For those of us who are not gentiles, Christmas usually involves Chinese food and, of course, Peking duck. Or as Ralphie in A Christmas Story calls it, "Chinese turkey."
Lately, our chopsticks have gotten a lot of exercise in the 305. We've been looking for Chinese restaurants open on Christmas that serve Peking duck as the centerpiece. Here are five places that fit the bill. From dim sum to cocktails, we got you covered for this upcoming holiday.
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5. Chef Ho
The "Phillip" may have been removed from this restaurant name, but the dumplings remain untouched. The restaurant will be serving their regular menu, with Peking duck priced at $48.95. The most decadent of dumplings is the steamed black truffle and scallop variety ($4.95).
4. Hakkasan
If you want to make your Christmas Eve or Christmas day super classy, head to Hakkasan. The cuisine is top notch, super refined, and they are open for both nights. There's also the bonus of handcrafted cocktails, which pair perfectly with hand-pulled noodles and roast duck with mango.
3. Tropical Chinese Restaurant
We might score a spot on the naughty list for putting this place on the list, because you probably won't even get a table. On a recent visit, we spoke to the host who mentioned that they were already booked for Christmas Eve and Christmas day, and even that doesn't guarantee a table.
He said, "I have worked many holidays here, and every year people leave without food. We only have four woks." If you're one of the lucky few, you can order their special two-course Peking duck ($60). The first course is the crispy skin wrapped table-side in steamed pancakes with scallions and cucumber. Then the duck returns to the kitchen to be carved and sautéed in a wok with vegetables.
In North Miami Beach, Kings Palace reigns supreme. As you enter, you'll see the ducks, beak and all, hanging. That's how you know you've arrived at an authentic Chinese restaurant. You can get a whole roast duck to-go for $21.35. More adventurous eaters can try the duck tongues in spicy sauce ($14.95). The barbecued spare ribs and roast pork may not be kosher, but they're so delicious.
1. Kon Chau
It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas at Kon Chau, a restaurant located just down the road from Tropical that's serving green tea duck dumplings ($3.75). The restaurant has an all day dim sum menu with most items priced between $2.80 and $5. They also just recently added Shanghai soup dumplings ($3.95) to the menu, so slurp on. Since Kon Chau doesn't have carts, you just have to mark away with a pen on their paper menu. It's better than any Christmas list, because the presents arrived wrapped in dough and piping hot!
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