Last April we joined our dear friends Mel & Juan at their traditional family gathering spot for special occasions, PEKING GOURMET INN (www.pekinggourmet.com) on Leesburg Pike in Falls Church, VA. Last night we joined them again for an even more fabulous Chinese dining experience, even better than last time. We did order a number of the same dishes, but also tried some new ones.
The FRIED CHINESE LEEK DUMPLINGS are not to be missed and you can choose to dip them in soy sauce or a soy/vinegar combo, but best is the creamy sweet garlic paste that just seems to be the best condiment around.
The SZECHUAN CABBAGE is simple and cold and not too spicy, so I added some of the marinated Chinese chili peppers, which were pretty mild as well this time around--a nice combination in the end. Once can not skip the presentation of the PEKING DUCK which is such a treat here, and our servers did it great justice! The Chinese scallions are grown on the owner's own farm in Purcelville, VA. The duck is as tender as can be and the skin is crispy and luscious. Wrap this up in the pancake with a dab of plum sauce and you are in heaven. Our other entrees were WALNUT CHICKEN which is prepared with battered chicken breast pieces in a tangy glaze (somewhat akin to sweet & sour) and served with yummy candied walnuts. Again the menu indicates this is spicy, but I thought not at all.
The SINGAPORE RICE NOODLES are an excellent choice for a bit of spice and are delicate rice noodles in a very light curry sauce, almost a film rather than a sauce.
SZECHUAN BEEF comes looking like branches of shredded beef and has that wonderful crunchy texture and a good amount of spice while the BLACK PEPPER BEEF is huge chunks of beef in a slightly spicy peppery sauce and coating.
The top dish here besides the duck will always be the JEO-YEN SHRIMP which one of us said was "like sex in my mouth." They are the best battered shrimp anywhere and come with that superb light coconut flavor.
Another seasonal treat is the GARLIC SPROUTS also from the Purcellville farm and we chose them STIR FRIED with PORK. While you can get them with shrimp or chicken, I think their strength really calls for the pork to equalize the intensity of the tasty sprout.
We needed to skip dessert, but our hosts brought a magnificent GERMAN CHOCOLATE CAKE procured from Desserts by Gerard in Oxon Hill, which we all devoured despite being so full. Sam gets to have a taste tonight! The wines were superb as well with a FOLEY 2005 SANTA RITA HILLS Pinot Noir and a 2004 SIMI Russian River Chardonnay going so well with everything.
But, boy do I need a rest before Thanksgiving. HAVE A WONDERFUL HOLIDAY!
