boudreaulicious wrote:This is also not going to help the poster but I vividly remember my favorite Sunday night Chinese dinner order growing up in Tampa--Wor Sue Opp--pretty sure it's the same dish you all are talking about except with pressed duck instead of chicken. Mine featured a savory, corn starch laden sauce, not orange--but I just loved that dish and it looked pretty darned close to ReneG's pic. I believe I had the dish at several places in NOLA as well (during college Sunday night chinese dinners--it's a tribal thing ) Hadn't thought about that in years but definitely a happy memory!
Rene G wrote:I'm not too surprised you didn't get any suggestions of places in Chicago for War Sue Gai (one of many spellings). It's a real regional specialty of Cantonese-American cuisine, found mostly around Detroit MI and Columbus OH. There must be some around here though. You asked for suggestions "anywhere else" so here's my recommendation: Ding Ho in Columbus. They've been featuring War Sue Gai for over 50 years and make a truly excellent version.
They start with a whole boned chicken that's seasoned, coated with water chestnut flour and expertly deep fried. That orange sauce looks like it could be a gloppy nightmare but it actually enhances the dish (no need for that extra bowl of the stuff however). Ding Ho beds the chicken on iceberg lettuce and accompanies it with fried rice and fresh-baked bread (!) as they have done forever. It's easy to make fun of this style of cooking but I was surprised how good this dish can be when prepared with skill and care.
Ding Ho
120 Phillipi Rd
Columbus OH
614-272-9234
http://dingho.net/
stevez wrote:Given the choice of the two, I'd go for China Chef's version in a NY minute.
China Chef
5920 Lincoln Avenue
Morton Grove, IL 60053
(847) 967-6050
boudreaulicious wrote:stevez wrote:Given the choice of the two, I'd go for China Chef's version in a NY minute.
China Chef
5920 Lincoln Avenue
Morton Grove, IL 60053
(847) 967-6050
I NEED to do this--anyone up for a trip there? I read the on line reviews for Orange Garden and can't bring myself to potentially destroy my memories of this dish by risking a meal there
cjchaps wrote:I grew up near LaGrange and there was a Chinese place in downtown LaGrange that did almond chicken. Basically it was a breaded and fried chicken breast on top of lettuce with gravy and chopped up almonds on top. Here is what it looked like:
Anyone know of anyplace in the western burbs(or anywhere else) that does it? Does it go by another name on menus?
JeffB wrote:It's fate. Orange Garden has your Tampa-style pressed duck with almonds and brown gravy. I've wondered about it on the menu for years, and last night finally pulled the trigger (I have a daughter who loves OG's pan fried noodles, no accounting for taste). I support OG mainly beacuse the place is so damn cool and old, and the owners are swell and really respect the institution and the sign, which they work hard to keep up. And the hot and sour soup is really very good. Anyway, the duck is as you describe and non unlike something I might have eaten at Mai King on Hillsborough Ave. in 1985. My kid (the noodler) actually liked it a lot. Breaded and fried meat loaf was clearly duck, but the lady on the phone noted some pork is in there too as a binder. She also volunteered that they keep it on the menu for the old timers, and that it's a very nostalgic dish that goes way back with Orange Garden.
Warning: your memories might be more delicious than reality.
NB: I recognize that Rene of course noted Gary's documentation of the dish at OG some time back. But I wanted to verify that the OG product fits your description to a T. It's not unlike the Ohio species pictured by Rene above, same chestnut flour and almonds, same iceberg bed, but it's duck loaf inside and it's covered with a savory (and not bad) brown sauce with vegetables and not sweet/sour.
cjchaps wrote:I was researching more and it looks like Shangai Inn has almond duck.
http://www.shanghaiinnrestaurant.com/index.asp?cnt=menuContent
Anyone tried it there?
boudreaulicious wrote:I NEED to do this
SCUBAchef wrote:I know they used to (probably still do) serve “Pressed Chicken” just as pictured/described, at Ming Ling in Miller (566 S Lake St., Gary), Indiana; another old-school place that’s been around for 50+ years. This used to be our go-to family outing place in the 1970s-80s. Granted, I haven’t been there in some 20+ years, but I think the appeal of this place has always been its time-capsule quality.
boudreaulicious wrote:I've been out of Chicago for much of the last few months so, sadly, I still haven't been able to indulge my wor sue opp nostalgia. Bummed about the demise of Ming Ling--that looked promising. Hoping to try a few of these suggestions soon and maybe even Mai King in Tampa on my next trip in January. Wondering if the OP had any new intel...