“You may not want to look in the kitchen when the door swings open…but if you want authentic [Chinese], or at least my perception of it, head to Phoenix Café for Peiking duck or eggplant hotpot—just remember to ask for the authentic Chinese menu.” This the opinion of a culinary pro. “I hear it has taken a turn for the worse,” said another. Put the two together, and a version of truth might just emerge.

Yes, you will be offered the chow-mein Chinese menu; as instructed, disdain it. Ask, too, for the daily dim sum sheet. Then hope for the best.

Dim sum items have not improved since our last visit. An order of shrimp cakes perched on rafts of bell pepper adrift in a sea of brown sauce was nicely presented but boring. And despite the crab roe atop steamed pork in wonton “blossoms,” chili sauce to the rescue. An attempted order of salt toasted cuttlefish inspired a Chinese fire drill situation. Not available. How about scallops? Too small, you won’t like. Squid? OK, but spicy, right? Yes.

No, not spicy, and an abundance of decent ingredients didn’t compensate. An order of pea shoots with garlic bested them all—and was also huge.