Would You Like Vegetables With Your Sodium? We Seek the Best Fried Rice

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Fried rice is a staple in the U.S., and not just among college students looking for cheap takeout—it's great for anyone looking for cheap takeout! Fried rice, , can make or break my opinion of a Chinese restaurant. Because this is serious business, I judge fried rice differently than most foods and rate it based on four categories: 

1. Quality and quantity of vegetables and/or proteins added to rice: Good fried rice needs scallions, plenty of bean sprouts, and the add-ins have to be tasty and not under- or overcooked. 
2. The saltiness factor: I can always add my own soy sauce, but if they put too much in while it's cooking, it's wrecked.
3. Overall taste: Is it tasty? Do all the components work well together?
4. How well it stands up to reheating: This is just as important as the other factors since leftovers are a Chinese food given. With only two people in my house, fried rice has to be good the next day and even the day after that. Because fried rice tends to dry out, I cover it with a damp paper towel when I reheat it, which I did with all three described below.

, New Lenox

At Dragon Palace, I go with the vegetable fried rice. I am optimistic; we've ordered from here several times before and have liked everything we've tried except the crab rangoon and lo mein.

1. Add-ins: Lots of colorful vegetables give it texture. I especially enjoy the chopped peapods, and the broccoli help me pretend that I had made a healthy choice. 
2. Saltiness: Flavorful but not overly salty. Bingo!
3. Overall taste: It's good, but not interesting enough to stand on its own (probably because there's no meat). This is the perfect rice to have instead of white rice with your Szechwan chicken or Mongolian beef to sneak in some more vegetables without being too interruptive. 
4. Quality reheated: Because the broccoli and pea pods were served crisp, they don't get mushy reheated, which is a plus. The overall taste isn't improved upon reheating, though. (But then again, it isn't worse, either).

, Mokena

Readers overwhelmingly suggested Rising Sun, specifically the Mokena location and specifically the house fried rice, so the house fried rice is what I ordered. 

1. Add-ins: The house fried rice includes pork, tiny shrimp and chicken. The chicken and shrimp are nice, but the pork is barbecued and overpowers the flavor. The rice is very protein-heavy and could use some more sprouts and scallions, but overall, not a bad mix.
2. Saltiness: Looking at the dark brown hue of the rice, I know that it will be past my salty threshold. And when I taste it, it is indeed too salty (and the sauce or marinade the pork is in does not help. I pick it out).
3. Overall taste: Except for the weird pork, all components of the rice work well together.
4. Quality reheated: The rice has clumped together pretty hard in the fridge, so I know I'll have to use a super-dampened paper towel to reheat it. The pork and chicken chunks become very tough upon reheating, but the overall flavor is good. Sometimes with shrimp, fried rice can get an offputting fishy smell and flavor upon reheating, which didn't happen, so bonus points for Rising Sun!

, Frankfort

Readers didn't suggest a specific place in Frankfort, so I checked Patch's Places directory for suggestions and found New Wok. I'm not surprised I hadn't known it was there; even though it's in the same complex as Starbucks and Chef Klaus, it's tucked away invisibly in the corner. At New Wok, I order the shrimp fried rice. (They also offer jumbo shrimp fried rice).

1. Add-ins: The shrimp are plentiful and not terribly small. There are scallions, plenty of beans sprouts (yum) and, unfortunately, big chunks of onion, which aren't cooked very well so they are quite pungent. 
2. Saltiness: Perfect. Just salty enough.
3. Overall taste: Except for the large chunks of onion, the overall flavor of the fried rice is very appealing.
4. Quality reheated: As with Rising Sun, I am impressed that the shrimp don't get funky upon reheating (part of the credit goes to me, of course, for not overdoing it). Also, reheating softened up the onions and the rice stayed moist, making this the rare fried rice that tastes better the next day.

THE WINNER: The place I'd never heard of that nobody recommended: New Wok. As a bonus, it was also the shortest wait for takeout. I'm planning a return visit because their menu has some Thai curries, and Thai food is hard to find in Lincoln-Way.

If you've had any other menu items (especially a curry) from New Wok, please tell us about it in the comments. Or write your own review; click the underlined name of the restaurants in any Chowdown Showdown article to review them in our Places directory.

Looking for local eats? Do you disagree with our taster? Head  over to your local Patch Places food and dining directory. Find new spots, read reviews and even post a your own reviews on the profile pages.

• Frankfort establishments
• New Lenox establishments
• Mokena establishments

Next week, we're finding the best lunchtime turkey sandwich. Where do you get yours?