Okay, having been sufficiently shamed, I’ll add my pix from Wednesday’s lunch (hey, I’ve been busy lately).
House Special Mandarin Duck House Special Mandarin Duck — I didn’t expect this to be a cold preparation, but it was good, with slight citrusy overtones to the duck. Our server suggested we’d need two servings (listed as an appetizer) for our group of nine, but the serving was almost solid meat, and one might have sufficed. Like other items here, there were a few little pieces of bone and gristle that had to be picked out, but the flavor more than made up for that.
Wood Ear Mushroom Salad Wood Ear Mushroom Salad — again, one serving would have been enough for our group, but I liked this quite a bit. Although wood ear mushrooms don’t have a lot of flavor, their texture, abetted by the slightly sweet, spicy dressing, made this a personal favorite.
Spicy Shrimp Spicy Shrimp — Medium-sized shrimp (probably 26/30s) in an array of veggies … not too spicy, but the shrimp were very tender - just barely cooked.
Japanese Sardine Sautéed with Garlic Chives Japanese Sardine with Garlic Chives — I thought the salty, tiny sardines added an anchovy-like note to the chives, which were only slight cooked through, and thus a little chewy/crunchy. The texture wasn’t my favorite, but the flavor combination made me glad we ordered it.
Kung Pao Chicken Kung Pao Chicken — I wouldn’t go so far as to call it boring, but it wasn’t as flavorful as some of the other offerings. The chicken pieces were pea-sized, which made them a bit challenging for those of us who weren’t brought up with chopsticks since we were in the womb.
Red Chili Chicken Red Chili Chicken — The flavors were good, but even more than the case with the duck, was marred by the little pieces of bone and gristle that I was constantly picking out of my mouth. Not a pleasant eating experience.
Cumin Lamb Cumin Lamb — A good, competent version of this dish.
House Noodle Platter House Noodle Platter — The noodles were fine, but I couldn’t taste anything special about them resulting from being house-made. The wide variety of proteins - cuttlefish, shrimp, scallop, and pork - is what made the dish worthwhile, if a little bland.
Sautéed Peapod Tips Peapod Tips — I thought these were a bit chewier than I’d have liked; they could have been cooked a bit longer. (Moetchandon disagreed with me on this point.) Flavor was good, though.
I agree the space is a lot brighter and more inviting than the old Phoenix. Service was attentive and responsive. We’ll be back.