We chose Red Peony Chinese Cuisine on 56th Street for its proximity to City Center. We were heading there to see the yearly eclectic Fall for Dance Festival. All seats only $15. This year — because of travel restrictions — the performers were all American. As usual, it was wonderful, eliciting standing ovations.

If you go, I suggest only ordering their dim sum and some soup. We sampled their crab meat dumplings in a spinach wrapper, the pan-fried shrimp and chive dumplings, the steamed shrimp shumai with pork (each $8.95 for four) and their crispy vegetable spring rolls ($11.90 for 4).

Service, typical since the pandemic, was off.  Our server placed the spring rolls on the table sans dipping sauce. Same thing happened with the dumplings. Those dipping sauces were only a sweet duck sauce for the rolls; soy sauce for the dumplings. We washed that all down with an Italian Santa Margherita Pinot Grigio ($70).

And, the oddest service was that the Hong Kong hot and soup ($4.95)  — a flavorful hearty portion that  I’d also recommend — was served right before the last dumpling!

I wouldn’t go out of my way to dine here, but if you need a place to get a bite before a performance at City Center, I would suggest stopping in for something light.

Red Peony Chinese Cuisine
Midtown
24 W 56th St
New York, NY 10019
(212) 380-8883
redpeonynyc.com