Midtown Lunch

Some days you just need some greasy Americanized Chinese food with a heaping side of rice, am I right? This happened to me the other day and while mentally going through my catalogue of nearby places to procure some sauced meat I remembered Dumpling House, which is easy to forget since it’s in that weird one-block alley between Maiden Lane & Liberty St. I’d been there once after it replaced Win Won, and appalled at the crappy and expensive dumplings I got, although I shouldn’t have been surprised. This time I did as everyone else who goes here does and got the $8 lunch special that includes a protein, rice and soup or a drink.

All of the usual suspects are represented on the lunch special menu, and I appreciate that they seem to cook everything to order (there’s an open kitchen behind the ordering counter) here rather than dishing up your sesame chicken from a steam table. I ordered the kung pao chicken with white rice and since it was hot outside and soup didn’t sound appealing I went with a cold beverage option instead.

My heavy bag was a good sign and when I opened the container to take a photo it was filled to the brim with diced dark meat chicken bits and a ton of peanuts, celery, carrot and green pepper pieces. Once I got to the bottom there was a small lake of brownish sauce that worked well mixing with the rice. This was pretty greasy, but it would make an excellent hangover cure or solution to a lack of sodium in your diet.

If you would rather not have your Chinese food fix come from a steam table, this is a good option. Just stick with the regular food, and stay away from the dumplings.

Dumpling House, 8 Liberty Place (btw. Maiden Lane & Liberty), (212) 227-9899