- duck has slightly crispy skin and meat can be more seasoned and tender
- love the scallion ginger sauce and hot sauce
- exellent mala noodz with sweetness to offset the heat
- good pickled veggie to cut down on richness of the duck
- dense but flavorful scallion pancake
- good QPR at $15/plate
I’m sure the food is good and I bet they are nice people but that is a real stupid f’ing name. I would still call them out even if the chef was Asian. Not as bad as Ritual Coffee in SF with a communist symbol.
Why is that? Just curious.
Must’ve just missed you guys
Not much to add. Thought the duck had wonderful smokiness (w/o being overwhelming); I personally would’ve liked even more picked veggies to offset the duck. Noodles were good, but I didn’t need the sweetness w/ the rich duck meat. I did very much appreciated the noodles were deftly seasoned enough that the small amount of oil left at the bottom of the dish wasn’t a horrific floral bomb like it is as so many other places.
Good stuff. Agree that QPR was excellent.
Had been hoping for a bang-bang w/ the pho truck around the corner, but we got there too late. Argh!!!
There was someone there that I recognized and who seemed to recognize me, but I can’t recall where I had met her (maybe at one of @hppzz’s events?)…
Or maybe it’s a reminder of when the only jobs available to Chinese Americans were in Chinese laundries and Chinese restaurants.
So sad to miss all you guys! @moonboy403 @paranoidgarliclover @PorkyBelly @chrishei @Hungrydrunk ( I’m sure I’m missing other FTCers) we had prior commitments that couldn’t get out of…
Pretty sure it’s Leo’s first time doing 6 (or more?) ducks which probably explains why the skin wasn’t as crispy as some would liked. It really needs constant attention and rotation in that barrel. But seemed to be a beautiful day for an outdoor duck roast and glad everyone seem to enjoyed it!
If Corey Lee had called his place The Chinese Laundry that would have been the best name ever. Though humorless scolds would probably have given him shit for appropriation.
Now that would be hilarious. From my limited understanding, the original French Laundry way before Thomas Keller was named as such to distinguish itself from the various Chinese Laundries they were in competition with. There were strong Anti-chinese sentiment among the unions. -and they organized efforts and campaigns to put these Chinese laundries out of business, just as there had been similar efforts to put Chinese restaurants out of business.
Or Mao’s Kitchen in Venice.
French laundries were the precursors of dry cleaners. They specialized in cleaning lace and fancy formal garments, and were quite expensive compared with regular laundries, Chinese or otherwise. Some are still in business.
(just a brief off-topic detour)
+1. Also find the name of some of their dishes to be absolutely disgusting.
Yes my point exactly. So what does that have to do with their Chinese-Fusion food? It’s symbolic of discrimination and a stereotype (mostly dead stereotype). I doubt this popup is to bring historical awareness, maybe I am wrong.