I_call_the_duck

Made a big pot of chili and some cornbread. The chili was great, but the cornbread was a little undercooked.

$75?! Yikes! Yeah, the last time I ordered something without asking how much it was, the check was a surprise also. Lucky we didn't order the abalone too. But that geoduck was damn good.

Here's the dishes that Mom wrote up for us. With Ken's help, we took some of her suggestions. I don't think we even got to page two. I'm a second-generation American who assimilated too well into American culture, so sadly, I can't read Chinese.

There's this Cantonese dish I make that's literally translated into "beef rice"--ground beef with celery, peas, and onion in a brown sauce. Very basic dish, but incredible when topped off with a fried egg. Ohhhh...that runny yolky goodness. Actually, I can see the egg on top of the beef and pork sandwiches, but not so much the others. But would a fried egg on top of roast pork be considered heresy? Like John Kerry ordering a cheesesteak with Swiss cheese?

I'm intrigued by the prosciutto-wrapped hot dog. Ohhhh, and an option to top it off with an egg. I'd better bring my lipitor along.

The funny thing is that she doesn't even like to choose dishes when we're all going out as a family, so you can imagine how it was to ask her to do this for my non-Chinese friends. I'll tell Mom that you all loved her choices. Maybe she'll be more forthcoming with other dishes.

The crab/lobster was more sweet than spicy, and really good. Katie, that lamb dish was one of Mom's suggestions, so it's probably different than what you got last time you were there. It was soooo good. Mom wrote those dishes up a while ago. It was like pulling teeth. She didn't want to be held accountable for the meal in case we didn't enjoy it, despite my telling her countless times how much you all pretty much eat everything. But everything there was terrific. I asked Mr. Duck what his favorite dish was, and he couldn't decide. Nor could I. Thanks, philadining for inviting us and having this at an hour that isn't too late for us old folks!

Maybe the child too, once it gets wind of this story. OK, so here’s mine. This happened years ago, one very busy Sunday at a dim sum place in NYC Chinatown. My family and I were finishing up our meal when a family friend walks by. Our check arrives. Friend snatches it from the waiter’s hand, offering to pay. The customary “fighting over the check” ensues. Literally. Dad grabs the check back. Friend quickly takes it, turns towards the waiter, insisting on paying. Dad yells, “NOOOOOOO!”, practically wrestles her to the ground, grabs the bill, and stomps to the cashier to pay the bill. Mom is cringing in embarrassment, and my siblings and I are trying really hard not to laugh, as even a slight titter from one of us would mean serious consequences. What makes it funnier is that friend was about 4’10”, and Dad almost a foot taller than she. The restaurant, friend, and Dad have since passed, and now siblings and I laugh openly at the memory, but Mom still cringes. eta: so maybe not embarrassing for me, but I'll dedicate this post to Mom.

Percy, Thanks again for sharing your wonderful trip. I'm glad you and your wife had such a great time. Now that you're back in the States, I'm sure your family misses you. But do you think the coconut guy misses you too?

It's a toss-up.

One shouldn't read this while hungry either. Percy, Everything there looks great, especially the prawns. It's also nice to see where you got your love for eggs. I'm also interested in Indo-Chinese food in Mumbai. The combination is something I never thought about before, even though it makes perfect sense seeing the geography. What was in that dumpling in the dim sum place? Thanks for sharing your trip with us. Can't wait for more.

My money is on Ripert. ← Ripert is way too polite to have Carla calling for Gail. I think it's the new guy that is supposed to replace Ted Allen. I don't remember his name, and Bravo doesn't appear to have it on their website.

Yeah, but $100 will get you (partway) towards that Kobe Cheesesteak. No way could I justify that with my own money.

Yeah, that "green and yellow make blue" was definitely a WTF moment, but I think Fabio knew it was b-s, because he said something like, "they totally bought it." Hey, if a cute Italian man told me I was beautiful and the next thing that comes out of his mouth was "I have a bridge to sell you", I'd be out a lot of money but the proud owner of a very useless piece of paper. edited because sometimes things make more sense in my head.

Yeah, still waiting for these elusive photos that someone had to snap those beauty shots before we could even dig in. The soup was labeled tonic, so in hindsight, we should have ordered the black chicken stew. Since I don't have a bubbe but a (Chinese) mom, I liked it--it was soothing. The duck tongue tasted like...tongue...only duckier. I'd rank the Peking duck good, but I prefer Sang Kee, where they have the thin crepe-y pancakes, and also give you the duck meat. Pork belly, what's not to like? It was a little light on the preserved vegetables, which were a little milder than usual. You forgot the dumplings, which were pretty tasty. There must have been some shark fin in that crazy $400 soup too. Mom told me that good dried scallops can run about $80 a pound. Abalone ain't cheap either. The staff was super nice. Our waiter didn't blink an eye when we asked him for the other menu, and answered all our questions. I see dim sum in the near future. Maybe they have those fry carts. Mmmm...fry carts.

No pie for me. Someone hid the pie the day after (we had our Thanksgiving on Saturday), and I actually forgot we had pie until just now. Hmmm...it's time for an afternoon snack...

I call the Padre e Hijo!! Of course, I first zoomed in on the word duck. Then I had a good chuckle when I read the title. Everything does sound really good, and it sounds like a good deal.

Now if they'd only open one in Center City. Percy, since you have so much pull in Han's relocation plans, can you drop him a hint or two?

They were eggs. Traditional Cantonese fried rice does not contain soy sauce. The type that you see is American style.

Yeah, I second philadining's recommendations. I haven't explored Ken's Seafood as extensively as philadining has, but I did try the salt-baked shrimp and scallops. Both were excellent. The only thing is, I don't think they're open for lunch. And no, you don't need to buy a ticket for the Chinatown bus in advance.

The Balthazar Cookbook. I've renewed it from the library so many times I may as well buy my own copy.

What's wrong with before and after?

Make that three. Everything was great. My favorite was, anyone? Yeah, the duck. Really tasty. The xaio long bao were good. I preferred the shrimp to the pork. As good as they were though, I like the ones at Dim Sum Garden better. I'm not sure what else was in the lamb, but I did find a star anise when I was trolling the bottom of the dish for any little lamby bits. The staff was super nice. Definitely worth a return visit.

A-ha!! Exercising restraint. SO THAT'S THE TRICK!! I was just chalking it up to old age.

All suggestions are great, but I'll put my two cents in for Melograno and Casta Diva. Melograno does not take reservations, so be prepared to either go early or wait. Casta Diva makes a great gnocchi. And their duck is one of my favorite non-Chinese style ducks in the city. Hope you have a nice anniversary.