Pacificana, II: I finally meet my match

I was so impressed with the job that Pacificana did on tripe and chicken's feet that I had to bring a group back there for some more conventional fare this weekend. Wanting to beat the crowd, we showed up at 11 a.m., but it turned out that the crowd had the same idea--we waited about 40 minutes to get a table.

That being said, I'd still go back there. The steamed barbecue pork buns were extraordinary, with a subtle touch of sweetness in the buns; a baked pork bun was even better, with a wheat-like sweetness in the breading and some good, salty meatiness to the pork. Sliced spareribs came with a silky, savory sauce that helped make up for the stringiness of the beef. The pork filling in the cheong fun was a bit bland, but the rice wrapping itself was still first-rate. We also got an order of sliced duck ($15) that was preternaturally crispy without being overwhelmingly fatty (though not nearly as trim as a Peking duck). I thought the shrimp siu mai we just so-so, although my companions were a bit more enthusiastic about them.

What did me in, though, was an order of shrimp balls wrapped in bacon and deep fried. And--oh, yeah--dipped in mayonnaise. Normally, anything involving the words "wrapped in bacon" and "deep fried" are a recipe for delightfulness, so when I saw a cart full of bacon-wrapped deep-fried goodies, I was giddy with anticipation. Unfortunately, it turns out that there can be too much of a good thing, and the concoction hit me like a Scotch egg. I only managed to finish about two of these before I realized I had to call it quits--marking what is probably the only time I was unable to finish any bacon-containing dish in my life--and I still paid for it later in the day.

The upside? The whole meal, including the duck, came to $60 for five very hungry people.


Pacificana
813 55th Street (Eighth Avenue), second floor
N to 8th Avenue; the building also has parking
Sunset Park, Brooklyn
(718) 871-2880.