Tea-smoked Duck at Spring World

Yesterday, I took eatchicago's advice and headed to Spring World for the $3.95 lunch special and enjoyed great success. We tried the Ma Po Tofu and Chicken with Hot Pepper. Quite a nice midweek lunch. So, being the hedonist that I am, I was back for more tonight, searching out some more treasures. Trixie and I tried the Beef with Bitter melon as well as the Szechuan Tea-Smoked Duck. Being a bitter melon nut, I immensely enjoyed the dish, even though the melon was a bit overcooked and on the mushy side. Still very tasty. But the highlight for us was the duck. This was a very subtle and clean flavor that enhanced, not masked the duck itself. And though I found the duck to be a bit fatty(no more so than any other asian duck I've had), it clearly didn't ruin this dish in the least. For Trixie, the highlight was the smokey fat itself. A nice little treat, especially for carryout .

Spring World
2109 Archer St. China Place
(312) 326-9966

PIGMON wrote: But the highlight for us was the duck.

Yes. This is a highlight. I'll have to remember to order the duck next time I am at Spring World.

I'm going to have to differ with my esteemed colleagues on the tea smoked duck. While most of the other dishes I've had at Spring World have been unambigous crowd pleasers (with the notable exception of the stinky tofu) after multiple tries, I've never found their rendition of tea smoked duck to be that appealing. Way too much fat, extreme contrasts between over fried tough edges and unappetizing stringy meat: overall, blech. Although I haven't had it in a while, I vastly preferred the tea smoked duck at Lao Sze Chuan.

Don't get me wrong, i like fat! We had a pork belly over mustard greens at Mandarin Kitchen this week that knocked my socks off with its unctuous lardiness, but the duck fat under the tea smoked skin would have been better off rendered.

Seth Zurer wrote:Although I haven't had it in a while, I vastly preferred the tea smoked duck at Lao Sze Chuan.

I'm with you, Seth. The LSC version has always been vastly superior to my tastes, although I don't really dislike Spring World's that much. LSC is just hard to beat on some dishes.

Glad you enjoyed the lunch Pigmon. Spring World's lunch special is a real treasure.

Best,
Michael / EC

I haven't had the tea-smoked duck at Spring World, but I'll concur that Lao Sze Chuan's is sublime. I usually get it at the Palatine location.

After reading the responses to Pigmon's initial post - we of course needed to try the LSC version of tea smoked duck. I can't say that I liked one better than the other because what they have to offer are very different. The Spring World duck's meat is smokier, more tender, than the LSC duck meat. However, the skin/fat layer at LSC was crispier, better seasoned, and better rendered than the Spring World duck skin, which was a little rubbery and dense*. The LSC duck meat, while flavorful (from seasoning), was a bit drier, and less intensely ducky.

So in my ideal duck world, my tea smoked duck would bear the crispy LSC skin, and the tender smoky meat of Spring World.

trixie-pea

*I still enjoyed it, despite the rubbery blubber.

Sounds like it's time to consider a Chinese Duck outing. Would be kind of fun to try out some attempts in chinatown. What do you think?

PIGMON wrote:Sounds like it's time to consider a Chinese Duck outing. Would be kind of fun to try out some attempts in chinatown. What do you think?

They don't call me Duck's Bitch for nothing. I'm in.

stevez wrote:

PIGMON wrote:Sounds like it's time to consider a Chinese Duck outing. Would be kind of fun to try out some attempts in chinatown. What do you think?

They don't call me Duck's Bitch for nothing. I'm in.

Not tea smoked, but BBQ King in the Chinatown Mall has a 10 course Peking Duck dinner that I've always wanted to try. That's one suggestion.

[missing word ammeded]

rob

Mmmmmm.... duck. [recited in proper Homer intonation]

I'll go.

Giovanna

Heck, I'd eat my own hand if you could convince me it was part of a duck. I'm in for anything duck-related.

There's a few tea-smoked and plenty of Peking, Roast, or BBQ options in and out of Chinatown (Sun Wah immediately comes to mind for me). This would be an interesting tasting to line up.

Another idea, instead of a "a-thon" would be to do a regular monthly duck outing, similar to the evanston lunch group. Like "Third Wednesday Duck Outing". Just a thought.

Quack,
Michael / EC

I was thinking about doing a "duck open" in Chinatown; for convenience sake. Would be kinda nice to get 3-5 selections in and around the Plaza and have them in the Gazebo. Midweek lunch. That sort of thing. Just a thought.

PIGMON wrote:I was thinking about doing a "duck open" in Chinatown; for convenience sake. Would be kinda nice to get 3-5 selections in and around the Plaza and have them in the Gazebo. Just a thought.

That works great. The "Events" board is calling your name, PIGMON!