I don't know about you but when it comes to restaurant Christmas dinners I can only think of the Parker family Peking duck meal in A Christmas Story. It is a traditional delicacy Beijing that can be found in many markets and restaurants around the city, but perhaps none so chi-chi as the Chinatown Brasserie, a dazzling larger than life Soho eatery that I was lucky enough to get an invite from Laura to for a free meal of colossal proportions.
We indulged in the dim sum menu and goodies just kept arriving at our table. I felt like a member of the king's court. The Peking duck is indeed noteworthy and succulent but the other dishes in our immeasurable feast were delicious as well. The meal was admittedly a while ago so my memory is not as fresh as it could be, but the dumplings and the crispy taro root shrimp were good enough to make an indelible impression on me.
The main complaint I can see people having with the place, and for all its glitz it's just asking for detractors, is that it offers dishes available more traditionally prepared for half the money in less ostentatious surroundings all over Chinatown. This is all true, but sometimes you want to be surrounded by by lavish scenery and enjoy a meal fit for, if not a king, than at least someone else's expense account.
But what do you think?