SATURDAY, APRIL 17, 1971 THE STATES·ITEM NEW ORLEANS
Ding's Serves Great Version of
BY RICHARD H. COLLIN
C, 1971, Richard._ H. Collin *** • DING'S CHINESE
RESTAURANT, 4210 Veterans
Highway. Closed M 0 n day.
Hours: 11-9:30, to 10:30 Friday
and Saturday. Telephone: 885-
2221. Reservations essential.
Ding's is a tiny Chinese restaurant
that prepares versions
of the classic northern Chlnese
cuisine to equal or surpass the
best Chinese kitchens in San
Francisco, New York and London.
Just off of Veterans
Highway near the Clearview
Shopping Center, this new restaurant
has two menus, the
first _ featuring the standard
chop suey and chow mein
dishes, and a special northern
Chinese menu featuring
some of the grand dishes of
non-Cantonese Chinese cooking.
One should concentrate
wholly on the non-Cantonese
menu.
T.be tour de force at Ding's
is an authentic Peking duck
(a platonic dish) at $8 (one
duck serves as many as six).
[t takes a day to prepare Peking
duck so one must call
the day before (or sooner) to
order the duck and for a res-
9rvation. Peking duck is the
great dish of the northern
Chinese cUisine; it bears hot
even the s I i -g h t est resemblance
to the locally popular
Mandarin duck,a much simpler
dish.
Peking duck begins with a
tong Island duckling, dipped
in boiling water, rubbed with
herbs and honey and then
bung to dry. It is then roasted
for about three hours, to get
UIe skin to the ideal point of
Crispness. S e r v i n g Peking
duck is as ceremonial and important
as cooking it. The din..
1s first Shown the beautiful
'Whole roasted duck; the duck
Is then cut up into two cours-es,
the crlsv skin and tne
Illeat. These are brought out
together on a platter. Accompanying
the duck are Chinese
pancakes I)r crepes, slivers of
Classic Peking Duck
green onions (scallions or
New Orleans shallots) and a
rich fruity variation of hoisin
sauce. One spreads the hoisin
sauce on the pancake, then
adds a piece of green onion
Ind a piece or two -of the
duck skin. The crepe is then
rolled and eaten like a sandwich.
When the skin is all
gone one proceeds --in the
same way with the duck
meat.
For the Chinese this is a
l>articularly festive dish eaten
on very special occasions. Peking
duck is an extremely diffIcult
dish to make since the
banging and drying process is
time-consuming and the roastblg
must be done by arduous
hand-turning. The resultant
dish is imcomparable. Peking
duck is one of my speCial favorites
and I am delighted
lfuat we are now fortunate
enough to be able to eat a
&e version of it in New Or·
1eans.
Ding's does many other
pd northern Chinese dishes
well, most of them new to
\New Orleans. The best way to
e'tart the meal is with sweet
and pungent soup (a platonic
dish) -at 65 cents and $1.20.
After the rather pedestrian
egg-drop soups of Cantonese
Ameriean 'Cuisine the great
strength and del i c a c y of
Chinese soup may be- surprising.
The sweet and pungent
soup is rich and spicy, loaded
with Chinese ve g e 't a b I e s,
black mushrooms and pepper.
A fine entree at Ding's is
the-beef with Chinese pickles
(highly recommended) at
$2.80, .available in degrees of
hotness from mild to very hot.
The medium hot is the best
place to start. In the same
vein Is 'the cll'lcken Ding, hot
diced chicken, green pepper
and Chinese m u s h roo m s.
More delicate is the mushroom
with be-an curd (a platonic
dish), a dish which demonstrates
the infinIte delicacy
of Ch'inese cooking and is pri·
marily composed of Chinese
vegetables sauteed in a light
sauce ($3).
Soup and P e kin g duck
would be a more than ample
dinner for two persons. For a
party of four an additional
one or two of the recommended
entrees would make a
first-rate meal. The Chinese
dumplings (highly recommended)
are another fine
Chinese rarity, steamed dumplings
vaguely resembling ravioli
($2.80) for 10; order in
advance). If you fail to call a
day in advance for Peking
duck, the crisp chicken at $4
is done by a similar cooking
process but takes only a .few
hours' advance notice.
The perfect accompaniment
to this superior fare is wine.
Order a glass of warm _ sake,
Chinese rice wine (SO cents).
The presiding geniuses of
Ding's extraordinary kitchen
are two delightful female
chefs, Hsien chi Kuo (J)().
Iores) and Kuoi Tsal (Mary).
They are two of the most gifted
cooks you will ever encounter
and their expertise
with a rare and delicate cuisine
has - few rivals. Don't
come here for the standard
Cantonese cooking; there is a
full menu of the usual dishes
but these are a waste of the
talents of this distinguished
kitchen. In fact, I -would hope
that as New Orleanians become
more familiar with the
Northern Chinese -specialties,
the Cantonese dishes will be
eliminated.
cocKTAILS
I X E.D DRI~KS
er~.....-. ..-, ~ -_. 4-5
i9h BolI--- _.90
cktoils----I.IO
Black Russian, Manh~tton"
Bl~ Mo'l' Martini, .
OLd Fashioned, e>aca ra.,
Daiquin', Collins ..
Mor9ori+a, .screw Driver.. .
WhisJ<ey Sour
Call Brond & Exilta Dry
____ 1.25
J. B., Qe'lQs Re901 I
Beefea~ J. WolfcerCRedJ.,
Joel< Dan.'ds, Southern
Comfort Cutty Sack ..
Ganad.'dn Club, Old Grand DtM{ v. 0., Tanttuetay
Speciol HOW(JiitJfI Drinks
---- 1.75
Din9'S Special, Mai Tal~
F:D9 Cutter,
HClwaiian Cooler,
Rain ki lIer .
W' N E-
! Bottle Bo1tle
White Wine
Chablis_- 3.75 7.00
Guntrun .
ud,ftau~~ch2. 75 5.00
Red Wine
Chateau
De BeHavent
__ 2.50 4-.50
BU'9undJ- 2.50 4.5"0
Rose
Mateus _ 2.75" 5:00
Rice Wine
Sake __ 3.00 5.00
Per Glass
Dubonnet ____ 1.00
chablis __ __ I .00
8"r9undy- - - - · 75
sherry_- - - _ .75
Soke------ .75
After Dinner Drinks_I. I 0
Drumbuie, B ~ B~
J(ohwa
APPETIZ~RS
1. . Eg9 Roll --- _._ .. ____ ________.__ ________ 1.25 I
2. ' Puffed ' SJH"i~p __, -- ___, _______1 .<35 p
3. Rumaki-____' ______ ,_ ___ 1.25
4. fded W0l11on __ _ j_' - - ,-- - '- _ ' __ 1,.00 S l
51 ' B. B. Q. Rib __ __ .__ ___ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ I . 8 0 ~ , R
~ Roasted Pork . _--- _______ 1.50 H
7. B. B.G. (Appehzer Ptote) _______ 3.'35 R
8
9.
10 .
SOUPS , c::
DttcK w~ ,'1usi'lrOOy-,'i ' Soup __ '_ _ _. __ .50 6~
Wonton Soup.- ' _ .,'~,~ -' ,- - - , - -- -. G5 ~
PUYl9 4ttt Soup- S,l1Q! i. __ - - - - - - • ~5'
Larqe _------- It 20 '
, oJ Yet 1<0 Mein30up, LaI-.ge _ - - - - - 2~ 50
SP ECJA L
NORTHERN DJ SHoES
21. iiJI tl 1ft Butterfly Shr-imp ______ 3.50
22 tJt! 1:J: ~ Beef lJ,J. C~lille5e Pickl es ____ -3.30
· (Hot or Re9ular )
23. ~~~ ~ t Mushroom w. Bean Curd ___ 3.~O
Zi 1m1!~~ .r* \'~f tT C'h ie ke n w. rLiI o t S au. c e _ _ _ 3.3 0
25. t ~ ~ Man'dar;n Duck. -~ - - __ 3.95
~ /. ,.-t:, -'~ R R 2~ IrR @ I~ 1-&.. or/< w. ungent Sauce ____ 3.~O~
27. ~. ~G t ri] Beef w. Chinese Mu.shroorll __ 3. 50 ~
2 B. rn:. Hf *rt H Un Cho u Sh rim p ______ 3. 95 R
~., Jt. .. 1.. • 2~ ~ ~e e1:. Sweet & Sour Vegetohle ___ __ 2.5°9
3q ~ it Dump1in9s (Ten) _____ . _____ 3.00
31 •• * f.Ji ® Moo-Shue Pork ___ , ___ 5.00~
32. .:H:.i ~ rr,~ Roa.sted Pekin9 Duck ___ 1 0.0 ~
No.31 &. 32 Served w. One Order N
ot Thin Cake 6"
Thin Cake (3) ------_ 1.05~
Stea·m Bread IJ.>. Fillin9 ____ 3 .95[~
Shrimp w. 5;JJlin~ Rice ___ _ ~.oo ~
Fire Pot DinnelOllM\ Sf\( \: tJ~ W ~e\(E~ D ~
(For four or mor~)/ Pe,. Person _ _ .00 .
I Steam Bread IJJ. Filii h9> 1 Fi~e Pot. f Fried Rice.,
and choice of one dIsh from No. 22. 23 .. 24.,
1 almond eock;e, I fortune. c.ookie, Ccffee or Tea
37. -& tt. Leechee Nut (Fruit bessert) ___ 1. 0
. ' Please order No. 32 in advance.
• We abo pre pore orders to fake out. .
41.
4-2.
4-3.
CANTONESE DISHES
Fried Rice:
Shrimp _____ -- - --.---- -- ___ 1.90
por~ ________________ _ , I ,70
5ub9um __ - - - - - - - - - 2 .00
E99 Fon9 You119:
4-4-. Pork, Shrimp Ol~ Chicken ___. __ f .90
Sweet & 'Sour Di shes:
4-5. Pork ______" ___", "_ ____ 3.00
Shrimp _-- _______ 3.5 0
47· Cll;cl<en __________ 3.00
48. f'1oo Goo Go; "Pan ___________ 2.80
49. Chicken Almond ____________ 2.80
5Q Boneless Chlc~en _' __- ___. ______ 3. OOX
51. Beef i.JJ. B,..occoli ___ ________ 2.80~
52. Beet, Pork/or eJ"cken w. Vegetahles ____ 2 .801
53. Pepper Beef _____________ 2.800
54-. Shrimp w. lobster Sauce ---- - - - __ 2.908
Sj. Chop Suey. or Cho~ Mein _______ 2 ,501~
~tO, Mixed Vegetob/es _________ _ 2,00.
(,13 Childs PLate: BOheless Cfll'cken or s. ~ S. 50 y
Ror(<. I stearn Rice w. Gra"l_ f. ,
FAMILY DINNER
4-. Z 5 per Per son
E.99 Roll and Soup
Di nne.r {Ol- two _
I, f~lree _
1 from 9roup A, and
2" f, A, f~
1 from 9rouf B
I I, "B
" /,' tour- _ 2
Groue A
A 1. Moo qoo Gat Pan
A 2. Pepper Beef
A 3. Chop Sue.y or Chow Me.in
A 4-. Beef, PorI<, or Ch;cken
w. Ve~e-tables
A 'S. Shrimp (J.J. Lohster- Sauce
A~. F r; ed Rice
'f " 2 If ; .
~roup B
B 1. S &. 5 pork
[32.5 &., 5 Ch;c/<en
(3 3, 5 8r 5 Shr;ynp
B4: BoneLess Chid<en
B5". f:99 foe YUIl~
B
(Dessert) Atrnonc./ ~ Fortut1~ Cookies Hot Tea
¢ 50 Char9€ for extra sett-; fl9.
Place One Chop Stick under the right thumb, resting on the little or fourtn finger.
This Chop Stick remains in this position and does not change at any time.
Take the Second Chop Stick and place under the thumb and between the third and second fingers.
Underground Gourmet
~agnifit:t;nt Rt;stau~an
DING'S CHINESE RES,3117
Houma Blvd.,
e, La. Telephone: 885-
Closed Monday. Hours
:30 a.m.-10:OO p.m. Saturand
Sunday 4:30 p.m.-IO
One day's notice requirfor
Peking Duck.. Child
center available for chUBar.
When D!ng's Chinese Resant
opened two years ago
marked a new -era- of
eating in New Or.
Ding's premises were
and the original menu
y indicated in a tentative
that the restaurant's true
ius lay in the rarer, then
unknown dishes of
aJ,., ... +h"' ..... Chinese cooking. At
t time I wrote that Ding's
sions of classic Chinese
hes equalled the best verserved
in San Francisco,
or New York. Ding's
now moved to a much
r and grander restaurant
a block from the original
e. The food is as good as it
as before and the new resis
a pleasure to eat in
spaciousness,
Chinese decorations
fine Chinese taped music.
Orleanians now have a
range of great Chinese
aurants with Ding's, The
gon's Garden, The Canton
the Chinese Tea Garden.
two great cui sin e sand
Chinese - hav-e
in common, delicacy,
nit e variety, incredible
... 1-, ~ l""'f ... The d e pre s sin g
can-Chinese restaurants
have dominated local
pine~se cooking and indeed
t American-Chinese cookfor
too long have thor- ·
obscured the gr.eatness
Chinese haute cuisine.
THE G RAN D DISH at
is the magnificent
a;hine:se tour de force, Peking
(a platonic dish). Pe-g
Duck is a carefully seaoned,
slowly cooked duck
asted to the precise moment
the skin becomes pertly
crisp. First the whole
ck is brought out to the din-ner;
this ceremony is part of
the presentation of the dish.
The duck is then cut up and
the skin is separated from the
meat. The sliced duck is
s e r v e d along with thin
Chinese crepes (pancakes), a
rich -and sweet version of
Hoisin sauce and green onions
(New Orleans shallots). One
spreads some Hoisin sauce on
a crepe, then puts on a piece
or two of duck- first skin
pieces and after the -skin is
eaten meat pieces.
The crepe is then rolled up
and eaten out of hand. The
genius of this dish lies in the
-perfect and subtle balance of
flavors - the perfectly roasted
crisp duck, the absolutely
plain pan c a k e, the fruity
sauce and the sharpness of
the raw shallots. This is one
of the world's greatest dishes.
Ding's Peking Duck is $10;
the duck can serve at least
two persons, tbree comfortably,
and ev.en four if you add
a soup or appetizer. The dish
is incredibly rich, so that a
little goes a long way. Peking
Duck ,must Ibe ordered a day
in advance, since the preparation
involves preliminary immersion
in boiling water and
then a long period of hanging
after the duck has been
rubbed with herbs and h{)ney.
It is a disservice to a restaurant,
especially one as
good as Ding's, to ask for
such variations. If you don't
like a particular dish order
something else. Palates crude
enough to demand changes in
a perfectly balanced dish
don't deserve to come in contact
with Peking Duck, let
alone corrupt it. Imagine requesting
trout amandine with
peanuts, Tournedos Marchand
de Yin with ketchup or Trout
Veronique wtih strawberries.
Ding's will no longer honor
such requests and the only
pancake that will he served
here is the thin Chinese crepe
without sugar; if you must
have a sweet, thick-American
pancake go somewhere else
and have breakfast. This is a
challenge all unfamiliar ethnic
restaurants must face: to
stand fast and not change
rather than give in to ignorance
and hecome just an{)ther
ordinary restaurant.
TO CELEBRATE its new
location, Ding's has added
several remarkable new dishes.
The shrimp and sizzling
rice (a platonic dish) is a
mix t u r e of finely cooked
-shrimp and peas in a sauce
and rice which sizzles as the
shrimp and the broth are
NEW ETHNIC CUISINES poured over the chunks of
often encounter problems. One fried rice. The result is a
is well illustrated by a series unique and delicious blend of
of misunderstandings which flavors.
for a time threatened the Pe- Another fascinating dish is
king Duck at Ding's. Many the Chinese Fire Pot (highly
diners were unfamiliar with recommended), a chi c ken
Peking Duck and its classic base broth cooked at the tahle
preparation; they had never in a modern Chinese fire pot;
eaten Chinese pancakes or to it are added Ohinese celery,
any crepes made without sug- cab bag e, beef, chicken,
ar and began to ask for shrimp and ' Chinese noodles.
American-style pancakes with When the ingredients are
this dish. The chefs complied cooked they are poured into
and the result was an atreci- soup bowls containing Satay
ty. The sweet breakfast pan- sauce, a spicy condiment recakes
required an adjustment sembling curry sauce. The rein
the sauce; the resultant sultant dish is another marvel
dish was a sad parody of the of unique flavors. Another fine
great Peking Duck. The pro- new dish is the steamed bread
prietors were under the im- (highly recommended) with
pression that courtesy re- filling, a form of Chinese
quired them to accommodate -
the din e r s. Unfortunately
courtesy such as this can to-tally
undermine a unique cui-sine.
dumplings with a heavier
dough and a meat filling,
s e r v e d in an authentic
Chi n e s e bamboo steamer.
($3.50).
Ding's older repertoire is as
impressive as ever. The sweet
and pungent soup (a platonic
dish) at 65 cents is still my
favorite prelude to a Peking
Duck dinner. The mushroom
with 'bean curd (a platonic
dish) is a delicate dish based
on lightly sauteed Chinese
vegetables ($3.50). The beef
with Chinese pickles (highly
recommended) is an excellent
s pic y Szechuan-type dish
($2.80). The sweet and sour
shrimp (highly recommended),
also made on -order with
fish, is notewor,thy in either
version. DIng's Is an exceptional
restaurant with a magnificent
kitchen. It now offers
its patrons a very unusual service:
the old premises have
be-en turned into a child care
center staffed by professionals
who watch children while
their parents dine. The cost is
a nominal 50 cents per child
and baby food and games are
available. I think this is an
excellent idea for parents
whose eating adventures are
hampered by the need to feed
the children while they dine.
Ding's is a superb Chinese
rest~urant, a fine place for
grand occasions and for those
times you want to enjoy authentic
versions of one of the
world's oldest and most magl1ificent
cuisines.
