The Pint-Sized Palate

Phillippe Chow Downtown

Chubby Wubby Chinese with a Blow Torch

By Churchill Stone

Philippe Chow Downtown
355 W. 16th St.

Where to go to celebrate Father’s Day, my sister’s half birthday, and my mother leaving for a long business trip? Philippe! Philippe is our favorite Chinese restaurant. We also love Chubby Wubby Bear, their mascot. That was one of the best reasons to go and so was the Baked Alaska, but we’ll get to that later.

In February, we went to Mr. Chow for my mom’s birthday. She thought that Mr. Chow and Philippe Chow were the same owner and the same place, but it turns out they are not! Apparently, Philippe “Chau” worked at Mr. Chow for 25 years. Then he left, changed his name to Chow, opened a restaurant a few blocks away and created Philippe by Philippe Chow. Philippe is less expensive than Mr. Chow, but the quality is just as high and the Baked Alaska is always my highlight.

So this time we went to Philippe on W. 16th St. under the Dream Hotel. First my sister and I had to pose in a clear giant box, acting like we were drinking a huge bottle of champagne. Then they took us to a room that was basically like having our own private place — and the waiters were really nice.

We ordered Shirley Temples, Honey Glazed Spare Ribs, Beijing Chicken, Wonton Soup, Pork Soup Dumplings, Salt and Pepper Calamari, Filet Mignon with Sugar Snaps, Shrimp Fried Rice, and Crispy Duck. We were five adults, two kids, and one baby so we needed a lot of food. But I knew to save room for dessert.

The Shirley Temple was bright red and very sweet, with the cherry floating around, just the way I like it. I was super happy when my baby brother accidentally knocked mine over because I already drank half of it and now I got another one!

The Wonton Soup was good, but the wontons were a bit salty so I just had pork soup dumplings which were way better. The Salt and Pepper Calamari was perfect and I loved it. I thought my sister would like it too, but when we’re at Philippe, she only eats white rice. She voted Philippe number one for white rice in NYC — “Not too moist, and not too dry,” she explained to me.

The spare ribs were perfectly cooked. The glaze was sweet with some spice — my grandma really liked it. I think the Beijing Chicken was my favorite dish. The chicken was delicious and the sweet and sour was my favorite part. It is very rich, so you probably shouldn’t eat too much of it, but it was so good that we kinda did.

Now for the best part of Philippe — the Cotton Candy Baked Alaska. This was my favorite part of my whole day, and trust me I had a pretty good day! Baked Alaska is very difficult to find at a restaurant or probably more difficult to make at home. Philippe’s Baked Alaska is a little different — it arrives as a high dome of cotton candy. Then the waiter pours rum on top of the cotton candy, pulls out a blow torch, and lights it all on fire. It is so dramatic and so cool. Inside is strawberry and vanilla ice cream and sponge cake — all covered with toasted meringue, the best part. It’s the best $20 dessert in New York because it fed everyone at the table and there were fireworks too!

So, whether you’re a kid or an adult, Philippe is definitely a great place to go!

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3 1/2 Stars