Tightly seated around one of the few communal tables in the narrow restaurant are a group of students from the Asian international program at the UA. Usually when a young crowd such as this gets together there is a lot of chatting, texting, laughing and teasing but this particular group is different. There was very little interaction between them—all I could hear was some slurping, the occasional satisfied sigh and a battle of sticks trying to get to prized meats and vegetables, steaming in deep white bowls and on large platters. The students, seemingly, are in a bit of a trance.
“Most of them were here last night but the group keeps getting bigger,” Sky Dragon manager Lili Wong told me. “They always tell us this is the most authentic Chinese food they have ever had here in the states. They would know of course.”
Sky Dragon, humbly hidden between a Jerry Bob’s and a credit union in a shopping strip at the corner of Prince and Campbell, debuted to little or no fanfare less than a year ago but has quickly garnered a cult following, one that will only grow as the word about them gets out. The food served at Sky Dragon is some of the tastiest and most creative Asian cuisine found nearly anywhere and for that we have Lili’s dad to thank.
Jimmy Wong grew up working in kitchens back in China and graduated with honors from a renowned culinary school in his hometown of Hong Kong. Soon after, he began to make a name for himself in popular restaurants around the bustling city but it was a call from a restauranteur here in Tucson that brought him and his wife, Mary, to America more than 20 years ago.
After getting several successful concepts up and running, as well as raising both Lili and her younger brother, Ki, who helps out when he can around the restaurant when he’s not attending the UA, Jimmy and Mary knew that it was time to open their own place.
“We were so lucky to get this location,” cites Lili as a lunch rush comes to an end and Jimmy and Mary prepare for dinner service back in the kitchen. “It’s central, it’s near the university, so we hope people will come by and eat what real Cantonese and Szechuan food is supposed to taste like.”
In the short time Sky Dragon has been opened they have yet to disappoint, rather they surprise and delight with each new dish that is prepared. Their take on Peking Duck will win anyone over who has always thought this was a greasy and fatty dish. It can be, just not here. This is fall off the wing righteousness, full of deep rich flavor with a crispy skin that is more delicate wafer than a chewy bit of fowl. A specialty of Sky Dragon’s everyone needs to try is the delectable Citrus Pinecone Fish. First off, no, there is no such thing as a pinecone fish (although they do serve Lion Head Fish that is in the goldfish family—but that’s a different dish altogether), rather it is the way the seafood is scored, prepared and cooked that gives it a “pinecone” effect. It is tender, flavorful and tangy, with a good citrus bite without a hint of overt fishiness.
“We source locally as much as possible,” Ki notes on the freshness of their fish, meats and produce. “For a particular dish we had a bunch of Maine lobsters flown in overnight. We can make you anything you want as long has you have specific instructions or bring in the ingredients.”
Lili then giggles. “One customer actually brought in squab and some abalone. Our dad cooked him a dish and the customer loved it. So, yes, we sort of have a secret menu … as long as you let us know what you want well in advance.”
Speaking of which, the current menu is about to get some changes, just a tweaking from chef Jimmy on items that aren’t selling as expected and to introduce even more scrumptious Chinese delicacies. One dish that needs your full attention once it becomes official is their Mala Hot Pot. This bowl of spicy broth insanity has a lot going on. There are rustic cuts of vegetables as well as generous pieces of chicken, beef, pork and fish; a torrid bowl of culture, imagination and flavor, one of which is sure to appease those fans of true Cantonese cooking and who that have yet to be indoctrinated into the fold. Sure some of the chef’s specials might take a while but the trip is so worth it.
You just can’t rush perfection.
“One regular patron said he only came across food such as ours in California and China,” smiles Lili. “That makes us so happy because we believe our food tells a story. We want to bring our family’s story here to Tucson.”
The Wong’s story can be summed up in one.
This article appears in May 25-31, 2017.
These advertisements masquerading as reviews are getting sad and tired.
How much were the meals you ate?
Mr. Wong has been helping to launch restaurant start ups in Tucson for 20 years? What restaurants?
You quote them as saying they source their food locally and in the same sentence she says she flew in Lobster from Maine? Where are they sourcing their food locally? What are they sourcing?
Is this an advertisement? A review? A fluff piece? It is definitely not journalism, I hope they paid you for the blow job.
HumanBean the intrepid Chow section troll.
Good job idiot…
This humanbean asshat needs to be blocked
To HumanBean:
Don’t let the bastards grind you down.
While I will agree that the story last week about Old Chicago pizza was putting lipstick on a pig, I felt this was a solid review. For those people who cannot figure out how to google the restaurant to see the menu, here you go Human Bean….https://www.facebook.com/SkyDragonChinese/…. Seriously, HB, why don’t you try your hand at writing a restaurant review and let everyone else pick it apart.
First of all, my issue is not with Mark. He is a talented writer and obviously fully capable. My issue is with the editorial decision to focus on personalities behind the food instead of the food itself in lieu of any actual reviews. I think these pieces that talk about the background and personal stories of the people behind a restaurant have a place but they should be complimentary to a solid review process. Nobody is going to restaurants because of the Chefs life story, they are there for the food, and if the chef happens to have a great story, that is even better. These stories should not go away, but they should take a back seat to a more traditional restaurant review process.
These are very soft pieces of writing and come off as advertisements. It is a legitimate question to ask if the Weekly is being paid and how these restaurants are chosen. It matters. I think the Chow section could use some investigatory backbone, for example, if a restaurateur makes a claim that they are sourcing their food locally they should be asked more details about that, this sort of ‘green washing’ is rampant in the restaurant industry and deserves attention. Mark should know that. It is not about bashing or attacking the restaurant but it is about holding them accountable to their customers.
Obviously The Weekly does not subscribe to the the broadly accepted paradigm n in the food world of the reviewer remaining anonymous. Most food reviewers at major outlets know that anonymity is the best way to insure the integrity of their reviews; it prevents restaurants from treating them differently than other patrons, preparing things with better ingredients, or any of the other myriad of changes a restaurant would make knowing that a review was being written. The Weekly has chosen an approach that gives all the power to the restaurant and takes away the power and independence of the reviewer.
What does all of this mean to me the reader? Whether these are paid advertisements or not, I cannot trust the small portion that actually addresses the food and even if the food is great it is marred by an inappropriate relationship between the reviewer and the restaurant.
That is my opinion, obviously a lot of people agree with me and a lot don’t. I would encourage those who disagree to consider the relationship between a reviewer and a restaurant, and how that relationship can impact the veracity and quality of a review. Are you really going to get the same experience that Mark gets? Maybe we should all start notifying restaurants that we will be publishing a review when we make our reservations. Don’t forget to schedule an interview too…
Hmm…I am new to the weekly (and Chow) but tend to agree with HumanBean, although his initial email was a tad brusque. I saw that this was a “Chow Feature” so I did not expect a review. But after some browsing, I see that they do not have a “review” category. Perhaps they should.
Where do the locally-sourced dogs and cats come from? Local puppy mills? PACC? Pet stores?
Anybody with two fingers has become a published author. What a decline in civilization. Sad to see.
China Pacific used to be in this space and we were sad when it closed. Have been eyeballing this place when we get our groceries at nearby Safeway — will make a point to dine here real soon.
“First off, no, there is no such thing as a pinecone fish…”
Yes, Virginia, there is, in fact, a species called the pinecone fish. I’ve seen them in public aquariums. Per Wikipedia: “Pinecone fishes are small and unusual beryciform marine fish of the family Monocentridae. The family contains just four species in two genera, one of which is monotypic. Their distribution is limited to tropical and subtropical waters of the Indo-Pacific. Pinecone fishes are popular subjects of public aquaria, but are both expensive and considered a challenge for the hobbyist to maintain.”
Some species are bioluminescent as well.
I’ve eaten there several times. Their sauces are good as are the vegetables but the meat is not. Both the beef and chicken I ordered (multiple times) were not good: chewy, stringy, or overly tenderized with a bubble gum texture. I really wanted to like this place (I loved Pacific Cafe’s food although their service was notoriously horrible–of the Seinfeld Soup variety!) but I’ve given up trying to find a dish with a decent cut of beef or chicken. I’m shocked the review refers to “local ingredients” because I have a hard time believing meat this poor was locally grown.