If you are a movie buff, you've probably seen the 1933 black-and-white classic version of "King Kong" with Fay Wray and Robert Armstrong. And there's the successful and flashy 2005 remake with Naomi Watts and Jack Black.

Michael O'Halloran, chef/owner of Old City's well-regarded Bistro 7, brings "King Kong" to mind in the fun name of his newly debuted Northern Liberties restaurant, Kong.

O'Halloran and his wife and partner, Sophia Lee, wanted to create a restaurant inspired by the Chinese street food of Hong Kong that is part of Lee's heritage.

Kong borrows from the dai pai dong food stalls that have their origins in home cooking. These began as a way for Chinese war widows to make money. The emphasis is on rustic homestyle foods.

Any translation of a traditional style is going to have some hits and misses.

Let's start with the positive. The Crispy Fried Rock Shrimp ($12) was hands down the favorite dish of the table. O'Halloran points out that this is a takeoff on the classic dish, Shrimp with Walnuts. He uses the rock shrimp to dress up the dish.

He's right . . . the rock shrimp deliver here, as does the wasabi sauce. And the sticky rice was a nice contrast texturally.

Steamed Butter Lettuces ($5) was another favorite. The greens are lightly steamed and seasoned with an oyster sauce and topped with crispy slivers of fried shallots. Think of it as an Asian version of green bean casserole. Delicious.

I also enjoyed the Pork Belly Buns ($9) and this is an example of the more rustic approach. O'Halloran purposely stayed away from French technique here and offered a slightly thicker, chewier texture that contrasted well with the steamed bun and seasonings. In an otherwise well-serviced evening, the waitress should have advised us that there were only two buns and would be difficult to share.

Unfortunately, a dish that should be one of Kong's signatures falls like the monster off the Empire State Building. Ping's BBQ Pork Spare Ribs ($12) were coated in a one-dimensional sauce that was not only too cloying, but also had us scrambling for the wet wipes that came with the dish. If a rib is good, it's finger-licking good, not a good opportunity for a napkin salesman.

The dish is Lee's mother's recipe and authentic homestyle cooking. In this instance, I'd rather have the food remade to the American palate.

And, yes, I'll spare you the mother-in-law jokes here.

Both of the dumplings we tried disappointed as well. Three-way Pork Dumpling ($9) had an off-aroma and the dumplings were far too doughy.

The Crispy Mongolian Lamb Dumplings ($8) were tough and I couldn't taste the pickled eggplant accent to the lamb.

The ribs and dumplings may be authentic to the Hong Kong style of this cuisine, but for my tasters' American palates, the dishes just didn't satisfy.

O'Halloran concedes that common Hong Kong dishes such as raw liver and other offerings would never be accepted here, but it also makes sense to accommodate our Western palates in textural ways as well. Toothsome pasta may be "an intentional negative" but it came off as tough and doughy to me.

Kong also offers noodle and rice bowls. According to O'Halloran, these aren't ideal for sharing and the flavors should be more muted because an entire bowl will be consumed.

In the case of the Forever-Braised Lamb Bowl ($15), the menu description lists a five-spice broth. In my mind, I think I am ordering a succulent meat with lots of flavor notes from the five-spice powder.

Well, someone stole four of our spices. This is more aptly named "Forever Bland Lamb Bowl." There was virtually no aroma to the dish. The shreds of lamb bore no resemblance to unctuous braised meat.

The Striped Bass Rice Bowl ($16) was more interesting with subtle flavors and nicely steamed fish.

The desserts clearly are a departure from Chinese street food. The Pot de Crème ($3) was a thick, rich mass of chocolate. I would say, however, there was too much whipped cream on top even for my predilection for butter fat.

The Coconut Rice Pudding ($3) was more subtle and just slightly fragrant. It, too, had too much whipped cream.

Now, here's a frustration. The wine list is very well-thought-out, completely in sync with what Kong is trying to do. There are some really fun choices such as the Kung Fu Girl Riesling ($8) by rock star winemaker Charles Smith and an unoaked Ken Forrester Pinotage ($7) that would be exciting pairings if the food delivered.

The decor is inviting and there is a lot of attention to detail. The over-sized towels as napkins add to the casual atmosphere. The finely designed and crafted menu presentation also sets you up to enjoy the evening, but the kitchen falls short.

Kong Restaurant obviously has a monstrously long way to go to be king, but the concept deserves an audience. I'd like to green light some redirection and adaptation by O'Halloran and his chef de cuisine, James Wells.