Peach Farm Hits Another HR

[9lives]

A group of us hit PFS last night for dinner. Fortunately, we'd made a res because every table was full and all the large round tables were fully expanded. Almost like being at a big party...and busier than a lot of restaurants around town.

We had wanted soft shell crabs but unfortunately they didn't have fresh..only frozen and we passed. No big deal, gives mea reason to go back soon..:)

Started with a superb version of salt fried live shrimp..perfect crunch and great flavor.

A nice procession of dishes...great version of Peking duck ( first time I've tried it there) 2 courses, skin, pancake, hoisin and then a stir fry.

Salt fried squid and pork chop

The "off menu" sea clam/scallop/vermicelli garlic..served in a large shell..HIGHLY recommended..figure 1 pp or 2 could share 1.

and a few more.

Really a great meal!

[suzysue2]

Another great recent find was the sour mustard greens with beef.

[BJK]

Love that dish.

[Guilty Glutton]

I ordered the peking duck for the second time at Peach Farm. It was just as delicious as the first time. No other place in Boston does the skin quite as well -- perfectly crunchy, sweet from the traditional maltose syrup, and amazingly flavorful. Do yourself a favor, throw away the pancakes, and go straight for the duck. Would you wrap a prime filet mignon in a burrito? There's only so much room in your stomach, and it should be devoted to heavenly duck and not to a cheap starch.

The peking duck at Fuloon is more affordable ($22 compared to a rather pricey $34 at Peach Farm), and it's good, but the meat at Fuloon is drier, there's no stir fry, and the skin is not quite as impressive as Peach Farm's.

[StriperGuy]

I like the pancakes. For me, it's just not Peking duck without it. Foie gras without the toast, etc.

[thegirlwholovestoeat]

My family was in town for the weekend and we went to Peach Farm on Sunday for lunch, we were the first table to be seated at around 12:30pm. We all started out with soup and I thought both the wonton and hot and sour were superb with great flavor and the hot and sour was not gelatinous as it sometimes is. We also had a few orders of egg rolls which were juicy and full of veggies. There are a lot of picky eaters in my family so we ordered very conservatively. The beef lo main was a big hit with a lot of beef and great flavor. The spicy dry fried salt squid was also a favorite with just the right amount of spice and not greasy at all. We also ordered the schezuan shrimp which was a little light on the shrimp but had a great flavor. These were the standouts in a great meal.

[chuck s]

Glad you enjoyed it. I brought some friends there a few weeks ago when the soft shell crabs were still fresh. They loved it. I remember the eel in their special sauce but my friends passed on that. Tommy took great care of us.

[Guilty Glutton]

Was the peking duck better than King Fung Garden's?

[yumyum]

Hard to compare but I'd say they are comparable. KFGs is served in three courses, the third of which is a rich flavored duck soup. I'd give Peach Farm the edge on the duck stir fry -- it's very simple, but this one tasted fresher to me. I recall KFG's having more skin to roll in the pancakes, but this could be because we've ordered in multiples. I wouldn't kick either duck out of bed.

[StriperGuy]

I agree on the stir fry, really liked it.

[Alcachofa]

What about on the duck in bed?

[StriperGuy]

Next time we go I'll have to keep the leftovers so I can try them in bed

[barleywino]

duck-in-bed...is that like pigs-in-blankets?...

[Guilty Glutton]

I had the lobster with ginger and scallions at Peach Farm recently, and i highly recommend it. I'll have to try the Peking Duck the next time I'm there.

[StriperGuy]

Jo Jo Taipei also sometimes does a superb twin lobster $16.99 or so with same treatment and the rest of their menu is excellent.

The peking duck was excellent at Peach Farm. 2 course at opposed to King Fung's 3 (no soup). But I would say on par.

Also in Boston they always seem to completely separate meat and skin and serve separately. Is that traditional? In NY they serve the skin with a bit of meat attached which is how I prefer it...

[Prav]

Had a fantastic meal and time with all of you guys. The eel was a little gross ("dirty"), and I didn't care for the batter-fried preparation. Maybe steamed with a light brown sauce would have been better.

[yumyum]

We made two errors -- should have ordered it with XO sauce and should have noticed it was a dud in the tub when they presented it. Should have been livelier. A sure sign it was going to taste murky, like some catfish. Oh well.

[Prav]

Yeah, I swear the eel was yawning.

[tysonmcneely]

I went there last week for lunch with my dad and his wife. We got the peapod stems w/garlic, 3 delights (or treasures, whatever, chicken, beef, shrimp) chow foon and.... Fresh Softshell Crab. It was seriously the best meal I've had all year. Peach Farm is just so consistent which can be hard to find in Chinatown. Also, is this new or did I just never notice? They validate parking @ 40 beach st.

[MC Slim JB]

I saw someone (BoMag blog?) saying this place had gone downhill, and I just don't see it; it's still great, one of my Chinatown standbys. I usually do something from the live tanks in a simple preparation.

http://mcslimjb.blogspot.com/

[9lives]

The shrimp were from the live tanks. We`wanted geoduck sashimi but unfortunately they were sold out.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/61246842...

The sea clam/scallop/vermicelli could easily be on the menu at Clio..at 3x price. That was a Barleywino discovery and hopefully he'll weigh in on how to order it. Superb dish.

I like to get a whole fish/ginger/scallions from the tank but with 10 people, it's really tough to share and have everyone get a decent portion. I think of it as better for 3-5 diners.

[yumyum]

Those shrimp were really really more-ish. Small, almost like Maine shrimp, perfectly fried, and easy to eat shells, heads and all. Super fresh and delicious.

There was a guy at a table close to us who was going to town on a whole fish -- picking it up and gnawing on the spine. We were all impressed, needless to say. I agree with Nine that it's tough to share with 10.

The peking duck was the happy surprise for me this time -- i didn't know they offered it, and it's not order in advance. We spied it at another table and it was really satisfying. I hadn't realized how much I was missing peking duck until I had some.

Pity about the soft shell crabs -- they offered the frozen ones several times but we knew better.

[barleywino]

yes they just call it "surf clam with vermicelli and garlic in the shell" or something like that....it helps when you're ordering to gesture with your hands how big the shell is ;) (about the size of a grapefruit, but oval), at least I like to think so...$5 a piece...now if only they would put some sea urchin on top...

[beetlebug]

Is the giant clam chopped into little bits and then mixed in with the vermicelli (is this fen si?)? And, then the shell is used as a serving platter?

[barleywino]

exactly (fen sze)-- you've had it there before?

[beetlebug]

no, but it's on the list. But, I was trying to visualize the dish.

[barleywino]

the old CHinatown Seafood in Coolidge Corner used to serve a similar dish with razor clam but sadly they are no longer with us...

[9lives]

Lucky House..now Wisor Cafe used to do a similar dish..but with only scallop, no clam..

http://www.flickr.com/photos/61246842...

[tatamagouche]

I remember that meal! Sigh. What's Wisor Cafe? Doesn't sound very neighborhoody...

[9lives]

It's me misspelling Winsor Cafe. Winsor is a very good (imo) "order off the menu" dim sum place.

[jfung77]

Do you mind sharing how much the plate of geoduck sashimi is. I know it can be based on how big the clam is, but just wanted a ballpark figure. I love geoduck sashimi, but don't have anyone to share it with.

[StriperGuy]

It is quite pricey and HUGE. I think in the $30-$40 or so range. Really insanely too much for one person.

[BobB]

Sounds like they give you the entire geoduck. Good thing they don't insist on doing that with tuna sashimi! ;-)

[StriperGuy]

PF is an "order what is in the tank" place. Not a sushi place. If you see it in the tank, you can order one, or many in the case of shrimp. But they won't pull out a live critter, dispatch it, and sell you a piece.

[jfung77]

Thanks for the info.

[suzysue2]

Geoduck was $24/lb. with a 2 lb. minimum last time I went and they are quick to try to get you to order it, that being said it is absolutely lovely and they do the belly salt and pepper style, but bring friends!

I also had the green beans with pork that were totally off the hook.

[kobuta]

I had geoduck sashimi last Saturday at $20/lb with the 2lb minimum. We ended up doing a quick stir fry with the belly, but it's good to know they'll do a S&P take on it. It was still delicious even with the simple stir-fry - super sweet and delicate taste to the meat.

[ScubaSteve]

they didn't have the geoduck on Wednesday night.
le sigh...

[lisa13]

their peking duck is fantastic

[Guilty Glutton]

I had their peking duck for the first time last week, and it was ridiculously fantastic. The stir fry made from the duck meat was delicious, and the duck skin was crisp and irresistible.

The only puzzle is: how do they prepare it so quickly? It takes about two hours to roast a duck, but the dish is out in about 15 minutes, and you don't have to pre-order it at Peach Farm.

[StriperGuy]

Most places that server Peking duck pre-roast. Heck Vinh Sun has them in the window. I have never been to a place that roasts Peking duck on the spot in Boston, SF, or NY. My understanding is that once roasted they keep for quite a while.

[tatamagouche]

But you do have to preorder it at KFG, right? At least you used to...

[StriperGuy]

Yah, at least a day ahead.

[Guilty Glutton]

I've had peking duck in a few places around the city (and beyond Boston). I was very impressed by Peach Farm's -- it was one of the handful of transcendent dishes I've had this year. The duck was so good I just skipped the pancakes and devoured the addictive skin and stir-fry. I know the pancakes are traditional, but I wanted to save every inch of my stomach for the duck (Frank Bruni, btw, does the same when he goes to New York's Peking Duck House).

I have to thank chowhound for directing me to the dish -- I usually stick to seafood at Peach Farm.

[StriperGuy]

Likewise, had not other hounds suggested would not have occurred to me to order duck there.

[BobB]

Good to know. I've always stayed with seafood (had lunch there just yesterday - salt-fried squid and clams in black bean sauce) and been very happy with it, but now I'm looking forward to trying the duck.