kuhdo wrote:Once a staple of American/"Jewish" Chinese restaurants, it's now harder to find (probably because it takes extra time to prepare). New China on Dempster in Skokie still has it on the menu, so does Far East on Diversey (both were pretty good last time I had them) . My favorite version was at the long gone Wing Yee on Clark St. which was actually known for that dish. Orange garden and possibly even Won Kow in Chinatown may have it as well.

Kow Kow also has it on the menu as well as China Chef in Morton Grove, who offers it in two different versions.

Thanks, all. Have a great weekend!

I'm not even sure if this place is still around, YoYoPedro. But several years ago, after Evil Ronnie mentioned the dish on another board in a land far far away, I found an Almond Pressed Duck at Lin's out on Milwaukee Avenue almost in Niles. Rather than the usual sweet and sour sauce, it was covered with a Chinese American style brown gravy and served over iceberg lettuce.

It didn't knock my socks off by any means. But, it did serve itself well as a blast from the past.

Lin's Garden Restaurant
6556 N Milwaukee Ave
Chicago, IL 60631
773-631-2185

I'm hoping to find it somewhere downtown, suburbs scare me.

YoYoPedro wrote:I'm hoping to find it somewhere downtown, suburbs scare me.

Though too far (and probably
too scary), a place in Gary/Miller (Indiana)
called Ming Ling serves Pressed Chicken -
impossibly tender yet still with some crunch
to the breading - with the same brown sauce
mentioned above. They probably have
Pressed Duck as well.

It (Pressed Duck) was also on the menu
at Trader Vic's (at the Palmer House),
though I never gave it a try. I'm not even
sure if it is still in operation.

Just a couple data points.

As I recall, when Wing Yee closed in the late 1970's they talked about the "other restaurant" they had in Morton Grove...could China Chef be it I wonder? If so the pressed duck might be excellent!

Ususally , if given advance request (call ahead in am) <b>Lao Sze Chuan </b>will make a wondering Peking Duck.
Ask for Tony, if he's not available- just give them your name- and what time you'll be there.

They serve it w/ the shredded scallions and "tortillas" as well...

Lao Sze Chuan
Tony Hu / President
2172 Soth Archer
Chicago,ILL

312.326.5040

kuhdo wrote: If so the pressed duck might be excellent!

It is. And the alternative Shanghai style has shredded pork and veggies on top to guild the lily, so to speak.

A few years ago I had it at Dragonfly on Gold Coast with the bao instead of the pancakes - both bao and pancakes with the Peking duck are very yummy! Did not require any advance notice.

Someone just suggested I post addresses, so here is the new Dragonfly address - looks like they moved.

From their website:
http://www.dragonflymandarin.com/location.htm
Dragonfly Mandarin
832 W. Randolph St., Chicago, IL 60607
TEL: (312) 787-7600

Open 7 days a week . 11:00 am ~ 11:00 pm
Reservations recommended . Valet & Street parking available
Carry Out & Delivery available

And here is the menu item:
dreaming roast duck
chef's special recipe
for his version of the peking duck;
marinated boneless half duck,
served with hoisin sauce,
scallions and folded steamed buns
17

Anyone know of good peking duck with buns or pancakes in the suburbs without advanced notice?

luvtoeat wrote:Anyone know of good peking duck with buns or pancakes in the suburbs without advanced notice?

They have a "Cantonese Roast Duck"
with steamed buns et al. on the menu
at P.F. Chang's, but man was it
BAD. (I actually was surprised by
this, since I maintain that most of
their menu can hold it's own or even
best a great many Americanized
Chinese places around - with
actual veggies and pineapple
in the Sweet and Sour goo,
tasty shrimp dumplings and
one of the best Hot 'n' Sour
Soups). But this duck dish
embodies all the loathesome
fear conjured by the spectre of
Mall-Chinese "food". The buns
were like flavorless marshmallows,
or how I imagine foam insulation
to taste. The other components
were either less memorable, or
maybe those memories are being
actively repressed.

I ran across this thread looking for Evanston dinner options (of all queries) and was surprised to note that it hasn't been updated since 2006.

Suffice it to say that Sun Wah on Argyle is offering a 3 course Peking Duck service with 6 hour advance notice. Many pictures and opinions can be found in the linked thread. I shared this once with 3 friends and found it to be very good, the first pancake course and tableside carving being the real highlight.

If only I could see this meal in HD video!

Seriously, I plan to set up a Peking duck dinner as soon as I'm off jury duty, assuming that there are two or three people who have been made hungry for it by now...

Hi,
I am having lunch with a friend tomorrow. I work in the Loop but we have a car. My quick review of posts indicates that Sun Wah has the best Peking duck. Chinatown is much closer to my office in the Loop. Can one get outstanding Peking Duck in Chinatown? I have heard about House of Fortune. If anyone sees this post request, can you kindly respond by Thursday morning?

Thanks much.

RDSChicago

Ming Hin can do it with a bit of advance notice (a couple of hours should be plenty). I haven't had it but have had similar items there that were great--might want to check out that thread to have a look.

http://www.lthforum.com/bb/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=30354&hilit=ming+hin

Good luck!

RDSChicago wrote:Can one get outstanding Peking Duck in Chinatown?

Its been a while since I've had it there so can't comment on outstanding or not, but Lao Beijing in Chinatown Sq has three course Peking Duck on the menu. I've not had Peking Duck at Ming Hin, but Ming Hin is solidly in my Chinatown rotation. B's suggestion to call ahead about Peking duck is good advice.

I also recommend BBQ King House in the chinatown mall.

BBQ King House
2148 S. Archer Avenue
(between 21st St & Cermak Rd)
Chicago, IL 60616

While not as good as Sun Wah (I don't think any Chinese BBQ is), it is very good. Also, as with most places, Peking Duck needs to be ordered in advance, this place usually says a day in advance though I have gotten it same day a few times (ordered in the early afternoon for dinner).

We chose Ming Hin to try Peking Duck, which they call Beijing Duck. I have to say that the first course with the pancakes was disappointing. The skin was not that crisp to the extent that you could chew it but it really wouldn't break up into small, crispy pieces. And there was literally no duck meat attached to the skin so it was just skin. The buns, however, in lieu of the usual pancakes, were fantastic!

Now for the good:

1) The second duck course was a stir fried duck which was extremely tasty. It came with some celery and other vegetables in a garlicky translucent sauce. Very good.

2) We tried the barbecua Macao pork cheeks. This was far and away the best part of the meal. Small square morsels with layers of crispy coating, meat and fat. All just dissolved in your mouth. There was a bowlful of sugar to dip the cheeks into. Sounds kind of weird but added to the flavor.

3) Finally, we had a traditional soup with thin egg noodles, BBQ pork and shrimp won-tons. The broth was rich and the ingredients all top notch.

The atmosphere was very nice and upscale compared to most restaurants in the area.

I would definitely go back there, but for Peking Duck, I still need to try Sun Wa, which seems to be the undisputed favorite among the good people visiting this site. If anyone has any additional input on the subject of Peking duck, at Ming Hin or othe restaurants, please do chime in.

We were planning to go to Sun Wah for a friend's special birthday celebration this Thursday (9/12) night but called to find out that they are closed on Thursdays! We can't switch the date because it was hard enough to arrange this date. Does anyone have a suitable substitution for some great crunchy duck on the north side? Thanks in advance.

Diane wrote:Does anyone have a suitable substitution for some great crunchy duck on the north side? Thanks in advance.

Hon Kee (1064 W Argyle) has crispy duck, and is open on Thursdays. It's only a block from Sun Wah, so wouldn't require changing your original plans much. I cannot, however, make any claims that it's great, or the best crispy duck available.

bweiny wrote:Hon Kee (1064 W Argyle) has crispy duck, and is open on Thursdays. It's only a block from Sun Wah, so wouldn't require changing your original plans much. I cannot, however, make any claims that it's great, or the best crispy duck available.

That would be my suggestion as well though Hon Kee is a distant second to Sun Wah. Also, importantly, they moved around the corner. Hon Kee is now located at 5009 N Winthrop Ave. Pro tip, they have their own (small crowded) parking lot, park at your own risk.

bweiny wrote:

Diane wrote:Does anyone have a suitable substitution for some great crunchy duck on the north side? Thanks in advance.

Hon Kee (1064 W Argyle) has crispy duck, and is open on Thursdays. It's only a block from Sun Wah, so wouldn't require changing your original plans much. I cannot, however, make any claims that it's great, or the best crispy duck available.

Thanks...I'm so bummed. I really had a taste for Sun Wah!

G Wiv wrote:

bweiny wrote:Hon Kee (1064 W Argyle) has crispy duck, and is open on Thursdays. It's only a block from Sun Wah, so wouldn't require changing your original plans much. I cannot, however, make any claims that it's great, or the best crispy duck available.

That would be my suggestion as well though Hon Kee is a distant second to Sun Wah. Also, importantly, they moved around the corner. Hon Kee is now located at 5009 N Winthrop Ave. Pro tip, they have their own (small crowded) parking lot, park at your own risk.

Thanks!

I like the duck at Silver Seafood as well, and they do it with the pancakes instead of the buns like Sun Wah.

My update: Just back from dinner at Hon Kee. Very attentive staff, the duck was quite good, had great sides of snow peas and green beans. It was crowded for a Thursday night which was nice. For my friend who was craving crispy duck skin for her birthday dinner, it really hit the spot. My only complaint was that the lighting was super BRIGHT! Those lights really need dimmers. The corkage fee was only 5.00 Quite the bargain-one duck with two side dishes, one coke and corkage was 75.00. Cheap dinner for 4 people!

Diane wrote:My update: Just back from dinner at Hon Kee. Very attentive staff, the duck was quite good, had great sides of snow peas and green beans. It was crowded for a Thursday night which was nice. For my friend who was craving crispy duck skin for her birthday dinner, it really hit the spot. My only complaint was that the lighting was super BRIGHT! Those lights really need dimmers. The corkage fee was only 5.00 Quite the bargain-one duck with two side dishes, one coke and corkage was 75.00. Cheap dinner for 4 people!

Thanks for the update. I often walk by Hon Kee and have thought the lights are a bit much.