Chinese New Year - anything special in Chinatown?

[bsims]

Anyone know of any special offerings during the Chinese new year in Philly's Chinatown this year?

[boggah]

Joe Poon Original 1984 Located at 2nd and Chestnut has quite of a deal for 36.50. The food is pretty tasty there too. New Years

Edited January 13, 2009 by boggah (log)

[RichyRich]

Tell us about this amazing deal...What do we get?

[boggah]

1st Course

Crispy stuffed crab claw with vermicelli in tangy Thai chili essence

Second Course

Wok Sealed Lobster, ground pork and Chinese mushroom dumpling in Hung Yu dip

Third Course

Happy Union Family Dinner

Healthy Stir fried white meat chicken, tender beef medallion, Honest glaze B-B-Q pork, asparagus and Asian greens in Demi-Glace Szechuan garlic

Fourth Course

Kung Bao Scallop with color pepper and shallot in crispy rice noodle in

Roman lettuce wrap

Fifth Course

Crispy Peking Duck bun with sliced jicama and spring onion with

merlot hoisin sesame sauce

Sixth Course

Fresh Basil Seafood Combo Longevity Pad Thai with

Canadian little necks, ocean scallop, Tiger jumbo shrimp, New Orleans crawfish, jumbo green mussels and Chinese flower calamari with

Pad Thai noodle

Seventh course

Double Happiness

Two whole fresh Lobsters in homemade chili tomato mirin essence

Eighth Course

Lucky Crispy Prosperity Fishes

Striped Bass and Tilapia Filet in fresh ginger, green chives and cilantro with light ginger spicy teriyaki sauce and saffron lobster essence

Ninth Course

Golden Year of the Ox fried rice in fresh pineapple bowl

with tender beef marinade, scallop and chicken with golden egg and

diced green onion

Tenth Course

Healthy Green Tea, and Chocolate Crunch cheese cake

Honeydew Tapioca Coconut Honey Soup

(a tasty traditional Chinese Special Banquet Dessert)

[Jeff L]

This is a fun place if you go with lots of people. I went to a DDC dinner last year that was held there and enjoyed it very much. My only complaint was that it was pretty tight seating..there might have been 50-60 people.

[Rich Pawlak]

This is a fun place if you go with lots of people. I went to a DDC dinner last year that was held there and enjoyed it very much. My only complaint was that it was pretty tight seating..there might have been 50-60 people.

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Actually, Jeff, it was 72 folks give or take a few. TIGHT quarters, true, but way fun too.

[cwdonald]

This is a fun place if you go with lots of people. I went to a DDC dinner last year that was held there and enjoyed it very much. My only complaint was that it was pretty tight seating..there might have been 50-60 people.

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Actually, Jeff, it was 72 folks give or take a few. TIGHT quarters, true, but way fun too.

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Wasn't the DDC dinner held at Joe's catering facility in Chinatown? Joe's new restaurant is in Old City.

[philadining]

A lot of restaurants have New Years banquet menus and you can just arrange to have it sometime around the date. That exact day (the 26th this year) will probably be pretty crazed, but most places will still do a special dinner for a week or two. You generally want to have a decent-sized group, it's hard to have a banquet for two people...

[RichyRich]

Is it BYOB?

[Jeff L]

Is it BYOB?

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No, at least the place we had the DDC dinner in Chinatown wasn't. Somehow that didn't prevent me from "finding" a few nice rieslings though.

[percyn]

Had a Chinese New Year dinner at Sang Kee last year and it was BYO and great.

[philadining]

A few of us dropped by Ken's Seafood and had an impromptu New Year's dinner. It was a bit of a mash-up of a set banquet menu they're used to serving and some special requests from us for some favorites. Special thanks to I Call the Duck! (or more accurately, her mom) for making a list of some special dishes to request.

House Soup - Watercress and Pork Bone

(Not really part of a New Year's banquet, just the soup they were serving that day, but it was delicious...)

Pan Fried Dumplings

Geoduck (Giant Clam) Sashimi

Fried Geoduck Bellies with Eggplant

Salt and Pepper Live Shrimp

Peking Duck

Pork Belly with Preserved Vegetables

Lamb with Mushroom Clay Pot

Shimp-Stuffed Tofu with Conch

Sautéed Flounder

Lobster and Dungeness Crab with Chile Sauce

Chinese Broccoli with Chinese Sausage and Ham

Fried Rice with Dried Scallop, Dried Shrimp and Sausage

Sweet Bean Soup

I was very pleased with this meal,and got the sense the others were too. Everything was quite delicious, and nicely varied. I was surprised how much I liked the flounder, it was very simple, but elegant and somehow almost buttery-tasting. Both courses of giant clam were really good, but the fried bellies were especially noteworthy, like the best fried clams ever, amplified. But I thoroughly enjoyed all of it, except for the couple of things I couldn't eat, but I was assured by my tablemates that those were quite good as well.

So thanks to Ken for coming up with a great menu (and to Karen's mom for kibitzing.) And bigger thanks to the chefs at Ken's...

[KatieLoeb]

Mmmmmm. The pictures are far easier to see posted here than in the dim light of my bar on your camera. Everything looks delicious! Flounder and clam courses look particularly interesting. The lamb and mushroom casserole has far less broth than the almost fondue like Hot Pot version I had there last week. But also looks tasty in a more stew-ey and less soupy way. Was the Lobster and Crab dish particularly spicy? That would be a departure from my usual experience with Ken's kitchen - always well seasoned and savory, but rarely actually spicy hot (with the exception of their stellar Hot and Sour soup).

[philadining]

We'd asked if they could do a spicy crab, and it ended up being very tasty, and only a little spicy. Ken told us that they don't usually make it like that, but did an experiment for us. I thought it was quite good, if a little messy!

[I_call_the_duck]

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!

[Andrew Fenton]

Mama Duck did good! As did Ken, of course; it was a terrific meal.

I enjoyed all the dishes, but the big surprises were the soup (simple, nourishing, satisfying) and the fried clam belly. I only wish I could get something that good on the beach in Cape Cod...

[I_call_the_duck]

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.

[shacke]

I was at the Chinese Cultural Center last night for a 10 course banquet. They have visiting chefs from the Expo Garden Hotel in China - Yun Nan province - until the end of the dinners April 30th. The menu changes monthly.

It was an interesting experience. We were the only table last night and the dinner was surprisingly bland. Perhaps they were afraid to experiment for what may be a largely expected americian clientele? The host said that next month the menu will be spicier so if you go - definitely wait until the menu changes. I am sure these 3 chefs can do some special things if unleashed in the kitchen.

It was a bit surreal at times, the quiet of the meal being cut by the occasional showing of pro-china tourism videos. At one point one of the chefs came out playing what was the chinese homologue of the recorder. An attempt to introduce the non-chinese to China I guess - given where we were.

Anyway - here is the menu for the month. The website is chinesecc.com for more information - $48 cash for dinner.

Yunnan royal family cold platter (cold sliced pork,sweetened pork ribs, satay)

Yunnan steam pot chicken soup.

Shrimp with tiger claw mushroom and cashew.

Roast Chicken ethnic minority specialty

Beef slices with kumquat

Yunnan Roast duck (really just plain fried duck)

Orange flavor fish balls with onion rings

Eggplant ethnic minority specialty.

seasonal green with chinese wolf berry

Chefs special sweet treasures (think yam tempura)

These dishes were really tame both in terms of power and interest. The soup was terrific as were the fish balls. The 'ethnic minority' special is basically a sweet marinade with some chill pepper. It worked really well with the eggplant and less wwell with the ubersized drumsticks.

Definitely an experience and not a bank breaker. Gulleteers should wait til the menu changes.

Edited January 31, 2009 by shacke (log)

[I_call_the_duck]

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.

Edited January 31, 2009 by I_call_the_duck (log)

[KatieLoeb]

Karen:

Even though I sadly missed that dinner, please thank your mom for me. This has been quite interesting and educational!!

[Greg Ling]

That Geoduck at Ken's is good but at $75 a pop it is pricey. Ordered two of those once without knowing the price. That check was a surprise.

[philadining]

Yeah, some of the more exotic stuff can get up there, so you definitely have to be careful if you get geoduck, or abalone or shark's fin, etc.

The geoduck is good to share among a decent-sized group to spread the expense, although that tactic also creates some bitter fighting over the fried bellies...

[I_call_the_duck]

$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.

[SyntaxPC]

I was at the Chinese Cultural Center last night for a 10 course banquet.  They have visiting chefs from the Expo Garden Hotel in China - Yun Nan province - until the end of the dinners April 30th.  The menu changes monthly.

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Is this Chinese Cultural Center event BYOB?

[shacke]

I was at the Chinese Cultural Center last night for a 10 course banquet.  They have visiting chefs from the Expo Garden Hotel in China - Yun Nan province - until the end of the dinners April 30th.  The menu changes monthly.

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Is this Chinese Cultural Center event BYOB?

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yes