Short History of the Chinese Restaurant

Fascinating article looks at the development of Chinese restaurants in America, inspired by a past exhibit at the Museum of Chinese in the Americas.

Here's a sampling to give you a taste:

Chinese eateries in America, known as "chow chows," which sprang up in California in the mid-19^th century to serve Cantonese laborers. True holes in the wall, they were marked, as per a Chinese tradition, with yellow cloth triangles. No menus have survived, if ever there were any; who knows but that they served stir-fried buffalo.
...
Would anyone have bet the bank on Chinese food back then? According to Chinese Restaurant News, there are now more Chinese restaurants in America than there are McDonald's franchises—nearly three times as many in fact.

Read the article here.

Woori Duri Let Down & "Chinese Restaurant"

So the place formerly known as Jugaek, turns out to be just another expensive bunshik. In fact, it was so much so that I decided not to stay there. I'm talking about e.g. $7.99 for a bibimbap. Practically every item on the menu is at least a dollar or two more than it was when it was still Jugaek.

How could I stay when just up the road, there's a killer lunch deal: jajangmyeon (ie black noodles) for just $2.99 (from 11-3 pm)?! Shoot, I could get two bowls of jajangmyeon with enough for a coke on the side, for the price of one bibimbap at this new bunshik. And no need for me to remind you all about the current state of our economy--every bit of savings counts!

So indeed, I still have yet to try this new and pricey bunshik, but don't hold your breath on it . In the meantime, y'all should check out my decidedly favorite lunch spot: Golden Gate Chinese Restaurant 신금문도 (aka "Chinese Restaurant" according to the restaurant's outdoor signage)... located across the street from KFC on Northern Blvd, just after the tiny Gulf gas station. They also have $1.99 pints of beer. This is a Korean style Chinese restaurant (much like Mani 1, or Sam Won Gak--click here for a cool review w/ good pics over at The Girl Who Ate Everything).

No telling how long this special will last so hit it up!

Service=A
Atmosphere=B
Taste=B
Price=A++ (their lunch special might be the best deal in the five boroughs!!)


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152-12 Northern Blvd. Flushing, NY 11354
718-445-4170

Mani 1...one more time

I've already reviewed Mani 1, aka ChoiRyongMong 취령몽, but just ate there again recently, as it's so conveniently located near the 7 train. Took some pics.

Black Noodles (jajangmyeon) & banchon (side dishes):




General Tsao's Chicken:

No More Happy Beef Noodle House: Canton Gourmet

So, I'm back in Flushing after a long day of work and I'm starving. Doesn't seem like too difficult an issue to fix, especially in Flushing, right? Well, in spite of the incredible number of choices, the hunger is acting as an impediment to proper decision making, and sometimes having so many choices just doesn't help!

Suddenly, I remember--the map! I whip out the printable map (from the Times article that I keep insisting you check out).

With the decision made, I quickly head over to the Flushing Mall to hit up the Kim Chi dumplings and possibly some Sweet Shaved Ice (patbingsu 팥빙수) for dessert. Alas, Flushing Mall's food court (there's actually two, but the one with the goods), is already closed (this is early, like 8-ish -- 9 pm tops). I knew they closed early, but this is kinda frustrating considering my level of hungryness.

Okay. Not to worry. Another glimpse at the map leads me to nearby Nan Shian Dumpling House at 38-12 Prince St. The thing is, I'd already been here and eaten the dilectable soup dumplings before. And I remembered the trade off for such goodness: long, long waits in this packed out establishment. I check to see. 25 minutes. Why should this hunger wait, especially when the map indicates another great place right next door at 38-10 Prince. So, onwards I move, only to great surprise: Happy Beef Noodle House, the very same one reviewed and mapped in the Times less than a month ago, is closed. And not just closed, but it appears it was burned down! Wow. Jealous neighbors, or what? I manage to make out, with my horrendous Chinese writing abilities, that they should be reopening in November.

I snapped this pic later (Nan Shian Dumpling House on the left, Beef Noodle darkened in the middle, and Canton Gourmet on right):


So, I do what anyone in my shoes would, I try the next restaurant down, which happens to be Canton Gourmet... after all, there are so many on Prince St (like seven right next to each other).



Finally sit down in a clean, snazzy atmosphere to squid fried noodles and sweet pepper veal. The veal is the dish that I like, although it is a bit too sweet. The fried noodles should be avoided. All this with a Tsing Tao beer, which is quite good.

So, my belly is full and I still have plenty of exploring to do...

Canton Gourmet
38-08 Prince St.
Price: $10-15/person
Taste: B
Atmosphere: A

Times' Food Trail through Flushing

Unless you've been living under a rock all this time, you've undoubtedly read, or at least heard about the NY Times' article, Finding Beijing in Flushing, which I mentioned here.
The article offers up reviews of some tasty Flushing restaurants and even a sweet little interactive map:


Anyway, I've really been digging it, b/c despite my explorations into the plethora of various Chinese restaurants in downtown Flushing, I haven't really penetrated it as deeply as I'd like to.

So again I encourage you to take this map (printable pdf) and get out and explore more of Flushing!

Yippie for Yipin

Flushing's Chinese community is expanding in all directions including into the Korean area, which in turn spreads ever Eastward toward Long Island. And so, Yipin, a new Chinese restaurant, is the first Chinese owned business that I've seen on Union St. (at least in the area near Roosevelt). It was reviewed in the awesome NY Times article that I talked about here. I've finally gotten around to trying it. Twice.
However, it wasn't the Sesame Seed Noodles that I was a huge fan of. It was the dumplings and buns! Truly awesome. And the prices are the best I've seen. Only a dollar-twenty-five a pop for the buns. Buns like that cost at least $1.75-3.00 at other places and they're never as delicious. The buns here are filled with various goodies (e.g. string beans and pork, noodles and pork) . A dozen delicious steamed dumplings (handmade?) cost a measly $4.50.
I think if I were accustomed to it, I probably would have liked the Sesame Seed Noodle dish. The noodles had great texture, but the seasoning was just a bit too unfamiliar for my palate. Perhaps if I try it a bit more.

Price: A+
Location: A+ (right next to the 7)
Service: B- (only b/c at times there's very little English depending on staff)
Taste: Spectacular

Yipin
Located at 40-04 Union St. (corner of Roosevelt Ave.)

Finding Beijing in Flushing

"Everything tastes different in Flushing, Queens, the best neighborhood in New York for tasting the true and dazzling flavors of China. The dumplings are juicier here, the noodles springier..." -Julia Moskin, "Let the Meals Begin: Finding Beijing in Flushing." (07.30.08)

With the Beijing Olympics only days away (08/08/08 at 8:08 pm), the NY Times ran this excellent article on the extremely rich and diverse Chinese food scene here in Flushing .

I particularly love the interactive (2nd image down the page). It show's you a picture of dishes from specific restaurants as you mouse over different places on the map. There's even an audio pronunciation guide and when you click on a eatery you get even more photos. It's the perfect tool for food lovers in their exploration through the oftentimes intimidating labyrinth of Chinese restaurants here.

The printable version of the interactive map is quite nice because, in addition to the neighborhood map, it puts all the restaurants and their info, along with corresponding pictures of dishes, on one handydandy little sheet that you can carry around with you. The pictures are crucial when you need to convey what scrumptious little concoction you'd like but quite possibly would otherwise be hindered by linguistic barriers.

There's also some interesting stuff in the comments following the article. A few people point out that the sweet beans over shaved ice isn't Chinese. I don't know, but I've enjoyed it on many an occasion in the Philippines (called "halo halo") and in Korea (where it's called "bat bin su"), with slight differences between the two. One commenter mentions a commuter van from Chinatown to Flushing... I didn't even realize there were vans connecting the two spots. So the next day, I went and checked it out for myself. Sure enough, for $2.50, a speedy 25 seater shuttled me and 24 other commuters from Division St. to right in front of the Flushing Library in approximately 30 minutes.

The article comes right on the heels of another Times article about Flushing; this one about the incredible diversity of places of worship in the Flushing area. Some of these houses of worship are truly incredible. Another interesting article about Flushing's incredible religious diversity can be found here.

Jajangmyeon Mania at Mani 1 Chinese Restuarant

Mani 1, or ChoiRyongMong as it's written in Korean (취령몽), is a relatively new Korean style Chinese restaurant located where Mesa Sur, one of the only South American eateries within walking distance to downtown Flushing folded after only three or four months in business. Unlike it's predecessor, Mani 1 seems like it will do just fine, catering to the neighborhood.

Much how Chinese food in America has been adapted to meet local, American taste buds, so too has Chinese food in Korea been creatively altered to the Korean pallet. Probably the prime example being the scrumptious "noodles in black sauce" dish, jajangmyeon (짜장면), which can be found right here at Mani 1 (lunch $4.99/regular $5.99; item #56 on the menu).

Mani 1 has a pretty solid jajangmyeon. It isn't quite the best dish on the menu here but it's not a bad place to start.

The other two quintessential dishes that you'll find at just about any "Chinese-style" restaurant in Seoul (or more importantly, Flushing) are jampong (짬뽕, $5.99/$6.99; #59) and tangsuyuk (탕수육, $5.99/$12.99; #31). The first one, jampong, is a seriously spicy bowl full of thick noodles, chives, and all kinds of seafood, like shrimp, squid, clams, and octopus, in a peppery red soup. But the real winner at Mani 1 is the tangsuyuk, ( like sweet and sour pork). But it's only truly great when you order their spicy version, meun tangsuyuk, (only, of course, if you like your spicy spicy!). It's not in the menu, but there's a picture of it on the wall in the restaurant. It's one the spicest dishes around. Avoid the naengmyeon here. Despite being advertised in Korean and Chinese under the restaurant's main sign, it's really a disappointment. For where to go for good naengmyun read this.

Sure there's better jajangmyeon in Flushing, but Mani 1's spicy tangsuyuk makes for some of the best tangsuyuk around. Go with friends and mix and match: a dish of jajangmyeon, a spicy tangsuyuk, and a bowl of jampong, so you can share and get a satisfying taste of all three (the tangsuyuk serving is too big for one person).

Give Mani 1 a shot if your a newbie to the genre of Korean style Chinese food.
40-26 Union Street at the intersection of 41st Avenue (1.5 blocks to the 7 train Main St. stop).

Service: A
Price: B
Dilectability: B+

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