Hammer and I brought a little of our famed LTH hospitality to our New York (eGullet) friends (Pan and Mascarpone) at Congee Village. CV is quite an elaborate warren of rooms, capturing something of an imagined Chinese country inn. A very lovely, if quite crowded, space. I am convinced that Congee Village is one of the finest Cantonese restaurants in the New York area.
We ordered Sauteed Lotus Root with Special Bean Paste Sauce, Sauteed Razor Clams with XO Sauce, Lamb Chops with Onion Sauce, Chicken with Mushroom and Sausages and Black Mushrooms, Crab Congee, and, as a special dessert a Malaysian Bubur Chacha - tapioca pearls with yam chunks in a sweet Cognac flavored sauce.
All the dishes were successful (perhaps the Clams more so and the Chicken less so). The congee was an excellent version, although Hammer noted that this is the type of dish that should be eaten on Sunday morning (Chinese bagels and lox) rather than on Sunday evening. Given that I eat bagels and lox on Sunday evening, the argument seemed hypothetical. The clams were fine indeed with green beans and the XO sauce. And the lotus root was a definitive version.
The best Chinese restaurants in Chicago tend not to be Cantonese, and when I think of Cantonese cuisine, I tend to think of low-end Chinese restaurants aimed for a middle-brow taste. Such however is assuredly not the case at Congee Village. Highly recommended.