Royal Palace
Thu., December 26, 11:19 AM
When you haven’t grown up celebrating Christmas, you tend to draw your traditions, if any, from the people around you. Before I was married, many of my friends included me in their festivities, and I was happy that they did. When M.D. shared a house with other single women, their customs (and children) became hers. In the years since M.D. met Son-in-Law, we seem to have begun a tradition of our own, and that is Royal Palace on Christmas Day.
Royal Palace, as you may have inferred, is a Chinese restaurant, but don’t start thinking “A Christmas Story” and “fa-ra-ra-ra-ra.” This is fine dining, and it was one of our favorite restaurants for years.
Around twenty years ago, when the kids were adolescents, I was finally earning enough money to be able to eat out once in a while. I thought it was time to teach the kids about restaurants in general as well as about cultures different from ours. And I found this charming little Chinese restaurant hidden in a strip mall not far from our home. Despite its anonymous location in this little blue-collar town, it had been discovered and favorably reviewed by The New York Times.
We visited often while everyone still lived at home, and we often went to Royal Palace to celebrate birthdays. The food is unbelievably good, and they will cook to order on request. The owners, Tommy and Tony Chin, know their customers and will suggest new dishes that might appeal to the finicky (like Husband). Hot and sour soup at Royal Palace is the best I’ve tasted anywhere, and the menu includes Szechwan and Hunan dishes as well as Cantonese for those who prefer something less spicy. I love going there for the Chinese New Year, when the specials are absolutely amazing.
When M.D. grew up and used to drive there for take-out, they would offer her something to drink while she waited. That was customized too; if she was alone, they would offer her Chinese beer, but if Mother was there too, we had tea.
Eventually it was also discovered by the town of New Haven and invited to relocate in the Ninth Square neighborhood. Their mission was to create a really classy restaurant as part of the regentrification project. And classy it is. (The New York Times has favorably reviewed it again.) When Eloping Daughter and Son-in-Law decided to have a reception for the locals, we held it at Royal Palace. I gave them a very simple outline – something beef, something chicken, something seafood – and they created a banquet that was incredible. The best proof of how good it all was is that guests who “don’t eat Chinese” enjoyed it as well as the aficionados.
We have been happy for them, even though it is nowhere near as convenient as it used to be. We try to get there whenever we can, and we’ve had “Christmas dinner” there for the past four years. Christmas is generally very busy at Royal. Last night we slogged through the snow to get there. Tony greeted us and asked after U.D. as well. Husband had wonton soup as well as his entrée, and ate well. Son-in-Law ordered his usual (General Tso’s chicken), and M.D. and I could enjoy something more esoteric. (Well, maybe it wasn’t really esoteric; it depends on your point of view. I had spicy chicken and Chinese eggplant – are you surprised?)
I hope you all had a lovely Christmas as well.
