky Liu's chicken managed to maintain its crispness while still being tender, for delicious results.
A sushi regular ($16.95) ordered to go was plated with tuna (maguro), yellow tail (hamachi), white tuna, two pieces of salmon (sake), a shrimp (ebi), and an order of California rolls. The selections on this plate vary daily, and while the sushi wasn't spectacular, all pieces were fresh, and the sides of wasabi and ginger were quite generous. A dragon roll (eight pieces for $11.95) was so bright with green avocado that it very nearly looked fake, but was actually enjoyable once we got over the appearance.
As if the prices here weren't reasonable enough, Lucky Liu's also offers a free order of crab rangoons or California rolls with any takeout order over $25 with a coupon available on its Web site or in the menu. But if you do get takeout, be sure to ask for the homemade hot mustard, which has become increasingly difficult to find in Chinese restaurants since the clear takeout packets arrived in the market.
At Lucky Liu's, they will pack the real deal for you on request. For Downtown diners, they deliver within a 3-mile radius of the restaurant, beginning at 11 a.m. Monday through Saturday, and 1 p.m. Sunday.
Lucky Liu's is open from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday, from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday and 1 to 10 p.m. Sunday.
Amy L. Schubert is a 15-year veteran of the hospitality industry and has worked in every aspect of bar and restaurant operations. A graduate of Marquette University (B.A.-Writing Intensive English, 1997) and UW-Milwaukee (M.A.-Rhetoric, Composition, and Professional Writing, 2001), Amy still occasionally moonlights as a guest bartender and she mixes a mean martini.
The restaurant business seems to be in Amy’s blood, and she prides herself in researching and experimenting with culinary combinations and cooking techniques in her own kitchen as well as in friends’ restaurants. Both she and her husband, Scott, are avid cooks and “wine heads,” and love to entertain friends, family and neighbors as frequently as possible.
Amy and Scott live with their boys, Alex and Nick, in Bay View, where they are all very active in the community. Amy finds great pleasure in sharing her knowledge and passions for food and writing in her contributions to OnMilwaukee.com.
