still good, but pricey. another one of those gems it is so easy to overlook as we rush to therestaurantof the month, the plate of the week, the newest eatery in town - and we revisited this excellent place last night as a part of our recent effort to reconnect with old favorities.
the food remains as good as ever, though pricey. the chicken lettuce wraps ($7.95) and the pork pot stickers (among my very favorite versions) were excellent ($6.25) - the chicken wrap was a huge portion, we ask for, and received, additional lettuce to finish it up - of course they charged us 50 cents more for the extra lettuce - really not cool at the prices they charge.
the beijing roast duck ($21) was very nice, and plenty of it, as well. the version here is close to the classic, though the skin is not as nearly crispy as the best versions i've tried. they include steamed buns with this dish, rather than chinese style pancakes most often seen with this dish, as well as moo shu pork - makes it rather bready.
the dragon's nest ($22) and the ba ba black lamb ($17.50) are both nice dishes, but the nest in particular is simply overpriced. their kirin on draft is $5 a glass, and their large sake is $6, and for $6 you get a "kid's" fried rice with a piece of beef or two. - so nothing here is inexpensive.
the place is showing a little wear now, and the booths (to the far right and far left as you enter) are small and uncomfortable, and they will insist on jamming as many as they can into those area, while the roomier tables in the center are mainly free. the booth areas are therefore noisy, and don't provide a particularly relaxed and enjoyable dining experience.
i do enjoy the food here (most of it anyway), but i'm less impressed than i've been about the overall dining experience here, especially when it is crowded and thus, noisy - and the pricing here has made this a less attractive place, to me at least. these prices should carry an aspect of "fine dining", and i didn't experience that. i've actually dropped my rating because of these things. still like it, just not as much.
-----01 jun, 2011-----
reall nice place. i really like almost everything they do here, especially since they added sushi, beijing roast duck, and the dragon nest, among other items. they had one of the best eclectic asian menus in the area even before adding some new ones over the last several years. and they manage to pull off the variety of cuisines in grand fashion, partnered with excellent, knowledge service, and pleasing decor - not a simple task.
now to the "pacific" dishes: the sushi is simply excellent, in this area, rivaled only by imperial koi, imo. the apps that i really like are the crispy calamari (nice heat), fire cracker shrimp (ditto), pot stickers, and the scallion pie can be quite nice, if not over cooked. they have a spicy tofu dish that is worth trying.
the beijing duck is nice, authentic, and no order ahead required - so cool, and so big city. the mongolian beef is nice, but mild; the kung pao chicken has nice spice, and flavor, and the dragons nest is an interesting collection of seafood, chicken, and vegetables in a potato nest - i love potato nests. who knew you could make a delivery vehicle for a menu item out of potato - no heat here, but you do get your own potato nest.
holding court at the hot end of the menu is asian jalepeno beef (you gotta try it, it is close to three pepper beef at china palace in derm); the beef sha cha is generally good, but a touch inconsistent on heat, and tenderness; and, finally, the ba ba black lamb is a must for heat eaters - i know, i know, you just don't see that much lamb on asian menus, but this is a nice change, and done well.
don't know about their desserts, i've never had room, or regrets