In Phoenix, there's probably no street that displays a more dramatic east-west divide than Camelback Road. East Camelback is home to the historic Courtesy Chevrolet neon sign, upscale retail districts anchored by Biltmore Fashion Park and Scottsdale Fashion Square, the affluent Arcadia neighborhood, and luxury hotels like the Royal Palms, the Phoenician, and the W Scottsdale. West Camelback, unfortunately, lacks the same critical mass of landmarks and destinations. Sure, there's the indie business cluster of Stinkweeds, Frances, and Red Hot Robot, but those stores are only a block or two west of Central Avenue. Continue past 3rd Avenue, and West Camelback becomes a boulevard of alternating patches of the blighted and the bland until it finally perks up in Litchfield Park.
If Camelback west of Central offers little to celebrate, then any good independent restaurant along its length can seem like a minor miracle. Peter Wong , located just west of 15th Avenue and just under half a mile east of the 19th Avenue / Camelback station, is a better-than-average Chinese restaurant in a worse-than-average location. Peter Wong is the descendant of Big Wong, a legendary restaurant that operated for nearly two decades along Indian School Road. During its mid-'90s heyday, Big Wong drew raves not only for its outstanding Cantonese food, but also for its late hours (until 2 AM on weekends). For a while, it was one of those places that chefs from other restaurants went to after their shifts ended. After a while, however, the restaurant began to lose its energy and closed for good in 2008.
The current restaurant, Peter Wong, is reportedly owned by the same family as Big Wong and carries over much of the kitchen's best output. What it lacks is the old place's energy. Maybe it's the drab neighborhood and the slightly scary apartment complexes nearby, but the restaurant is seldom even half full. An unsuccessful attempt at dim sum was recently discontinued. The lack of crowds is a shame given the high quality and reasonable prices of the food. Peter Wong is definitely worth a visit -- maybe during the day for anyone walking alone to and from the rail station.
Although the restaurant is a plain box from the outside, it's actually fairly attractive inside. There are the usual round tables and black lacquer chairs that inhabit so many Chinese restaurants. Several aquarium tanks display live seafood just waiting to be ordered, steamed, and presented with black bean sauce. The restaurant has three different menus. The takeout menu is full of familiar American Chinese food. Look there for kung pao this, sweet-and-sour that. The next level is the "authentic menu" in its English-language version. This menu reiterates everything from the to-go menu but adds in more exotic items like hot pots featuring ingredients such as shrimp and vermicelli (center photo below). It's a nice mix of the familiar and the exotic. The third menu is also called the "authentic menu" and is printed in both Chinese and Vietnamese, the latter perhaps being a nod to the large southeast Asian community in the Alhambra neighborhood along West Camelback. It's unclear if this menu includes any additional dishes or just the same ones in two Asian languages.
Of course, there are the inevitable lunch specials, but exploring the menu's back pages usually yields a better meal. The typical fried appetizers -- egg rolls, crab puffs, etc. -- are all done right, but the soups may be a more compelling way to start the meal. The sizzling rice soup is studded with all sorts of shrimp, chicken, pork, water chestnuts, snow peas, and other goodies. The wonton soup is equally replete with meats and vegetables. Among the main dishes, the standard American Chinese fare is well prepared, but anyone looking to appreciate Peter Wong should try an entree like tofu stuffed with shrimp or a vegetable like snow peas leaves stir fried with garlic (right photo below). Although there are no Vietnamese dishes listed on the menu, the seasonings used occasionally bear a slight resemblance to southeast Asian cooking.
Peter Wong has a liquor license but not a full bar. Bottled beer is probably the best bet for anyone looking to enjoy an adult beverage here. Fountain sodas are the other main beverage selection. There's no dessert save for the expected fortune cookies, and unfortunately there are no good ice cream or pastry shops within walking distance. The restaurant has high chairs and is fine for families. The little ones will probably enjoy watching the fish in the aquariums, as long as they don't associate Little Nemo in the tank with the anonymous seafood on their plates. At this point, Peter Wong is probably not going to become a destination restaurant, but given the quality of the food, it's a worthwhile stop for anyone on the way to Christown SuperTarget, Phoenix Baptist Hospital, or any other nearby points of interest. Peter Wong serves lunch and dinner every day except Monday.
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