Dumpling Man

Dumpling Man - 100 Saint Marks Place (Asian)
A small place, specializing in dumplings. Pros: very fresh, nice dumplings - a great way to get your fix when in the East Village. Cons: At 4 for $3 and change, they're considerably more expensive than in Chinatown. Also, the dumplings are a little on the small side. But its a classy, tasty place - worth a trip if you're in Saint Marks.

Sichuan Palace

Sichuan Palace - 310 East 44th Street (1st/2nd Avenue) - Chinese
An elegant midtown establishment near the UN, with reasonably priced fish maw and shark's fin soup on the menu.

Grand Sichuan

Grand Sichuan - 1049 2nd Avenue (close to 55th) (Chinese - Sichuan)
Part of a large chain of Sichuan Restaurants. Can't speak for this restaurant too thoroughly (positive or negative), for I've only had only entree there. But - for those of us stationed mid town east during the workday, its good to know it exists. Sidenote: the baby shrimp with garlic sauce I had? Flavorful, not *too* hot - but not all that memorable, either. But give the place a try yourself. Who knows?

Hop Won

Hop Won - 139 East 45th Street (Lexington and 3rd)
A good place to know...at least when searching for Chinese food in the heart of mid-town east.

Marked by a generic white sign, there's not much that distinguishes HW from a million other Chinese food joints in Manhattan. A casual look inside only reinforces that impression...revealing a prominent buffet table serving up American classics such as lo mein, roast pork and tons o stuff with brown sauce.

But slightly further in is a separate counter where customized orders are served - with a range of options from sour cabbage with chicken, to bitter melon over rice, and Shanghai rice cake.

Though not spectacular, the fare is solid and satisfying. The price? More than reasonable for mid-town, and the portions are huge (my $4.00 bowl of vegetable noodle spanned at least six inches, with a depth of four.)

So give Hop Won a try. If you work in mid-town, you might become a regular.

Roll and Dough

Roll and Dough - 135 W. 3rd Street (6th Avenue and McDougal)
Hidden throughout Flushing Chinatown are many tiny gems - small shoppes serving cheap, tasty edibles - items not readily available in the tourist heavy haunts of Manhattan. One of the best was Unique Pastry, a miniscule shoppe offering $1.50 steamed buns, and bings (flattened fried buns, coated with sesame seeds and stuffed with a variety of fillings.) In the past few years, the snacks have become famous in certain foodie circles, earning the owner of the shoppe (Elizabeth Ting) the name of Bing Lady.

In August 2006, the shoppe moved to Manhattan/West Village, around the corner from the basketball courts. Renamed Roll and Dough, the shoppe offers the same tasty snacks - and a more easily accessible location.

Despite the Manhattan address, the price remains reasonable - juices are sold for $3.00, bings/buns run from $1.50 - $2.00. The menu seems expanded, offering a wide range of flavors, from spicy pork to veggie. Though slightly cold, the bings I sampled (both sweet and savory) were tasty. Since Taro had sold out, I tried the sweet banana filling - nothing amazing (though satisfactory.) The hot and sour vegetable bing - that had punch, and flavor...the clear winner of the taste test. But there's always the red bean to try out - for yet another day.

In the end, I walked away from Roll and Dough happy - wishing the best for Ms. Ting's expanding business. It's good to see culinary diversity thrive in the West Village... It's also good to have access to bings - without having to ride the 7 train to get them.

Unique Pastry

Unique Pastry - 135-23 40th Road (Flushing, Queens) - Chinese
My first flushing linkable. This is a great easy-to-miss hole in the wall bakery right off the 7 line. They have terrific buns, filled with taro, spicy chicken (very good), and other stuffs. I also had an egg and chives pastry that wasn't bad. They're very nice and friendly, and it's only a little over a dollar a roll. If you're in Flushing, you have to go!

9/6/06 Bad news - I hear that Unique Pastry is no more, closed up shop. Good news: they've moved to Manhattan West Village, under the name Roll and Dough! Closer bings...yum!

Taipan Bakery

Taipan Bakery - 194 Canal Street or 37-25 Main Street (Flushing) (Chinese-Taiwanese?)
One of the larger, more commercial bakeries in both the Manhattan and Flushing Chinatowns. It's always bustling, always a line. The highlights: glutinous sugar rice cake, 'my bread' (a peanut butter and condensed milk sandwich on white toast) and a host of good ice cream sundae platters. (Try the German or Tiramisu sundae - they take awhile to make, but have plenty of ice cream, cake, and fresh fruit - and are just large enough to fill you up.) Also: they have a catering menu!

HW Cafe Bakery

HW Cafe Bakery - 242 Canal Street (Chinese)
A great overall bakery. Less commercial than some of the other bakeries. I especially love their glutinous (white) rice cake, which I haven't seen available elsewhere.

Golden Fung Wong Bakery

Golden Fung Wong Bakery - 41 Mott Street (Chinese)
Go there for their black sesame glutinous rice cake. It's terrific, and I've never seen it anywhere else in Chinatown. They also have a good solid selection of other bakery items, and even stock X-rated fortune cookies. Perfect for that special someone...

XO Kitchen

XO Kitchen - 148 Hester Street (Elizabeth and Bowery) and 96 Walker Street (Hong Kong)
An authentic Hong Kong diner - specializing in dishes from frog congee to pork chop over rice...as well as a range of tempting desserts (such as Tang Yuan, various Tong Sui and Mango Pudding.) Available in two convenient locations, XO Kitchen has a cheap, fun Hong Kong vibe - not too fancy - with menu specials pasted on colorful bits of paper on almost every wall space available.

The price is also awright, running about $6 for an entree and as little as $2.50 for a dessert. Recent excursions have focused exclusively on the sweet stuff: including Tang Yuan (peanut buttery delicious) and ginger milk (not bad, though not worth a second tasting.) But other desserts beckon - including double boiled milk, papaya sago with ice cream, and even odorous noshes as durian pancake and pudding. (God knows when I'll get to the savory stuff!)

But no matter the timeline, this is one location worthy of further exploration. Taipan Bakery, eat your heart out....

3/10/07 Update - Tried the durian pudding and double boiled milk. The verdict - both good, though not awe-inspiring. Topped with condensed milk, the pudding had a mild, slight durian tinge. The boiled milk was nice (though guilt inducing to my vegan principles...), laced with a light ginger flavor that really helped it along. Neither are worth a second trip. But there's plenty of other things worth trying at XO anyway...

3/11/07 Update - I can't stay away from this place! Today, the sample consisted of the honeydew sago dessert and the durian pancake. Both proved to be worthy...with the honeydew dessert a sweet compilation of black tapioca balls, coconut pudding and honeydew melon balls, bathed in either coconut or condensed milk. The durian pudding was even better - made from fried thin rice sheets, filled with durian flavored pudding. Mmmmmm.

Wo Hop

Wo Hop - 17 Mott Street (Chinese/American)
Long famous as a purveyor of greasy spoon Chinese American fare, Wo Hop is loved by some and depised by others (who dub it "Wo Glop."). Something of a Chinatown landmark, Wo Hop is split into two levels...with the more tourist friendly restaurant on the second floor, and a divey hole-in-the-wall room downstairs in the basement. Guess which one I picked?

For those allergic to upscale, the vibe was just right - featuring walls plastered with pictures of quasi celebrities and numerous newspaper reviews. The small diner tables were somewhat cramped, and definitely populated --even on the rainy Saturday that I walked in the door. As for the food? Well, I have to admit to keeping the sample small...limited solely to an order of eggplant in black bean sauce. For seven dollars, the quantity was right...enough for two whole meals. As for the taste - really no different from the corner Chinese takeout store. No better, no worse...though the meal sat heavily in my stomach for a few hours afterwards, making me wish I'd stuck with the Dragon Fruit that I'd noshed on earlier.

So is Wo Hop worth a trip? Nah. Though if you're hung over, and seeking munchies in Chinatown, it might just fit the ticket.

Ten Pell

Ten Pell - 10 Pell Street (Chinese)
Across the street from Joe's Shanghai. The place was empty when I went in, but it gave good soup dumplings.

Tasty Dumpling

Tasty Dumpling - 54 Mulberry Street
I *believe* this place is owned by the same people who own Dumpling House on Eldridge (it appears they have an identical menu). Anyway, 5 fried dumplings for $1.00 - a great deal. My only grumble - you can't order 5 boiled dumplings (which I prefer) - you've got to order 10 for $2.00.

Rice to Riches

Rice to Riches - 37 Spring Street (between Mott and Mulberry)
Located on the edge of Chinatown - a small, unique dessert shoppe specializing in rice pudding (available in a myriad of flavors, from coconut coca to rest in peach. The sweets are delicious and healthy (at least in theory.) The decor is classy, and the sweets are positively yummy - complete with a full range of toppings (including oatmeal cookie crumble and mixed nuts.) If you have the slightest sweet tooth, you have to give this place a try. Because rice pudding deserves another chance...!

New Green Bo

New Green Bo - 66 Bayard Street (Chinese)
Don't know much about this place, other than they have the most reasonably priced winter melon soup I've seen $4.25.

Mandarin Court

Mandarin Court - 61 Mott Street (Chinese)
Recently went to Mandarin Court for dim sum, as it was recommended by some friends. The inside of Mandarin Court is modest - cafeteria style tables, no frills decor. Positives: the carts come by regularly, there's no chasing down the carts, like you have to do at Jing Fong. The food is tasty, mostly subtly flavored and steamed (since it is dim sum.) Negatives: honestly, I think there was less variety than Jing Fong - didn't see a single chicken foot the entire time I was there. The cost: reasonable. $12 a head for our party, and we certainly ate our fill. Will I go back soon? No. Would I recommend? Yes, although not with amazing passion.

Joe's Shanghai

Joe's Shanghai - 9 Pell Street (Chinese)
A place with a great rep - I just know it as one of the few places to get drunken crab.

Jing Fong

Jing Fong - 20 Elizabeth Street (Chinese Dim Sum)
One of the preferred dim sum halls in Chinatown. Huge and reasonably priced! It can sometimes be hard to get the carts to come over, though.

House of Vegetarian and Vegetarian Dim Sum

House of Vegetarian – 68 Mott Street (Chinese Vegetarian)
Vegetarian Dim Sum House – 24 Pell (Chinese Vegetarian)

Owned by the same proprietor - two well known vegetarian haunts located in the heart of Chinatown (one on Mott, the other on nearby Pell Street.) Their menus blazoned with the same green and white Buddha, these restaurants serve up a number of dishes, done veggie style – from Orange Beef to General Tso...classic takeout fare, made with mock meat filling in for the real thing. As with many of their carnivorous brethren, the decoration is minimal – yet many vegetarians flock to their door – swearing by their flavor and authenticity.

For the GG trip, the litmus test was chicken (General Tso at HOV, Sweet and Sour at VDS.) Both restaurants won points for variety...offering literally hundreds of options, from mock steak to Peking Spare Ribs. The creativity also impressed – made from yam, the sweet and sour chicken almost passed the texture test...though it lost for authenticity, being fried instead of battered. It passed the taste test, too – dipped in a vivid orange sauce, dappled with pineapple and green pepper. As for the General Tso? Well, they gave me the wrong dish - a bland vegetable medley, tossed with thin slices of tofu. Neither dish was bad – but neither stood out...either as culinary masterpieces, or otherwise authentic fare (at least judging by the green pepper sauce.) And the cost? Over $10.00 per dish (rice not included) – more than your usual takeout, with less flavor in return.

I finished the Sweet and Sour in a nearby park – and gave the vegetable medley to a group of homeless, after taking a few tentative bites. It wasn't worth carting home, but I hate to see anything go to waste. Disappointed, I headed for the subway – reflecting that a better choice would have been honest, actual vegetables – stirfried by my local Chinese takeaway.

Hong Kong Station

Hong Kong Station - 128 Hester Street (Hong Kong/Chinese)
A nifty little joint - specializing in Hong Kong style diner cuisine (establishments known in HK as Cha Chaan Teng). The food is tasty and dirt cheap...ranging from "western style" spam and egg sandwiches to custom-made noodle dishes, with toppings such as curry fish balls (a street vendor favorite), beef tripe and veggies. Other classic options include condensed milk toast, Horlicks and Lemon Coffee. If you're interested in western food, done HK style (known as soy sauce western), then give this place a shot. With noodles costing only $1.00, how can you go wrong?