Comestiblog

Flushing Food Festival

Has Flushing's superior Asian fare ever really been a secret?  The cognoscenti have raved about it for decades.  Just to emphasize the point, however, the Downtown Flushing Business Improvement District held a food festival celebrating the cuisines of China, Japan, Malaysia, Vietnam, Korea, and India.  The event took place Friday, 27 July 2012, in the ballroom of the Sheraton LaGuardia East Hotel.  Below are some of the highlights.

Video: Introductions and Culinary Highlights

Tianjin Pancakes (Chinese): Chive Dumpling (left) and Beef Pancake (right)

Since I skipped breakfast for this festival, the egg in the Chive Dumpling afforded an appropriate first taste.

Chive Dumpling with Pork,  Egg, and Cellophane Noodles

Next, the Grilled Pork "Vietnamese Sandwich," better known to you and me as Bánh Mì.  It was accompanied by a Summer Roll with shrimp, roast pork, bean sprouts, carrots, and lettuce.

Pho Hoang (Vietnamese): Roast Pork Bánh Mì and Summer Roll

The sushi looked so yummy!  I sampled the California Roll and the House Special Salad.

Yummy Sushi House (Japanese): Sushi Platter

House Special Salad and California Roll with accoutrements

The highlight of the afternoon was the Curry Chicken with Potato over Coconut Rice with Home Style Roti Canai.  The harmonious blend of the chicken's curry, coconut milk, and spices, together with the matching sweetness of the sticky rice, and the delicate Malaysian bread, achieved a sort of nirvana on the palate.

Curry Chicken with Potato

Home Style Roti Canai

Curry Leaves (Malaysian): Roti Canai with Curry Chicken over Coconut Rice

Corner 28 (Chinese): Peking Duck

I tried a few Chinese offerings at the next table.

Corner 28 (Chinese): Roast Pork and Barbecue Ribs

To Korea: Jap-Che (stir-fried cellophane noodles with vegetables, mushrooms, and beef) and Hae Mul Pajun (mixed seafood-and-vegetable dumplings).

Bitgoul Tofu & BBQ (Korean): Jap-Che and Hae Mul Pajun

Deluge (Asian Fusion): Korean BBQ Short Ribs

A pleasant surprise came from the Sheraton's Deluge restaurant.  The Korean-style Braised BBQ Short Ribs were tender, succulent, and flavorful.  Despite my satiety, I returned in a minute for seconds.

Deluge (Asian Fusion): Chicken Satay

More fusion, sort of …

Savory Fusion (Chinese): Assorted Pancakes

Onion-Chive (left) and Plain (right) Pancakes

And some con-fusion.  Because it's so difficult to improve upon the French original, a fused adaptation should offer something superbly unique.  Though beautiful in its presentation, the Foie Gras Terrine with Berry Compote failed to overthrow Gallic rule.

Mulan (Asian Fusion): Foie Gras Terrine

The Plum Fish Roll offered an innovative departure from traditional Taiwanese fare. 

Taiwan 101 (Taiwanese): Plum Fish Roll

A couple of unique teas, including a Maple Herbal variety, from Rose House.

Rose House (Taiwanese): Tea

Finally, the desserts.

Tai Pan Bakery (Taiwanese): Tiramisù and Egg Custard

Dan ta (pronounced dahn·TAH), the classic Chinese egg custard tart, is practically de rigueur, but … Tiramisù??  (No, Emily, it's not Japanese!)

"Portuguese" Egg Custard

Another dolce with an Eastern twist: Asian-Inspired Panna Cotta (pineapple compote with lemongrass and Thai chili).

Monroe College: Asian-Inspired Panna Cotta

Comestiblog wishes to extend special thanks to Messrs. Dian Yu and Rob MacKay.

Flushing Food Festival
Sheraton LaGuardia East

135-20 39^th Avenue
Flushing, N.Y.  11354  (map)

(718) 460-6666

http://www.sheratonlaguardia.com/

Happy Year of the Dragon!

Gong Xi Fa Cai!  Or, if you prefer Cantonese to Mandarin, Gong Hey Fat Choy!  Regardless of how you pronounce it, here's wishing you a Happy Chinese New Year!

Ba bao fan (pronounced bah·bou·FUN), or eight-treasure rice, is a traditional dessert with which to celebrate the occasion.  A mound of glutinous rice with a red bean paste center, crowned with eight jewels (usually almonds, walnuts, melon seeds, dates, raisins, dried apricots, and other dried fruits), this sweet course represents a precious way to ring in the new lunar year.

Happy Year of the Dragon!

Learn to pronounce and to write "Gong Xi Fa Cai" in Chinese:

http://goodcharacters.com/newsletters/gong-xi-fa-cai.html

The Tang of Chinatown

On most Monday evenings, one could find my late wife and me seated at table A1—in the corner, by the window—at Mr. Tang's in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn.  We had been regulars at the Chinese mainstay on Third Avenue long before the emergence of the Chinatown in nearby Sunset Park.  As the foregoing community grew, it siphoned away many of the old customers.  Nevertheless, our loyalties remained steadfastly with Mr. Tang.  We had found a good thing, and we stuck with it.

Having tried a number of items on the menu over the years, we refined our selection to the point at which we'd simply order "the usual."  Our preferences were well-known and required no explanation—favorite munchies and condiments arrived automatically, as did our drinks and dishes.  On the Ides of March last year, however, all that came to an end.  New building ownership and the ensuing rent hike led to the dining room's shuttering, leaving behind only the take-out fragment of this once large and bustling Bay Ridge institution.

Fortunately, Mr. Tang had opened a branch in Manhattan's "Old Chinatown" several years earlier.  Initially, the restaurant de-emphasized the Mr. Tang brand in favor of its address:  50 Mott Street.  Over time, however, the name evolved to Mr. Tang of Mott Street, its present designation.  It's nearly impossible to recapture the enchantment of our Monday evenings in Bay Ridge—the present dining room is less cozy; the longtime, familiar staff is absent; and alcoholic beverages are limited to beer and wine.  Though my Zombie (a potent concoction of various rums and fruit juices) is no longer available, I can still enjoy, mirabile dictu, "the usual."

The meal begins with Mustard Green Soup with pork and tofu ($8.95 for two).  The server always remembers to ask the kitchen to add extra scallions, garlic, and ginger.  It's a very tasty and healthful soup.  Interestingly, it was introduced to us during an early visit to Mott Street, when my wife was under the weather.  Our waiter recommended the soup as being restorative and easily digested.  We enjoyed it so much that we incorporated it into our Monday menu in Brooklyn.

On a recent visit, I was presented with a sample of the House soup—a broth with slivers of beef and a slice of lotus root.  The lotus added an unmistakable hint of sweetness.  It's not bad, but not compelling enough to displace the Mustard Green soup.

The soup is followed by Chinese Spinach with Minced Garlic ($7.95).  The infusion of garlic complements the vegetable's flavors perfectly.  This dish is best enjoyed over rice, which absorbs the juices of the garlicky spinach nicely.

And then comes the pièce de résistance: Crispy Fried Chicken, Cantonese style ($10.95 half; $21.90 whole).  I have a passion for exceptional fried chicken.  Sure, there's Charles Gabriel's delicious Southern-style, or Forte Baden Baden's and Bon Chon's tong dak.  But when Mr. Tang gets it right, there's none better.  Served (upon request) with jiao yen (literally, "spiced salt," a blend of salt and Sichuan pepper) and a garlic-ginger dipping oil, the moist, golden-brown, crispy-skinned bird is a taste of fried chicken nirvana.  Chicken prepared in this fashion is rare outside Chinatown.

Our "usual" was enough to sate the two of us.  The meal typically concluded with both almond and fortune cookies, as well as orange wedges.  On my most recent visit, Mr. Tang added a nice touch:  a slice of moon cake to celebrate the Mid-Autumn, or Moon, Festival.

 

While Mr. Tang of Mott Street can never equal the memories of Monday evenings in Bay Ridge, I'm delighted that it's a place where I can still savor my old favorites.

Mr. Tang of Mott Street

50 Mott Street (SE corner Bayard St), Chinatown, Manhattan

(212) 233-8898
(212) 233-8963

By train: J,M,Z,N,Q,R,W (BMT),6 (IRT) to Canal Street
By bus: M1, M103, B51

Crazy Eights Eats

Feeling your eights?  They're offering dim sum at the reduced price of $1.50 today at 88 Palace in Chinatown to celebrate 8/8/08 and the start of the Olympic games.

88 Palace

88 East Broadway (under the Manhattan Bridge), LES / Chinatown, Manhattan

(212) 941-8886

By train: F to East Broadway
By bus: M9, M15, M22

The Dumpling House That Vanessa Rebuilt

It had been a while since my last visit to the Dumpling House.  Frankly, the dingy, cramped quarters always made this a place for times I was in a hurry and needed food fast but didn't want fast food.  Imagine my surprise when I returned recently.  The small eatery had seemingly doubled its size, undergone complete redecoration, and prefixed Vanessa's to its name.  For a moment, I thought I was on the wrong block!

Often, expansions come at the expense of something else.  The quality of the food or service (or both) may decline or the price of a meal may increase substantially.  Is the food still good?  Is Dumpling House still one of New York's best bargains?  Happily, the answer to both questions is yes.  There has been a price increase, however.  Now, a dollar buys four dumplings instead of five and $2 no longer yields change when tendered for my favorite sesame pancake sandwich.  Nevertheless, $3 for a tasty, well-prepared meal is hard to beat.

Naturally, I complimented the affable owner, Vanessa Duan, on her newly expanded Dumpling House.  She promptly chided me, albeit ever so gently, by reminding me that it had been more than six months since my last visit.

Vanessa Duan

A Beijing native, Vanessa knows how to make a good dumpling, or guo tie (pronounced gwoah·tyeah; literally, "pot sticker").  (Many Chinese menus aimed at the non-cognoscenti refer to them, preposterously, as Peking Ravioli.)  The chive-and-pork (#1) is the best and the most popular variant.  Its wrapper, browned (as it sticks to the pot) to the perfect degree of chewiness, avoids all the common pitfalls such as being overly thick, tough, and rubbery.  The consistency of the delectable filling maintains proper firmness without being rubberlike.  Watching the continuous preparation of these pot-stickers eliminates any doubt about their freshness.  And with a little dumpling sauce, they're oh, so tasty.

Ironically, I typically go to the Dumpling House for a tuna sandwich.  Vanessa's version is made by stuffing tuna salad (with julienned pickled carrots, cilantro, and peas, among its ingredients) into a fresh, warm sesame pancake.  It's simply delicious!   Other popular offerings include noodle soups that serve as meals by themselves.  An ample selection of beverages is also available.  Along with sodas, teas, and coffee, the list of drinks also includes bubble teas, smoothies, and fresh juices.

It's a relief to know that the rebuilt Dumpling House has maintained its superior quality.  Now that there's a comfortable place for me to sit and enjoy my food, there'll not be another six months before my next visit.

Vanessa's Dumpling House

118A Eldridge Street (between Grand & Broome Sts), Lower East Side, Manhattan

(212) 625-8008 or 625-8118

Open daily, 7:30 A.M. till 10:30 P.M.

By train: B,D to Grand St; F to Delancey St; J,M,Z to Essex St
By bus: M15