Yen's offers tasty Chinese food in a spacious dining room overlooking bustling Clark Street just north of Diversey. Posters with Chinese letters dot the hardwood-floored dining area, which also has a bar, and what look like skylights in the slanted ceiling also have Chinese symbols.

Start the meal off with some appetizers, which range from pot stickers to fried squid to fried tofu. Crispy but not greasy vegetable egg rolls ($3.25) arrive sliced in half for easy eating with sweet and sour sauce, and they get the meal off to a good start.

Numerous entrees fill the menu, and they have generous portions — maybe enough for two people to share. Also, you can specify whether you would like your food spicy or not so spicy. Sesame chicken ($9.50) has crispy breaded chicken pieces in a thick, flavorsome, gooey sesame and peanut flavored sauce with chunks of broccoli. It also comes with a big bowl of sticky rice, is satisfyingly filling and still provides plenty of leftovers.

Also on the menu are a slew of chicken options like orange chicken, sauteed with garlic, ginger and onions in a hot orange sauce; chicken fried with veggies in a lemon-and-wine sauce; and chicken with peapods, black mushrooms and bamboo shoots. Many beef, pork, seafood and veggie options also round out the menu, and if you want to get your drink on with your meal, Yen's also has sake, beer and wine to cover your drinking needs.

Average cost: <$10

Centerstage Reviewer: Mary Susan Littlepage