Peking Garden - St Paul, MN

Peking takeout was the surprise dinner. Arriving home, I opened up the two white boxes with anticipation. I'm not sure what they are called, but I believe they were Cha Siu and Tofu Hot Pot ($8.95) and Beef Brisket with Bean Curd Stick Hot Pot ($8.95). The Cha Siu dish consisted of squid, cha siu (barbecue pork), mushrooms, and fried tofu. The Beef Brisket dish consisted of beef brisket, beef tendons, and the bean curd sticks.


Because Peking is close to home, it is a restaurant we visit a few times a year. Peking serves Cantonese style dishes and when it was previously located near the University, they served dim sum also. Our experience is the food is not hit and miss but rather OK to very good.

So the anticipation this evening as I was also ravenous was would it be great or just OK? Nuking for a few minutes to get them piping hot only increased the anticipation. Ding! Was it worth the wait? The textures of both dishes were good with no overcooking or mushiness. Beef tendon is always a treat to me and these did not disappoint although the they could have been a bit more tender. The brisket was pleasingly tender with no dry rough chunks often associated with leaner cuts. The flavors were as they should be but nothing spectacular. As I wolfed down the food I realized it was the hunger and not the food quality that was driving me. Alas, tonight's Peking dishes were only OK. There was nothing to complain about as they provided generous portions that fed all of us with enough for leftovers but the dishes just didn't do anything special for me.

Scrooge Rating: Pull out the wallet, slight ouch.

Peking Garden
1488 University Ave
St Paul, MN
651.644.0888