Midtown Lunch

Last week, I had a really disturbing Chinatown dining experience.  Though several commenters called me out on being a wuss, I was semi-traumatized, I have issues with hair… They say that when you fall off the horse, you should get right back on. So with that in mind, I marched myself back to Chinatown to have another meal.

Chinatown Restaurant, on the corner of 10th and Arch,  is one that I would never ever have gone into, it looks completely generic. But  a trusted friend advised me that there were some dishes of interest, so I figured I had nothing to lose. As long as nothing was hairy.

Two menus are available at Chinatown restaurant, one with American-Chinese staples and the other with more authentic fare. Ask for both.

Read more »

A while back some ladies were selling sticky rice and congee outside of Ming River Side Walk House, they were delicious but I wanted to check out the actual restaurant. Inside, Ming River has a small menu with an emphasis on soups.

My meal went from good, to edible, to scary. Ladies and gentleman this story is not for the faint of heart. I have eaten at my share of dives and places of questionable practices, but I have never really dealt with grossly unappetizing food like this. I’ll start you off easy, but be warned there will be a twist of M. Night Shyamalan proportions.

Read more »

Harmony Bakery is my #1 obsession of the moment for the fresh strawberry smoothie with yogurt bubbles in them. Since trying them in November I have been make countless times to get my bubble fix. Along with my regular order, I recently tried some more of the food on the menu and I was pleasantly surprised.

Read more »

Today, we are getting a report from profiled luncher Stephanie about a colorful dumpling platter and secret spot for coffee in Chinatown.

Tucked away at the edge of Chinatown on 9^th Street is a little eatery called Ray’s Cafe and Tea House. Unassuming and charming, Ray’s Cafe has been a neighborhood establishment since 1989, serving up delicious Taiwanese food, carefully curated teas, and a selection of truly remarkable coffee.

Scanning the menu for options, including standard lunch specials and a few enticing Taiwanese staples, I noticed that Ray’s Cafe leaned more towards home-cooked dishes you would find at an aunt’s house rather than restaurant fare. In fact, proudly printed on the menu was a health-conscious blurb that read: “No MSG and 0G Trans Fat!” — a practice more Taiwanese restaurants should implement.

When I noticed a section devoted to dumplings, my taste buds began to salivate. The simple dumpling often gets overlooked at restaurants, disguised as an appetizer or accompanying side. However, in Taiwanese cuisine, dumplings are much regarded as a meal in itself – and an especially auspicious food choice during Chinese New Year! I ordered the dumpling sampler, an assortment of ten handmade dumplings, featuring five different flavors, for $8.50.

Read more »

Right next to one of my Chinatown favorites, Empress Garden, is a completely missable spot that truly exemplifies a “hole in the wall”. I don’t know what possessed me to walk in to Chinese Restaurant after walking by it so many times but I am glad that I did. The tiny menu consists of soups and a few snacky things for you to take out. Or you can do what I did and sit on a stool at the counter or at one of the 3 small tables available. The small space and steady stream of customers makes it easy to point and ask for “whatever he is having.”

Read more »

Luncher Mary, I am looking at you. When another profiled luncher asked about our favorite bubble teas, Mary commented about an elusive yogurt drink that had since disappeared. She reported that a bakery in Chinatown used to have tea with “[l]ittle white hollow balls that gushed yogurt into your mouth when you chewed them.” Now I am not a lover of bubble/boba/tapioca pearl tea. I liked it back when I was very young, but now I just find the bubbles to be a gummy impediment to the enjoyment of my refreshment. But yogurt balls on the other hand…. I could get into that.

So when I saw a hand written sign in the window of Harmony Bakery in Chinatown with “Yogurt Pop Smoothies” I felt like I had just uncovered the lost city of Atlantis. Could this really be it?

Read more »

My friends Jeff and Dave told me about a new place in Chinatown serving Sichuan food AND soup dumplings. Just a few months ago, the space was occupied by the short lived “Family Bistro”. Red Kings has variety going for it, serving Shanghai, Fuzhou, Sichuan, and Thai food. It also has a very long menu and cheap cheap lunch specials. They even have a Facebook page.

Read more »