Quack Quack

Whoever thought of killing an animal, taking off it's feathers, and drying it for 10 hours...IS A GENIUS!  Last night me and the Mrs. went to went to our favorite Peking Duck place, Peking Gourmet Inn.  This restaurant is known for their Peking Duck.  They also serve other traditional Chinese dishes but the one thing that really impresses me other than the duck is their service.  Though their whole staff is made up of older Asian adults (40+ years old) they all speak English very well and they take a lot of pride in their jobs.  French services, jokes, keeping your table clean and possibly a Peking Duck pin is all part of the service that is provided at the Peking Gourmet Inn.

But this blog isn't about their service.  Every time Peking Gourmet is our destination for the night there's no question on what to order.  As soon as we sit down the first thing we tell the server is, "One duck please."  And if we decide to order anything else we'll tell the server when they return from putting in our duck order.  The duck will usually take about 15-20 minutes to come out so it's best if you order an appetizer.  We usually get the fried dumplings but most of their appetizers are usually good.

After you've finished your appetizer and you're ready for your duck, a carver will come out and carve your duck right in front of you.  Don't be anxious because their carvers are pretty fast.  First they start with the skin, carefully slicing about 3 inch strips off making sure they don't take too much fat off.  After the skins is taken off they scrape all the nasty fat off the duck exposing the breast.  The breast is then sliced thinly just like the skin and put on the plate for you.  When they finish the first plate it's given to you and you can start your duck journey.  Typically the duck is served with julienne green onion, hoison sauce, and their homemade...I guess they're crepes?  Well they look like crepes to me.  In addition you can ask for green chilis in soy sauce and julienne cucumbers.  I always get the chilis but the cucumbers don't tickle my fancy.

If you've never had duck before the server will assemble one for you.  Pretty much you just wrap up all the ingredients in the crepe and enjoy.  You can assemble your duck anyway you want.  I've seen people just fold it in half, roll it up like a burrito, split the crepe in half to get more or enjoy every ingredient separately.  Whatever way you make yours just keep in mind that the sauce makes the dish.  Eating it without the sauce is like breathing without air.  So please put the sauce on!

When I was in culinary school we were always taught to eat duck medium rare.  In this case the duck is completely well done.  The way the duck is cooked keeps the breast meat very moist and I've never gotten a dry duck there before which is pretty ironic because the duck is actually hung dry for about 10 hours total.  That's how the skin gets so crispy.  One thing a lot of people don't understand is when you want to make something crispy you need to dry it out.

For example, want to make crostinis or pita chips but don't a deep fryer?  Get some sandwich bread or pita bread and cut it into the shapes you want.  Toss with a little bit of oil, herbs and salt and pepper and pop it into a 325 degree oven for about 14 minutes or so.  Why not 350 or 375?  The low heat will not burn your bread, it will dry it out.  Put the oven any higher and you'll get crispy outside but soft middle and that is NOT a crostini.

One duck cost $38 and you usually have to make a reservation, it's all worth it.  If you don't make reservations then you'll be sitting at the host stand for about 20 min with everybody else who didn't make reservations on a Thursday night.  But as you stand their waiting for your table you'll notice A LOT of pictures on the wall.  You'll see pictures of famous actors, politicians, TV stars, and even President Bush.  This place was also featured on the Food Network show "Best Thing I Ever Ate" by Ace of Cake's Duff Goldman.  This is definitely a place I would recommend if you've never had Peking Duck before.  The food and the service will make your first experience memorable.    

 bien manger
-cwis