For those who have never been to China like myself, there is always a curiosity to find authentic Chinese food in the United States that thinks outside the takeout box. For those who don’t have air miles to travel to China to get it, there is a place in Gainesville, Florida that is hidden just like all "good" restaurants but emits a secret certain elegance. Mr. Han's Chinese Restaurant is one such place.
No this isn't your neighborhood chinese buffet serving doubtful pet meats in dirty chicken water. Hidden behind a motel this restaurant sits on the 2nd floor of a nightclub. From the road its impossible to see, but when you curve your way back down the single road, the place seems so obvious that you might slap yourself from not seeing it before. Upon entering, you notice that it’s dark with only tinges of lights gracing each table and beautiful, fresh pink flowers in the middle. Where you sit is almost holy. The place looks nothing under the standards of the best chinese mafia dining room. Only the best.
But what you come here for is legendary. The Duck. The Peking duck to be exact. It is their own recipe that directly comes from the recipes they use in those dark secret alleys in China and in the past dynasties, was only used to serve the royal dynasties. When I first came here, I had a craving for a crispy marinated, slow roasted duck. And that’s exactly what I got. Sitting down in a quiet corner, you are served complimentary Oolong tea, which relaxes you to the core until the excitement builds up again when your entree arrives.
Now, for those of you who don't know, Peking duck is a specialty in China. It was first made in the 1300's, and as said before it was only served to royalty. In the 20th century it began to spread internationally. It is a duck that is slow roasted with crispy brown bubbling skin served with a plum sauce, or often with pancakes. Mr. Han’s likes to make it pretty simple, which is always the most delicious route. The flavors never get too complicated. Sprawled out, its served on a plate with the crispy skin pieces laid about on top, and the moist meaty goodness hidden underneath in a plum sauce topped with snowpeas. Just writing this has made me make plans tonight with a friend to go get more. There is plenty to go around even for two people, remember this is a whole duck and for about $30 you’re getting the best of the best. I had the pleasure of talking with Mr. Han himself for about an hour about the restaurant business and about his passion for food and travel. He told me that their Peking duck is what made them famous because of their technique related to old traditional Chinese methods of cooking the duck, not the more modern techniques.
NOW, for those of you who arent so favored to quacking creatures, fear not. There’s an entire other menu besides the duck that is delicious. The 4 star dumplings are a great starter, or their many soups like the dragon and phoenix soup. Do not worry there is no mythical creature fee. Entrees include, the Prime Steak which is made with a soy-based sauce, lobster with cream sauce or South African lobster, House chicken(a very large portion) smothered in a murderously amazing 17th century sauce recipe, shrimp, pork dishes, and Mu-Shi which are meats that you wrap in pancakes. One of the strangest yet most delicious sounding dishes is called the Beggar's chicken. You actually have to order this dish a whole DAY in advance because they are special chickens fed on President Jimmy Carter's peanuts. Don't worry, this won’t cost you the entire contents of the Oval office including Ms. Lewinsky, it’s only about 25 dollars and big enough for a few people to share. It’s marinated overnight, wrapped in bamboo leaves and stuffed with crabmeat and roasted for many hours with the dripping chicken juices basting it, making it ever so tender.
Mr. Han's is a true traditional experience. The staff is very accommodating, friendly, and catering and they make damn sure that this won't be your last visit. On all my visits to the restaurant, Mr. Han actually made an effort to come around to all the tables and make sure that everything was going swimmingly. However, Catastrophic news suddenly hit the restaurant after my last visit. While eating at one of my favorite Hibachi restaurants, I overhead from other guests and later confirmed that Mr. Han was killed in a car accident not 2 weeks after my last visit to the restaurant. May he rest in peace and his legendary recipes live on forever. I feel so honored I got to have a meaningful conversation with him before this tragedy.
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