Tag: dumpling

Categories
chinese travel

Lao Bei Fang Dumpling House

Took the trip out to Elmhurst, Queens for the first time to check out their Chinatown. I actually didn’t know there was a fourth NYC Chinatown until recently. It’s defintely a calmer setting than the others and doesn’t quite look like New York to me.  Thinking about it now, it’s probably because of the occasional parking lots.

I went for some Pork Fried Dumplings (4 for $1.25) at Lao Bei Fang Dumpling House. Pretty standard. Maybe a little bland, but the soy-vinegar sauce and the Frank’s RedHot-type sauce refilled in the Sriracha bottles did the job.

Everyone looked like they were eating noodle soup. When they finished, the customers would dump their leftovers into a bucket near the door, which was right next to me. It was halfway high.

Lao Bei Fang Dumpling House – 86-08 Whitney Ave. Elmhurst, NY 11373

More on my Elmhurst adventure to come.

Categories
lunch restauranting

Tibetan Kitchen’s Sha Momo Dumplings

I wanted to like a place called Tibetan Kitchen. When I entered the empty restaurant during lunch time, I pointed to where I wanted to sit near the window. Somehow the waitress led me to another table. I ordered the Beef Pan Fried Sha Momos (Tibetan dumplings) and waited quite a while for them. Maybe 30mins?  I got pretty impatient staring at the big hanging photo of the Dalai Lama that whole time. The one guy who came in after me was half-way through his meal by the time my food came out.

So what’s the difference between these momos and Chinese potstickers? I don’t know. These momos were really juicy. They’d squirt when you eat them. I ended up putting soy sauce on them. So I wondered more what the difference was. Oh these are $10.95 (So about $14.50 after tax and tip) for 8 dumplings. That’s the last time I’ll bitch about Rickshaw Dumpling prices.

I really do want to like Tibetan Kitchen. They have a lot of good reviews on Menupages and Yelp. There’s a few online mentions that the Dalai Lama’s food is prepared in their kitchen when he visits New York. That must be why his photo was staring down at me and I was staring back during that 30min wait. I hate writing about mediocre experiences, but the Momo photos look good.

Tibetan Kitchen – 444 3rd Ave (btw 30th & 31st St) New York, NY 10016

Categories
chinese

C & L Dumpling House

Met up with Matt Gill after his CMJ sound engineer gig and went to C & L Dumpling House for a cheap meal. Good cheap plump dumplings (5 for $1.25 and 10 for $2.50, which sounds right if you do your math). We didn’t know why every Styrofoam plate in the stack looked dirty. “Maybe they had flour on them?” says Matt. Maybe.

Matt ordered the Pork in Sticky Rice in Soup. The broth was clear and his face was disturbed when he tried it. Turns out it’s just hot water. The dough of the dumpling balls had the texture and consistency of Mochi. It would have been much better if it was real soup. The water did turn a little oily from the pork dumpling balls, but still no real flavor. We tried to root for it. Still a worthy dumpling place.

C & L Dumpling House – 77 Chrystie St (btw Canal & Hester St) New York, NY 10002

Categories
concert/event

NYC Dumpling Festival 2009

The rain didn’t keep the large crowd away from the Dumpling Festival yesterday. I couldn’t even see the stage because of all the people, who seemed to be in long lines for dumplings.

The festival wasn’t just about Asian dumplings, but of all kinds from all over the world –like pierogis for instance. There were new kinds I’ve never heard of like Kuih Koci (Malaysia), Idli (India), Palitaw (Phillipines). Then there were ones I don’t consider dumplings like Tamales (Mexico), Gnocchi (Italy) and Bao (China). I wouldn’t really couldn’t understand the huge ass line for a small $5 plate of gnocchi. I ran into Allison on the tamale line. We talked for about ten minutes. I don’t think the line moved.

They had the World’s Largest Whole Wheat Dumpling on display. I thought it was made out of clay. Allison wondered how big the World’s Largest Non-Whole Wheat Dumpling was.

There was a Dumpling Eating Contest, Break Dancing and Acrobatic Performance. The big draw despite the weather –it was a pretty successful event to hawk TMI Food Group/Chef One dumplings and products. $5 seems like a lot for the small plates of dumplings, but at least it went to a good cause –The Food Bank of NYC.

Categories
chinese travel

Louie’s Dim Sum – Shark Fin Dumplings

We went to a small hole selling mostly dumplings in plain view. Four Shark Fin Dumplings for $1.90. I didn’t notice any of the shark fin texture, but did notice the salty pork and shrimp. Not too bad for the price, but I could only eat one and a half if I’m going to keep food blogging.

Louie’s Dim Sum – 1242 Stockton St (btw Broadway St & Pacific Ave) San Francisco, CA 94133
01 Louie's Dim Sum
02 Shark Fin Dumplings from Louie's Dim Sum

Categories
restauranting

Vanessa’s Dumpling

Our friend Chelsea had a going away party before she heads out to LA to work on the Sarah Silverman Show. So to pump myself up for partying –put on some Flo Rida, downed a 5 Hour Energy and grabbed a bite at Vanessa’s Dumpling at the new location on 14th St. It’s interesting to see cheap dumpling place in that area. I suppose it’s a little more than the Chinatown/LES outlet, but still cheap. 5 dumpling at $1.99 (non-happy hour). Not amazing tasting, but amazing for the price.

Oh yeah, the Sriracha cock sauce bottle was watery. What the fuck?

Vanessa’s Dumpling – 220 E 14th St (btw 2nd Ave & 3rd Ave) New York, NY 10003

Categories
restauranting

Ramen & Friends: Sheng Wang

Hand pulled noodles with Ramen and Friends. The broth buns were sweet dessert like dough balls with peanuts bits inside. No one dared to chug the syrup. I got the beef bone peeled noodles. I think I should have gotten the pork bone hand pulled noodles. They were shooting a Nicholas Cage movie (maybe The Sorcerer’s Apprentice?) on the street outside, so it was tricky to get in. I wonder if they compensate the businesses when they shoot movies. It did seem like a slow hand pulled noodle night. Apparently we were in the way of the drunk extra or the extra acting drunk when we were standing around on the sidewalk taking pics. I hope he was an actor.

Sheng Wang – 27 Eldridge St (btw Canal & Division St) New York, NY 10002
Ramen and Friends cross post

Categories
crazy night takee outtee

Christopher Columbo Day

went to the columbus day parade. where are the zeppoles? where are the mozzarepas? so i go down to columbus park in chinatown. its a party of people that look like my aunts and uncles. i’ve never seen a place where old people hang out, play chinese chess, and yell at each other. its pretty cool. i kinda wish my parents, aunts and uncles could come up and hang out with them.

got to explore chinatown and try new places. dolla dumplings from fried dumplings. tom yum soup from yee eng home cooking which the noodles are just ramen. but their wonton with hot sesame sauce is awesome. i added the fried dumpings to the soup and it made both better.

overall i think i did well blending in. (overall rating: buddhist delight)

Yee Eng Home Cooking – 105 Mosco St (btw Mott & Mulberry St) NYC 10013
Fried Dumpling -106 Mosco St (across the street from above) NYC 10013
Meat on Stick Cart – Forsyth and Division (underneath the Manhattan Bridge) New York

Columbus Park Senior Orchestra of NY Inc. (…like Kids Inc.?)

foodbloggin puttin on the pressure