Lame Duck: Da Dong Bombs in Big Apple

Da Dong is the big name in duck in Beijing, but its splashy arrival in NYC has landed with a limp quack. New York Magazine food critic Adam Platt was less than impressed with the Beijing-based restaurant's newest branch at 3 Bryant Park, giving Da Dong exactly zero stars. 

New York is awash in decent Peking-duck facsimiles these days, but at USD 98, not including the caviar supplement (or the carcass, which is whisked away), Dong’s version is officially among the most expensive in town. On the evenings I visited, this price included an overloud soundtrack loop thrumming relentlessly above the crowded tables and service closer to what you’d find on a ­shakedown cruise aboard ­a Caribbean liner.

Ouch.

Perhaps the soundtrack was part of the "sexy vibrance of the energetic second floor" promised on the branch's website. 

"My daughters are on record as preferring even a second-rate example of Peking duck to almost any dish on earth, and when the main course finally arrived at our table, they did their best to cheer up their increasingly grumpy father. “Five stars for these pancakes, Dad!” one of them said hopefully, which was arguably true, although the brittle sesame buns, which are presented as an alternative to the steamy pancakes, turned to dust when I tried to load them with bits of duck. Five stars for the expertly carved duck skin, too, although I had to point out that the meat had a chalky, strangely listless texture."

At 2.5 stars, the branch also hasn't exactly been lighting it up on Yelp either. One recent reviewer complained:

"USD 98 was a bit much for a good-but-not-great peking [sic] duck.  And if Dadong's management is reading this: for a USD 98 duck, please don't be so stingy about the pancakes!  The portion of pancakes we received was just way too small."

Several reviewers were annoyed at the pancake policy. An additional serving of the all-important bing was an additional USD 5 a basket.

Nevertheless, Da Dong is doing a brisk business at least for now. The New York Times reported that "within the first two hours of becoming available, 2,500 reservations were booked through February, overloading the phone lines." 

Clearly, Manhattan folks are jonesing for some Indiana-raised and Peking-sauced roast duck.

While the reviews haven't been great in the US, I'm reminded of my own skepticism when reading Dianping reviews of international restaurants in Beijing ("The pizza didn't have enough corn!") and there was enough parochial stuffiness in the New York mag review to raise questions as to the reviewer's experience with imperial Chinese cuisine.

"Turkey tastes better,” sniffed one of my duck-snob friends.

Really? Duck snob? Ask anyone in China and they'll tell you that eating American-style turkey is like chewing drywall. 

International restaurant openings can be tricky. Morton's Steakhouse in Beijing is an absolute disaster and Daniel Bouloud's much-vaunted foray into the Beijing culinary scene ended after just five years. Perhaps Da Dong will eventually find its groove in New York, but charging for pancakes? Come on, son. That's just so Shanghai. 

Photos: Da Dong