Review: Yan's Atlantic Palace in Margate
By Judith Stocks, Sun Sentinel
Important: This article was last updated on May 27, 2010. Please call ahead to confirm hours, prices, dates and other information.
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 5408 W. Atlantic Blvd., Margate 954-979-9106 atlanticpalaceusa.com Cuisine: Chinese Cost: inexpensive Hours: dinner daily Reservations: not necessary Credit cards: AE, MC, V Bar: beer, wine Sound level: quiet Outside smoking: no For kids: high chairs Wheelchair accessible: yes  |
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First impression: You can order shrimp chow mein and General Tao's, but ask for the Cantonese menu — not the standard issue menu — if you want a more authentic experience. The restaurant also advertises dim sum though it's not currently available.Ambience: Simple, brightly lit and relatively stark. Specials are hand written in Chinese on neon colored paper and small red paper lanterns hang from the ceiling.
Starters: If you're feeling adventurous, try duck tongues. Marinated in soy, these soft, gelatinous, fatty tiny tongues have hard cartilage running down the center. The task is to pick them up with your fingers and suck them dry. Not for the faint of heart, and you'll get more than you could ever want for $10.95. Better to stick with something more middle of the road, like minced chicken corn soup served in portions that easily feed four ($9.95), or dry scallop soup ($12.50) with bits of briny dried scallops, Chinese mushrooms, shredded bamboo shoots and chicken.
Entree excellence: Our knowledgeable and savvy server steered us away from a $12.95 dish of Winkles in Black Bean Sauce — thumbnail size snails in their shells —sometimes called periwinkles. "They're really small, you have to toothpick the meat out, and it isn't easy," she cautioned. Taking more of her advice we ordered pork with preserved vegetables ($9.95), our favorite taste of the evening. The dish starts with hunks of pork braised with piquant preserved vegetables until every component is fall-apart tender. The pork is rimmed in fat for flavor, but you can avoid it and still wind up with satisfying portions of delicious meat. Crispy Hong Kong chicken ($10.95) is a simple half chicken barbecued Chinese-style then quickly deep fried without batter so the honey glaze has a chance to crisp and caramelize. It's best sprinkled with the spiced salt served along side. Our beef chow fun ($9.95) was pleasant, with generous amounts of beef cooked perfectly medium, but didn't reach the heights of the most memorable fare.
Sides: You want an order of fried stuffed bean curd ($8.95), squared cakes filled with baby shrimp. A quick stint in a hot wok turns them outwardly crisp while rendering the interiors warm and custardy.
Insider's tip: Regulars familiar with New York's Chinatown know to come here for market priced live lobsters quickly turned into succulent dishes: ginger lobster with scallions, ginger and white wine; quick fried lobster with fermented black bean sauce; and Atlantic Palace lobster with minced pork, ginger, scallions and celery. If you don't see anything you like on the menu, or have personal favorites, ask and the kitchen accommodates. The restaurant serves until 2 a.m.
Service: Congenial.
Contact dining correspondent Judith Stocks at judithstocksreviews@yahoo.com.