Triple Crown or Mandarin Triple Crown (Chinese dish of shrimp, beef and chicken)

A Chinese-American restaurant dish called “Triple Crown (or “Mandarin Triple Crown”) combines three ingredients, such as lobster/shrimp, beef and chicken. “Oriental Triple Crown ($3.25), a combination of lobster meat, the white meat of chicken and slices of roast pork” was printed in the New York (NY) Times on February 19, 1952, when the dish was served at Manhattan’s Oriental House. “Mandarin triple crown [combination of lobster, fresh chicken, and roast pork sauteed with mushrooms, water chestnuts, snow peas, and other Chinese vegetables]” was printed in the Chicago (IL) Tribune on September 10, 1961, when the dish was served at Chinatown Gardens.
 
“The mandarin triple crown is a combination of lobster, roast pork, and chicken with mushrooms, water chestnuts, pea pods, and other Chinese vegetables” was printed in The Record (Hackensack, NJ) on November 15, 1968, when the dish was served at the Horizon East Restaurant in Fort Lee. “Mandarin Triple Crown (...) combined the poultry with thinly sliced pork, chunks of crab and vegetables, including celery, pea pods and bamboo. Another light sauce coated everything” was printed in Cincinnati (OH) magazine in October 1985. “That’s (a Hunan Triple Crown—ed.) for when you can’t make up your mind if you want chicken or shrimp or beef so they put them all in it” was posted on the newsgroup alt.clubs.just-for-fun on October 13, 2002. “Triple Crown: Shrimp, Beef & Chicken for $12.95” was posted on Twitter by Find Me Specials MCN on March 26, 2010. “I always get Triple Crown. Rice with beef, chicken and shrimp” was posted on Twitter by Victor DLS on October 21, 2014.
     
Additions to the “Triple Crown” name have been “Mandarin Triple Crown,” “Hunan Triple Crown” and “Szechuan Triple Crown.”
 
Similar Chinese combination dishes include “Double Wonders,” “Dragon and Phoenix,” “Three Musketeers,” “Triple Delight,” “Triple Harvest,” “Four Precious Jewels,” “Four Seasons,” “Hawaii Four-O,” “Hawaii Five-O,” “Happy Family” and “Happy Together.”
 
         
19 February 1952, New York (NY) Times, “News of Food: New Chinese Restaurant Opened Here in Keeping With a Family Tradition” by June Owen, pg. 23, col. 3:
It is, of course, the cuisine of Canton that is served at Oriental House (at 39 West 52 Street—ed.). This means the foods are richly sauced and elaborately prepared. One of the specialties is Oriental Triple Crown ($3.25), a combination of lobster meat, the white meat of chicken and slices of roast pork. There are vegetables in the dish too—black mushrooms from China (they taste very much like the fungi grown here), bamboo shoots and tiny snow peas in crisp, tender shells that are as good to eat as the shells themselves. The foods are cooked in a spicy sauce with a white wine base.
   
Google Books
The Theatre: A Magazine of Drama, Comedy, Music
Volume 2
1960
Pg. 36:
Among the many sumptuous entrees are Mandarin triple crown (a combination of lobster, fresh chicken, tender roast pork; sauteed with imported mushrooms, water chestnuts, snow peas and Chinese vegetables), ...
     
10 September 1961, Chicago (IL) Tribune, “Around the Cafe Circuit” by Kay Loring, pt. 5, sec. 2, pg. 5, col. 6:
(Chinatown Gardens, Cermak Road and Wentworth Avenue.—ed.)
... Mandarin triple crown [combination of lobster, fresh chicken, and roast pork sauteed with mushrooms, water chestnuts, snow peas, and other Chinese vegetables].
 
Google Books
Cue
Volume 30, Issues 27-52
1961
Pg. 43:
(King Season, 1273 Third Avenue.—ed.)
... Mandarin triple crown, ...
     
20 September 1964, Chicago (IL) Tribune, “Chicago Visitor: Other Favorite Downtown Cafes on Writer’s List” by Kay Loring, sec. 5, pg. 13, col. 1:
Chinatown Gardens. Cermak and Wentworth, DA 6- 9234. (...) Almond guy ding, Mandarin triple crown, and Hung shu fish are tasty entrees, priced for,=m $2.50.
 
13 August 1967, Chicago (IL) Tribune, “More Favorite Restaurants in Downtown Area Listed” by Kay Loring, sec. 5, pg. 13, col. 2:
Chinatown Gardens. (...) ... Mandarin triple crown, etc.
   
15 November 1968, The Record (Hackensack, NJ), “Oriental Restaurateur Traces Teriyaki to Chine” by John H. Kuhn, pg. B-8, col. 4:
Horizon East Restaurant, 1400 Palisade Avenue, Fort Le,, NJ.—ed.)
The mandarin triple crown is a combination of lobster, roast pork, and chicken with mushrooms, water chestnuts, pea pods, and other Chinese vegetables.
 
Google Books
Cue: The Weekly Magazine of New York Life
1971  
Pg. 25:
... Mandarin triple crown (lobster, chicken, and pork, sauteed with water chestnuts, Chinese mushrooms, and vegetables) ...
     
Google Books
October 1985, Cincinnati (OH) magazine, “Garden Party” by Dale Keiger, pg. 174, col. 3:
As tender was the chicken in my Mandarin Triple Crown ($7.25). Another stir-fry (Pg. 175, col. 1—ed.) production, it combined the poultry with thinly sliced pork, chunks of crab and vegetables, including celery, pea pods and bamboo. Another light sauce coated everything.
     
30 August 1990, Milwaukee (WI) Journal, “If your taste in Chinese runs to spicy, you’ll like the Crown” by Dennis Getto, pg. D1:
(China Crown, Oakland Avenue and Locust Street.—ed.)
The fourth, a house specialty called Royal Triple Crown ($9.45), was terrible. Lobster, chicken and beef were combined with mushrooms, carrots, pea pods, bok choy, bamboo shoots and water chestnuts on a sizzling plate at our table. The vegetables were fresh, but the lobster was bad and imparted its unpleasant flavor to the other ingredients.
 
Google Groups: ne.food
House of Lee (actually, Chef Lee’s on Beacon St., Somerville)
Bill Lear
1/24/92
(...)
*Triple Crown (prawns, scallops, and calamari with vegetables)...........11.95
 
Google Groups: alt.clubs.just-for-fun
Well I just blew my diet
JiffyOne
10/13/02
(...)
>>I had hunan triple crown with a bunch of fantail shrimp.  I ate so
>>much I was in pain.  Now I’m hungry again.
>
>
> Ok what’s hunan triple crown?
 
That’s for when you can’t make up your mind if you want chicken or shrimp or beef so they put them all in it.  They usually have that combo thing for hunan or kung po.  I never get szechuan because I don’t know how to say it. 
       
Twitter
Find Me Specials MCN
@SpecialsMCN
Triple Crown: Shrimp, Beef & Chicken for $12.95. 4:30 PM-10:00 PM at Mandarin Chinese Restaurant. #SpecialsMCN http://bit.ly/cvUWVR
4:30 PM - 26 Mar 2010
 
Twitter 
JT
@sonofaSchmitt
Hawaii 5-0, Doube Happiness, Mandarin Triple Crown #PekingEntréesthatcouldbestrainsofmaryj
5:56 PM - 4 Jun 2012
 
Complex
Meet Wale, the Restaurant Critic
Julian Kimble
BY JULIAN KIMBLE
AUG 30, 2013
Wale’s expanding his horizons.
 
The Gifted topped the Billboard 200 in July, so the rapper is trying his hand at other endeavors—like reviewing restaurant’s on Yelp. On Wednesday, he published his first review, a glowing account of his experience at D.C.‘s Asia 54 (2122 P St. NW):
(...)
They said I could only choose one meat but for a little extra they allowed me to do the triple crown (chicken, beef and shrimp).
   
Facebook
Ocean Wok
October 13, 2013 ·
Here’s our dinner suggestion… How about the SZECHUAN TRIPLE CROWN?
 
*Sliced beef, chicken, shrimp mixed with scallions, onions in Szechaun spicy sauce, dry peppers, soy sauce & Szechaun chili paste*
 
Twitter
Victor DLS
@victor_dls
Replying to @LouisFromTexas
@LouisFromTexas lmao, I always get Triple Crown. Rice with beef, chicken and shrimp
1:29 PM - 21 Oct 2014