Hahah If there is an authentic Chinese Restaurant in the midwest, I’d be beyond amazed. Maybe a city like Chicago might have one or two hidden somewhere, but I don’t think any other area is going to have one.
Midwest is about American Comfort Food, period. I am sure there is a stray immigrant somewhere in a city here an there that manages to stay in business being authentic, but they are insanely rare.
Once you hit OHIO heading west, other than a rare find in a major metro area... or in a heavy immigrant neighborhood of a bigger city... Food that folks enjoy is largely the same things folks were eating in the 1950s. Meat, potatoes and dairy, as far as the eye can see.
This isn’t a bad thing mind you, but it is how things just are there.
Actually, there used to be a couple in Indiana. One in Carmel and the other on the West Side of Indianapolis. The Sichuan Restaurant in Carmel had a menu for Americans and a seperate menu for Chinese - I always ordered from the Chinese menu and the food was just like the stuff I used to eat when I lived in Chengdu.
The other restaurant was named Yummy Chinese. I only ate there one time and the food was really good. They had photos of Yao Ming on their wall from when he was in town to play against the Pacers.
Sadly, the Sichuan Restaurant only serves the Americanized Chinese food these days and the Yummy Chinese has long since closed. Now I would have to go to Chicago and I don't do Chicago.