Magic Gourd, Washington, D.C.

Last night, I had a nice but late dinner at the Magic Gourd, a Chinese restaurant just a couple of blocks down the street from my hotel. I ordered a half crispy duck, and when it arrived, I was presented with a huge plate full of duck pieces resting on a bed of shredded cabbage, with a bowl of white rice on the side and a good sized bowl of deep brown, sweet, moo shoo sauce. For this to have been a "half" of a duck, the duck must have been turkey sized! In the Chinese tradition, the duck had been deep fried, then chopped into pieces with a large cleaver. I wish the Chinese didn't do that....it makes it rather hard to eat the pieces of duck, since there are always pieces and shards of bone to contend with, but the flavor is always so good, it makes the mess and the extra effort worth it. A pitcher of hot Chinese tea as well as orange wedges and a fortune cookie were complimentary additions to the meal. After I finished, the server brought a hot wet washcloth for me to wipe my hands. I may go back here eventually, too--there were several interesting things on the menu, including several Chinese lamb dishes.