New York City College of Technology, CUNY
Department of Hospitality Management
Najja Hennix Dining Room
MEMORANDUM
To: Prof. Goodlad, Director of Service
From: Najja Hennix, Student
Date: March 10, 2018
Re: Restaurant Review
The first thing I noticed in this review of DaDong is that the restaurant was not given a rating. Usually Pete Wells rates with a stars ratings range from zero to four stars. Zero is poor, fair, or satisfactory. One star means good; two stars, very good; three stars, excellent; and four stars, extraordinary. Wells just marks it as satisfactory (I think he was being nice and did not give it a zero).
Wells attended DaDong with some volunteers. People that had friendly emailed him offering to meet him at a forthcoming restaurant (I thought this is really nice of him and I plan on sending him a friendly email). There are ten locations of DaDong in Beijing and six in others in Chinese cities. New York’s DaDong is located at 3 Bryant Park between 42nd and 41st streets. The dining room is located on the second floor. This space, designed by the hotel specialist George Wong, is the latest look in modern China and modern Manhattan. Wells describes it as a soothing study in straight lines and neutral tones with random outbreaks of contemporary Chinese art.
The duck was precisely carved, as if by a laser. None of the attendees had seen crisper skin. Tasted on its own, reminded Wells of a bit of the lean, whitish, noncommittal supermarket pork chops he grew up on. Wells paid $98 for a duck with almost no flavor and was very dry.
According to Wells, DaDong’s kung pao shrimp with beet coins and raw mushrooms tasted like ketchup. The sweet-and-sour pork ribs with preserved plums were as sweet as if they’d been stewed in Dr. Pepper. Nearly everything he ate was at least pretty to look at.
Pete Wells’ favorite dish was the the seafood variation on the Sichuan classic Chongqing chicken called Hot and Spicy Lobster: a cut-up lobster stir-fried with nearly enough dried chiles to fill a pillowcase. A close second is the baby cabbage, sliced into threads and braised with chestnuts in saffron sauce.
I do not see myself going to this restaurant. It is very expensive and the food does not seem too great. I would not mind stopping by for some desserts. According to Wells the desserts were much better than the entrees. I would like to try the popping Chinese shells with white chocolate and little surprises inside.
