Comments on: PROFILE: Midtown Lunch’er “Wai” (PLUS The Dumpling Book Giveaway)

By: Mamacita

Mamacita — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 13:52:50 +0000

cazique, yup you got me there.

Siberia, I dare say the pelmeni at Cafe Glechik in Brighton Beach is the way to go…. but again that’s in brooklyn so I’ll shut up now ;-P

By: StreetMeasOnsumer3008

StreetMeasOnsumer3008 — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 07:10:03 +0000

I don’t have a fav. dumpling in Midtown.
I do like Chinese dumplings, steamed and fried, but Rickshaw is too overpriced to be favored in my book. Better off eating the cheaper dumpling places in Chinatown of course.

By: DocChuck09

DocChuck09 — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 22:41:43 +0000

Oh, and ‘Wai’ age 38 and cooking instructor, I apologize for getting off topic above.

Have a good evening, sir — and don’t let the bedbugs bite. (That’s an old American good-night wish, FYI).

By: DocChuck09

DocChuck09 — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 21:21:14 +0000

All of us retired psychology professors know that “Imitation is the highest form of flattery” … and it seems that today, just about every illiterate wants to be “DocChuck”.

And, I think that’s cool … VERY cool. Keep the imitations coming. After all, the readership on my blog has now increased to an average of 400 hits per day.

But, I will say again, my wife, despite that she earned a Ph.D. from Johns Hopkins University (which seems to drive the SE shrikes crazy) cooks the ONLY chicken and dumplings (Southern Style) fit for a Southern-born, gentleman gourmet such as myself.

Carry on, shrikes.

By: Siberian

Siberian — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 20:24:24 +0000

Have you ever tried Russian version of dumplings? Pelmeni (tiny warm dumplings filled with ground beef and spices; boiled, steamed or fried; served with sour cream or vinegar) or Vareniki (dumplings filled with potatoes and onions, potatoes and mushrooms, Fresh white cheese or Cherry; also boiled, steamed or fried; served with sour cream).
You can find some in “Uncle Vanya” on 54th Btwn 8th & 9th Ave. They are good but pricey.

By: cazique

cazique — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 20:15:14 +0000

Love two in Brooklyn: Eton (mentioned above – Mamacita are you a brooklyner?) and the Chengdu spicy wontons at Szechuan Garden… these may or may not be similar to the “Szechuan Pork Dumplings w/Roasted Chilli Soy” at Szechuan Gourmet in midtown and similar-sounding one at Wu Liang Ye.

The wontons at Ginger House (7th btw 29/30th) are decent, but when they’re a component of a bowl of soup with noodles, wontons and roast pork and chicken, they make quite the nice combination…

By: nycfoodie

nycfoodie — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 16:45:39 +0000

other then what everyone has already mentioned.. i alsolove this cantonese dumpling/wonton place on 40th road & corner of prince street. they only serve dumplings noodle soup and these delicious fried wontons…

By: niu yorker

niu yorker — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 15:53:59 +0000

i’m a fan of joe’s shanghai in flushing; i think their xiaolongbao are at least as good as those at din tai fung, taipei. too bad i couldn’t find anything else good on the menu. wontons in chili oil from grand sichuan are great, too.

@shivery.mcpickles: i recently had the chive dumplings at lan zhou and thought they were made with beef rather than pork. also, the wrappers were machine-made, which is incongruous with the whole hand-pulled noodles theme. finally, they were swimming in the oil in which they were pan-fried. still fairly tasty, though.

By: Wai Chu

Wai Chu — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 15:22:59 +0000

Thanks everyone for your dumpling suggestions. I’m familiar with some of the places you guys mentioned. A few others, I will check out soon!

@floorrinse and greenermjr: Restaurants that serve casual HK Style or Taiwanese food: XO Kitchen (148 Hester St between Bowery and Elizabeth), M Star CafÃ© (19 Division St between Catherine and Market), and another place on that little “thru street” between Canal and Bayard that runs thru Bowery to Elizabeth Street. I don’t know the name of this place, but it’s closer to the Elizabeth Street side (near Jing Fong). There are also some places in Flushing. I’ll have to admit that these places are not as great as similar restaurants in Vancouver and abroad.

@Liv and chris6sigma: I love White Bear too. My Wontons with Red Oil recipe in the book was fashioned after theirs.

@Randi: The Himalayan dumplings in Astoria sound delicious. I will check them out the next time I’m in that neighborhood.

@DocChuck: I mentioned three dumplings in my profile.

By: shopgurl

shopgurl — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 07:03:29 +0000

My favorite dumplings in town? Right in my own home. An I make it myself. Best ever!