Phoenix Garden

[eatpie]

Not sure if there is a new chef at Phoenix Garden but my dinner there last night was an epiphany. I've been to PG at least 20x and consider it to be consistently good (not great) albeit a bit expensive. For me, it's chinatown quality, non-gringo Cantonese food in Midtown...a scarce commodity worthy of the premium price tag. That said, the quality last night was by far and away the best it has ever been.

The place was jamming. A back room (that I have never seen) was filled with large Chinese parties of 10, every seat in the main dining room was occupied and there were even two small tables in the foyer where the bathroom and kitchen doors are.

I dined around 830pm on Sunday nite.

Last night's meal:

Apps:

Honey Spare Ribs: meaty ribs, fall off the bone tender.

Steamed Chive Dumplings: Delicious dense, fresh dumplings

Entrees:

Sauteed Scallops with Young Chives: chives mixed beautifully with perfectly cooked, fresh and tender scallops.

Minced Squab with Lettuce Wraps: Fantastic dish, Squab was tender and melted in your mouth...even the baby wings garnishing the plate were tender.

Pepper and Salt Prawns: Ironically, their signature dish was a weak spot..kitchen nailed it (fried and seasoned perfectly) but the shrimp were not fresh...too fishy.

Sizzling Beef: Tender, melt in your mouth beef served in an iron pot with slivers of garlic, ginger and chives...perfect.

1/2 Peking Duck ($19): Worked out to be 6 wraps. Pancake was soft and fresh, the duck tender and flavorful and shredded cucumbers added a nice touch. Again, a fantastic dish prepared meticulously.

Sauteed Snow Pea Pods: These were great but are the leaves in season yet?

Roast Pork Fried Rice: Light and just right

Precious Eight Chow Fun: Bland, but every element of the dish was well executed by the kitchen

Meal worked out to be $122 without a tip and it's byob.

[Bux]

I'm assuming that meal fed at least six people based on 6 dishes plus appetizers and noodles and rice.

[eatpie]

Actually, it fed 5.

We were all loving the meal and were still hungry so we ordered the 1/2 Peking Duck and Sizzling Beef for a 2nd round.

[Pan]

Thanks for the review, Eatpie. Do you have any other favorite Chinese places in Manhattan (or Queens)?

[eatpie]

Im pretty much a run-of-the mill Noodletown, New Green Bo, Fulleen, Goody's, Vegetarian Paradise, Sweet N' Tart guy or Dim Sum at Triple Eight (for the sheer rush of it) or an occasional trip to Dim Sum Go-Go.

I tend to gravitate towards consistency in Chinatown rather than adventure. All that being said, my meal at PG was one of the finest Chinese I have had...period.

[schmooty]

For anybody that has never been to Phoenix Garden, I would highly recommend

checking it out. It has pretty much ruined me for almost any other chinese food. I

have eaten there about 10 times in the last year, and never had a bad meal. The prices

are reasonable, and the staff quite friendly. It's on 40th betw. 2/3rd. Some of my

favorite dishes are the pork chops peking style, shrimp with lobster sauce, and

the half crispy duck. You really can't go wrong when ordering here. The food is

cantonese style, and much lighter than traditional chinese food. Every dish has

it's own distinct flavor unlike many chinese restaurants that serve every dish

in some sort of brown sauce. Also, no matter how much we order, the bill is always

in the $20-25 range per person.

-Al

[irongut]

Is this the same Phoenix Garden that used to be in chinatown in the alleyway by the police station on Elizabeth St. ? Same alley that houses some thai restaurant and Yummy Noodle. Sounds like a great place to get cantonese food away from the hustle of chinatown.

[marcus]

Is this the same Phoenix Garden that used to be in chinatown in the alleyway by the police station on Elizabeth St. ?  Same alley that houses some thai restaurant and Yummy Noodle.  Sounds like a great place to get cantonese food away from the hustle of chinatown.

Yes, it was right across from the Malaysia restaurant. It's probably around 10 years since they moved out. My initial impression was that after the move, the price went up and the quality down. More recently, there have been a number of positive reviews making me think that its worth another try.

Edited May 17, 2004 by marcus (log)

[Bux]

We've eaten in the Phoenix Garden on East 40th Street a few time with friends who live in the area, but not recently. Thus I can't comment on the current quality, but my understanding is that this place is owned and run by the son of the Chinatown Phoenix Garden owners who opened a place in Fort Lee when they closed the one in Chinatown. I won't swear to this, but my recollection is that this comes from a conversation with the owner. While I can't comment on the current state of the food, the quality was excellent when we ate there years ago. As we live within walking distance of Chinatown, it's rare that we'll go out of our way to eat Chinese food elsewhere--places such as Vancouver or China are an exception.

[irongut]

Is this the same Phoenix Garden that used to be in chinatown in the alleyway by the police station on Elizabeth St. ?  Same alley that houses some thai restaurant and Yummy Noodle.  Sounds like a great place to get cantonese food away from the hustle of chinatown.

Yes, it was right across from the Malaysia restaurant. It's probably around 10 years since they moved out. My initial impression was that after the move, the price went up and the quality down. More recently, there have been a number of positive reviews making me think that its worth another try.

Wow, I didn't realize they moved to midtown. I thought phoenix garden in C Town just bit the dust. I remember really enjoying the food there when i was younger at c Town prices. I'm curious to revisit the place again. Does anyone know what the main clientele at Phoenix Garden is ? (Business types,asian,Gwe Lo) Just curious to see why they decided to move out of chinatown and attract a different type of clientele. Maybe there's just too much competition in chinatown.

[Bux]

Wow, I didn't realize they moved to midtown. I thought phoenix garden in C Town just bit the dust. I remember really enjoying the food there when i was younger at c Town prices. I'm curious to revisit the place again. Does anyone know what the main clientele at Phoenix Garden is ? (Business types,asian,Gwe Lo) Just curious to see why they decided to move out of chinatown and attract a different type of clientele. Maybe there's just too much competition in chinatown.

As I posted above, it's my understanding that they didn't move to midtown. They closed the Chinatown restaurant and opened one in Fort Lee, NJ. Sometime later the son of the original owners opened the restaurant in midtown.

[eatpie]

The midtown branch of PG may have been originally opened by the son-of-owner but there is zero doubt who runs the show now. DAD's the man. Dad's an old fashioned, no-nonsense, hands-on owner. Most importanly, he's a tremendous food enthusiast. He takes most of the dinner orders himself and always makes suggestions when solicited. Inevitably, I crack a wise ass comment that manages to piss him off...its been an unplanned (and unfortunate) ritual of mine for a decade. Somehow, I still feel like a proud child when he approves my order (I need therapy). For a few years the son was out of the biz. I think he went to SF during the internet gold rush. Now, the wife and son are usually at PG but its all about Pops since the NJ branch closed 7-10 years ago.

The crowd at PG is usually 50-75% Chinese. They have 2 large tables towards the back of the place that accomodate 8-10(?) which are almost always exclusively Chinese diners.

PG is by no means cheap. Its easily 2-3x the cost of Chinatown and I can't recall them ever accepting credit cards.

My mother tipped me off about PG after hearing about them on Arthur Schwartz's WOR show. At the time, I worked around the corner and used to do their luncheon specials weekly. Their lunch menu changes frequently and runs about $15 when all is said and done. Once I got to a place where I could afford dinner at PG, lunch became a rare occurence.

[hitmanoo]

PG is by no means cheap.  Its easily 2-3x the cost of Chinatown and I can't recall them ever accepting credit cards.

I have to disagree. PG may be a tad more expensive than some of the run of the mill eateries in chinatown, but it is still so affordable when compared to the standard price of a meal in Manhattan.

I haven't been to PG in too long, but I'm psyched to have made plans to go back tonight. I'm not sure of other good restaurants where a group of people can go to dine, have a plethora of dishes to share, and wind up spending about $20 per person. And at that price, I've never left unsatisfied, or not feeling like I've eaten my fill.

As far as Chinese food goes in Manhattan, PG may not be considered "fine dining," but the food is always spectacular. The staff goes out of their way to help you order. They steer you towards foods that they know through experience will be palatable to the clientelle ordering the dishes. They don't screw you by ordering too much or too little.

Friendly staff, great food, helpful service, and for an average of $20 per person. You really can't do better than Phoenix Garden for a casual Chinese dinner.

note: part of what helps to keep the price down is that PG is BYOB

Recommended dishes:

Aps:

Ribs

Salt & Pepper Shrimp

Main Dishes

Pork Chops Peking Style

Crispy Duck