By Dan Newman

Chop Stix, Wausau’s original bourbon chicken. Why’s it called that? Because the former owners of Zhou’s Mongolian BBQ sold that business and moved to their current spot on Stewart Ave location under the new name. But rest assured folks, this is the same meal you ate with your friends in high school, back when the food court was the place to be.

And with the new location comes new menu options, like sushi!

The new spot has a decent sized sitting area that’s bathed in bright colors. It’s set up like a deli, so you start by going to the counter and order your food, then grab a table or go since the meals still come in Styrofoam take out containers.

I got the old staple, bourbon chicken and veggies. The chicken was chopped to the size of peanuts and very well done. It was flavorful, tender and it had nice, savory chicken taste. The veggies, which consisted of cabbage, carrots, peas and broccoli, didn’t stand out on their own and seemed to blend in with the rest of the dish. This was served on a bed of white rice.

My son said his vegetable lo mein noodles were a little oily, but that is how the dish is supposed to be so it felt right.

The shrimp tempura sushi had a good battered shrimp flavor, little crunch on the inside, soft rice on the outside. The eel sauce had its signature sweet, hickory flavor to offset the salty masago – the little orange fish eggs. Sounds gross, tastes great. The flavors all came together for a tasty little dish. I’ll get it again next time for sure.

The spring rolls were very similar to egg rolls, but the wrap was smooth and flaky. They were served very, very hot, but weren’t anything special. Still a good side side though.

Portions are huge. We got two meals for each of us out of this order, and my kid actually ate the leftovers, which is kinda rare.

This was a good, filling and quick meal, bathed in nostalgia. The new location is better because it’s not stuck in a dying mall, so I’ll end up visiting more often. I recommend Chop Stix, good food, nice place, and inexpensive sushi. You can’t go wrong.

Chop-Stix Bourbon BBQ and Sushi

2111 Stewart Ave #100, Wausau

Hours: 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday; 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sunday