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Soft shell crab
The Peterboro, a new restaurant that recently opened in the Cass Corridor in Detroit's old Chinatown, brings back "one of the most popular ethnic cuisines in the country to a city that is virtually a Chinese food desert," writes Serena Maria Daniels of Metro Times.
But it does more than just that. She writes that The Peterboro, 420 Peterboro Street, just off of Cass Avenue, takes a fun, inviting approach to Chinese food.
She writes:
We started off with a bountiful serving of salt-and-pepper shrimp poached in a court bouillon, dredged in starch, and flash fried to a crisp. They're served head on, covered in secret spices, and accompanied by a jalapeno confit. They're reminiscent of the many variations of dried shrimp that can be found in coastal regions across the globe where the crustaceans are plentiful: rich in umami flavor, crunchy, salty, and totally addictive. Next up, an artfully arranged plate of sliced scallop crudo that floats in a bath of ponzu, with a spicy broad-bean paste, and toasted sesame. We slurped the delicate pieces right up and were instantly delighted. For a flavorful veggie starter, the mushroom salad, made with an aromatic yuzu vinaigrette, is also highly recommended. For a bit of nostalgia, the mom's roast pork, served in a tiny cast iron dish, does the trick. Though a tad chewy, the touch of hoisin sauce, Mei Kuei Chiu cooking wine, and Michigan honey gives the pork a deliciously sweet glaze.
Among the larger plates suitable for sharing, the perfectly crispy Hong Kong-style pan fried noodles pair seamlessly with a serving of wok-fried market vegetables that are nice and garlicky, and prepared with a fermented black bean sauce. The fatty cumin lamb ribs, soy braised and coated in five-spice powder, had our dining partner reaching for second helpings. As for the quintessential regional staple, Almond Boneless Chicken — normally a hunk of white chicken breast that's heavily battered, fried, and smothered in brown gravy — Wong has reimagined it. He takes both white and dark meat, braises it, shreds it up, then gels it together with gravy, before it's beer battered, and accompanied with Marcona almonds. The result is a juicy, tender, flavorful take on the otherwise bland staple.
