Everyday’s duck is a crowd pleaser

My friends and I were playing the ever-so-fun game of “where should we eat?” a couple of weeks ago, each trying to come up with something that would please the crowd while driving around, knowing we might have to head back in the opposite direction once a decision was finally reached. Why, at these moments, does the mind go completely blank?

Thankfully, as soon as someone suggested Everyday Authentic Chinese Cuisine, everyone was in immediate agreement.

It’s always best to 1. dine in at Everyday as opposed to taking out, and 2. go in a group of at least three, so you can order too much without really realizing it and cover one of the big, round tables with platters of some of the best food you can get in the Lansing area. The one problem is that your group then has to agree upon which dishes to select.

Thankfully, because there were only three of us, when I suggested the Peking duck, we were again in easy agreement that it would have to be one of our choices. We also got the delicious stir-fried green beans and eggplant with garlic sauce, but I will focus on the duck.

When you order the duck, you have a choice of either one or two additional courses. The options are duck fried rice and/or a soup made from the duck bones. The soup is incredible, but we went with the fried rice because it better complemented our other selections.

To prepare Peking duck, air is pumped through the neck cavity to separate the skin from the fat. It’s roasted in a special oven, hanging vertically, and is glazed with honey and/or malt sugar, soy sauce and Chinese five-spice powder. The result is glistening, crispy skin over tender, melt-in-your-mouth meat.

The sliced duck is served with thin, steamed pancakes in addition to julienned cucumber, pickled daikon and carrot, spring onion and hoisin sauce. I like to fill a pancake with all of the above and enjoy the mesmerizing combination of rich duck, fresh vegetables and umami hoisin. And repeat.

The fried rice is lovely and paired excellently with the vegetables we chose, but for me, nothing compares to the duck-filled pancakes. Dinner with friends at Everyday is the perfect way to spend a gloomy, freezing winter evening, something to remember the next time you’re going around and around about where to eat.