Cass Corridor / Chinatown / Chung's

[Stinger4me]

Chung's was the only restaurant in chinatown for me. The egg rolls were my favorite. When I worked in the area that was the place to eat. For me it was the benchmark, any other Chinese food was compared to the food at Chungs. One of my sisters went to school at Cass Tech and one of the girls she graduated with was related to the Chung family. What a place! Great food and service!

[Lt. Dan Bassett]

Chung's was the only restaurant in chinatown for me. The egg rolls were my favorite. When I worked in the area that was the place to eat. For me it was the benchmark, any other Chinese food was compared to the food at Chungs. One of my sisters went to school at Cass Tech and one of the girls she graduated with was related to the Chung family. What a place! Great food and service!

memory jog: I'm thinking it was 1974. Took me mum downtown to matinee opera [[La Traviata). Parked across the street in lot next to Burton. We had late lunch/early dinner. Came out to find my Dad's '72 Torino no longer parked where we left it. Was found 3 days later on the westside. Dummies did not find the cash in my Dad's mileage book he kept in the glovebox. Only time our car was ever stolen in Detroit.

[Danny]

Take a look at the scene. Detroit's Chinatown 1970.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TDYyjeN7L28

[Tetherunit]

I LOVED CHUNGS! i used to go there for lunch weekly while at worked at FWS [[Franklin-Wright Settlements, Inc). Reasonable and great food. loved the sweet and sour pork and the won ton soup with a dollop of spicy mustard. Cleared my sinuses and soothed my palette.

[Barlum]

My Grandfather ate there all the time. He sold men's clothing at Crowley's and knew all the wait staff. They called him Chuck [[as a little kid I was very impressed that he was so famous). Every other Sunday my Mom made us pot roast, his favorite meal [[he was an Iowa farm boy), and as payment he'd take all of us to Chung's on the other Sundays. I remember the almond chicken and those huge almond cookies under the glass counter by the cash register. I cried the last time we came to home for a visit and showed my little girl where her parents had one of their first dates, and where her grand and great-grand parents all ate together.

[jaykay]

My parents used to take my sister and me to Chung’s restaurant in downtown Detroit in the early 1940’s. My sister remembers the place quite well and describes it as follows: 2 rooms, big deep sink in the rear of the back room on left, door to kitchen on the right, round tables, wire back chairs, bare wood floors, pressed metal ceiling, parking on the left, metal on the outside. What I remember is the battered deep fried shrimp with dipping sauce. I loved that shrimp and have had nothing like it since. How I wish I knew how to make that shrimp.

[cassave]

Ate there many times when coleman young was there Coleman had the no parking signs removed from the front of Chungs unfortunately I watched a neighbor in Brush Park steal the CHUNGS Sign

[smogboy]

Here are those menu pics I promised ages ago.

[unclefrank]

I used to go there when I worked at the DMC in the 80s. Great old school Chinese food.

[mshechte]

Hi Curtis, I hope this Thread is still alive. It really brought back a lot of memories when I read it. My folks and I ate at Chung's at least twice a month thru the 60's and 70's. From the time I was probably 3 years old until I went into the Navy at 20. It was our Favorite place! I can close my eyes and still see that Dining Room. The big Lanterns with the Red Tassels. The Red Linen Table Cloths and Napkins. The Big Windows that faced Cass. Those Big Red Doors leading into the Best Restaraunt in the City as far as I was concerned. [[I took my Wife there on our First Date in 76). I remember the Bathrooms were Downstairs. But most of all I remember the Great Food and the Staff. I remember your Dad well. Phil was a Class act! And I'm so sorry to hear of his passing. I also remember your aunt. If my memory serves me, her name was Grace. The Waiters Paul Lee, and Ham with their White Jackets. Ham was like a Friend to me as a Little Kid Dining out with my Parents. Always had a Big Smile and taught me how to use Chop Sticks. He took me on a Tour of the Kitchen once... I think I was 6 or 7. My Sister actually Dated Paul's Son Jimmy for a little while in the late 60's. I remember when I was real little, my Dad would let me go up and Pay the Bill when we were done, and your Dad would always reach into that Glass Case by the Register and give me a Pack of Juicy Fruit Gum for being a Good Boy.
Those Egg Rolls have carved out a Nitch into my memory, along with the Chicken Rice Soup, and the Shrimp with Lobster Sauce that was my Favorite. My Dad loved the Lobster Cantonese, and my Mom would always try new things. The meals would always come in those big Shiny Dishes with the Lids. True Class all the way!
So sad that it's all gone now... I hope you and your Family are well.
All the Best, Mark

[Danny]

The Original Detroit's Chinatown was at 3rd street from W. Fort St to Plum St since the 1850s to 1960s. The Chins, Chungs and Moy families came to Detroit from Chicago to make their presence known. The Detroit Housing Commission [[which was mostly white Detroit city workers at the time) want to put a Lodge FWY in the area. They told the Chinese to pack up their things and vacant the area. The DHC relocated them to Cass Corridor area on Cass St. and Peterboro St. thus the 2nd Chinatown was made. By the 1980s Detroit's Chinatown began to slowly died out due to these problems:

1. Fewer Chinese immigrants was came to Cass Corridor area to apply for Wayne State University spoke Mandarin. The Chins, Chungs and Moy families only speak Cantonese There are no Chinese cultural or social services center to relieve language issues.

2. The crack epidemic spread like wildfire from Brush Park to Cass Corridor area and it worried them.

3. The death of Vincent Chin [[ in Highland Park, MI.) was the last straw and started to pack their bags and leave Detroit. The Chinese move into suburban areas from Canton, TWP to Troy, MI. Most of them move to Madison Hieghts, MI. and set up shop along John R. Rd. from 11 Mile to 14 Mile Rd. An Asian-town like Chinatown was sprouting in those areas.

Today there are only a handful of Chinese families live in Cass Corridor area. The growth is slow. If Detroit gets plenty of regional base and reduce violent crime, then more Chinese or Asian families can move to Detroit not only to set up shop, but to stay.

I have received information for Dorothy Moy-Matsumoto. She is your cousin. Her father used to own a toy shop on Third St near Michigan Ave. called " Hoy Toy".

[gr8dvm]

Hi all,

Wow, what a great thread! I have a few childhood memories of chinatown. As one of Henry Yee's granddaughters, I have been told many stories about my grandfather's restaurants and his involvement with the city. Does anyone recall him or his endeavors?

Thanks!

[Former_Detroiter]

Hi all,

Wow, what a great thread! I have a few childhood memories of chinatown. As one of Henry Yee's granddaughters, I have been told many stories about my grandfather's restaurants and his involvement with the city. Does anyone recall him or his endeavors?

Thanks!

My parents introduced me to Chinese food at Chungs in the 50's and in 1968 I had my first legal drink at Forbidden City!!!

[Detroit Signal]

Great story Honky Tonk!

[Chungs]

Thanks for all the kind words!

Danny, you seem to know alot about the community. Did you know my family personally? Where did you get the Chicago detail? I was told that my great-great-grandfather arrived in Detroit in the late 1800's and that his son, Joe Chin, arrived there in 1910. My grandfather arrived there in 1928 straight from China. There was a Cleveland connection, but that's it.

Lt. Dan - sorry to hear about the car. unfortunately, that was quite common. We lost a lot of customers that way. But that was Detroit. And the city was not responding to all the crime reports.

Honky Tonk - do you know when that happened and were you around? I have a vague memory of that myself.

Detroit Planner - I wish. I often think of coming back and restarting up the restaurant, but I only worked in the dining room, so I'd need to find a good head cook. Plus I sort of have my life out here in Los Angeles. But, man, that would be so much fun to re-open Chung's there.

[Honky Tonk]

Thanks for all the kind words!

Honky Tonk - do you know when that happened and were you around? I have a vague memory of that myself.

Sorry, Haven't been following the thread. It happened around the mid to late 80's, as best as I can recall. Want to hear about Rusty the Macaw play fighting with the German Shepards? Can I go over to your sisters for egg rolls too?

[downtownguy]

Can I go over to your sisters for egg rolls too?

Ironic. Many on this thread want to go to Chung's for carryout on Christmas.

[Honky Tonk]

Ironic. Many on this thread want to go to Chung's for carryout on Christmas.

Sounds like A Christmas Story to me.

[Gannon]

just dawned on me, I've never been satisfied with another egg roll since this place closed...they spoiled me for a lifetime!

some have come close, but never better

if you could get anyone in the family to reveal that secret...you could successfully reopen the joint

[Chungs]

Ha ha, I already got the recipe from my mom. Working on writing down a few more of my favorite dishes there, too.

Someone else just emailed me and said the restaurant was mentioned in this true crime book called Masquerade. It's about some famous murder in Detroit and it was written by a Detroit News Reporter, Lowell Cauffiel. I am going to track down a copy of the book to see if it's true and what he has to say.

[Chungs]

Thanks, Danny. Is that your Youtube Channel? Also, what's your connection to Chinatown?

[Chungs]

All this talk of egg rolls has made me hungry. I've convinced my sister to try and make it over the Christmas Holiday when I visit her in the Bay Area! Hope culinary skills runs in the family!

[Hypestyles]

With the China-based investors buying up Detroit land, hopefully there will be more of a call for folks to come here to relocate and develop small and large businesses.

[Chungs]

I recently came across this article about Almond Boneless Chicken. I guess there was some thought that it might be a Michigan original.

http://zesterdaily.com/cuisine-video...eless-chicken/

[EastsideAl]

I recently came across this article about Almond Boneless Chicken. I guess there was some thought that it might be a Michigan original.

http://zesterdaily.com/cuisine-video...eless-chicken/

Definitely a very interesting article. Thanks for the link. It made me want to go out and get some almond chicken immediately [[which I'm resisting, until at least... tomorrow). I so well remember the taste of that dish from your family's restaurant, as well as some old time east side Chinese restaurants like the Pekin Pavilion [[the original one, on Jefferson near Townsend, with the enclosed booths), and the White Sun down by my grandmother's house on Chalmers.

As much as I love actual, authentic Chinese cuisine, I still have a soft spot for some of the delicious Americanized Chinese food of my youth, like almond boneless chicken. I never knew that this dish was basically local to this part of the country, until I moved to the east coast for several years and could never find the stuff. I would see something similar on menus, and order it, only to be disappointed time and again.