A better late than never post from the Double Li Jewish Xmas Eve Extravaganza...
I agree with much of what Dansch and BR said above. The company (and cookies) were great, but for me, the food was very disappointing. That said, I made everyone wait to eat so that I could take pictures of the food, so here they are:
Szechuan Dumplings - These dumplings were fine. (Boring, but fine.)
Homestyle Cold Beef - This was tasty. If not for this dish and a few others, I would have gone home hungry.
Shrimp in Preserved Egg Yolk - Terrible
Dry Chili Soft Shell Crab - Terrible. When this dish first arrived, we realized that we should have ordered two. There was not going to be enough to go around. Then, the first few people tasted it and knew that we did not want another order.
Octopus - Tasted fishy and sad.
Garlic Peppercorn Beef Tender Loin - Folks liked this one, but I just can't wrap my head around this dish. To me, it tastes like chewy, breaded beef and movie theater fake popcorn butter.
Eggplant in Garlic Sauce - The other good dish of the night, and probably the only one I'd order again.
Twice Cooked Duck - Another huge miss. Would have been fine (though boring) if advertised as a veggie dish. Barely any duck, and what duck there was was just thin strips of fat.
Honey Chicken - No surprise that nobody has mentioned this dish. A sweet, gloppy mess. Everything I hate about Panda Express.
This was my second time at Double Li, and each of my visits could not possibly have been more different from the other. I'll give it another shot, but it will not be on Xmas Eve.
--Rich
I don't know what you think about dinner, but there must be a relation between the breakfast and the happiness. --Cemal Süreyya