Featured Cocktail: Xiao Ye Cocktail Trio

Arthur Bovino — July 29, 2010

Cocktails at Xiao Ye, from left: #1 Taiwan Favorite, Sky Walker, and KTV Delight.

“You have to try the Sky Walker,” said Eddie Huang about a bubble tea cocktail at Xiao Ye, his new Lower East Side restaurant. “It’s a sniper drink. There are going to be a lot of pregnant Asian chicks.”

Red Tea, fresh soy (“I have a friend who makes fresh soy for me every day”), simple syrup, Johnnie Walker and boba. You’re tasting it, the boba are shooting up the straw, you’re navigating the ice, thinking, “this is mild,” and suddenly it’s finished. You’re buzzing. Trying to get to the boba mixed in with the ice two-thirds of the way down the glass. A few of those, and well, better judgment might not be your guiding principle.

The Sky Walker is just one of the more than 15 funky cocktails on the offer at Xiao Ye, a range that includes frozen drinks with Hennessey, infused liquors splashed over Sno Cones, and ingredients like Apple Sidra, Calpico, and Hawaiian Punch. “The mixers are whatever drinks I liked as a kid,” Eddie explained. “When I was drunk as shit in Taiwan in the karaoke bars everything was cheap as shit, so I’d just mix everything together and see what I liked.”

More cocktails with Eddie Huang at Xiao Ye >>

Always Informed: A-Pou’s Taste

GutterGourmet — July 28, 2010

Taiwanese “Special” Pork Dumplings with Hot Chili Sauce from A-Pou’s Taste in Astor Place.

I admit, I’m prone to addiction. So, I’m an easy mark for a dealer, particularly one who sets up around the corner from my home on Astor and Lafayette. I smell the smoke and gotta get me some pot…stickers. A-Pou’s Taste (A-Pou meaning “Grandma’s”) is a new Taiwanese street cart that offers a choice of four different pot stickers.

There are vegetarian, kimchi beef, and Hong Kong chicken dumplings, but I was sold on their signature offering: Taiwanese “Special” Pork. Five long, pan-seared, crêpes-like dumpling beauties for $3.50. The lady squirts soy sauce over the dumplings, but it’s quickly overtaken by a deceptively sweet (at first) hot chili sauce packed with pepper seeds.

I’m hopelessly hooked. God damn, God damn the pot-stickerman.

Restaurant: A-Pou’s Taste
Location: South side of Astor Place, b/n Fourth Avenue and Lafayette.
Hours: Mon-Sat, 10:00am-10:00pm.

Always Investigating: Marco Polo Café

GutterGourmet — May 12, 2010

Moo Goo Gai Panini at Marco Polo Café in the East Village.

Did Marco Polo introduce Italy to pasta by bringing Chinese noodles along the Silk Road in the 13th century? Who cares? His namesake café on St. Marks was conceived on what was probably a myth, but the mélange of Italian and Chinese dishes at this 8-seater on St. Marks is for real.

It culminates with the signature dish: Moo Goo Gai Panini. The owners, a husband-and-wife team (she Chinese, he Italian-American) do much of the cooking too, behind a shoji screen partitioning the room.

Start with the scallion-topped Shanghai pan-seared pork buns. Then the savory, steamed Char Siu Bao that are stuffed with minced pork. They do not suffer from the sticky-sweet red sauce found in many dim sum palaces, and are available (with a variety of wontons and dumplings) prepackaged to steam at home. Marco Polo Café also offers ravioli and dumpling pairings, and recently added a Chicken Empanada at the suggestion of their Latin American cook.

Not everything works— an Italian Tuscan Bison Meatball sandwich on spongy bread is better left untasted. But the signature dish will convert even the anti-fusion purists. The Moo Goo Gai Panini sounds like a bicycle crash involving Chinese and Italian take-out delivery boys, but it is fantastic. Tender, white chicken is blanketed by fontina, mixed with scallions and crunchy pickles, then pressed in chewy, griddle-marked bread. There are shitakes in lieu of the traditional Moo Goo button mushrooms.

Chinese? Italian? Delicious.

Location: Marco Polo Café
Address: 102 St. Marks Place
Contact: (212) 228-8456

Featured Restaurant: Baohaus

GutterGourmet — March 10, 2010

The Royal Frush at Baohaus, and a can of Hey Song Sarsparilla Taiwanese Root Beer.

Eddie Huang’s Baohaus on Rivington is attracting Taiwanese (and everyone else) looking for Gua Bao buns—authentic Taiwanese street food.

Huang, a third generation Baozi-maker opened it partially as a tribute to his F.O.B. (“fresh off the boat”) mother, and partially to improve on the City’s Taiwanese steamed bun game. Mostly he wanted to serve New Yorkers, like his buddies at Artichoke (for whom he designed the T-Shirts, and the Led Zeppole logo), something fucking good to eat. With raves from the New York Times, and nods from the Food Network, people are lining up out the door for his real deal Taiwanese street vendor fare.

Click here for more from Baohaus >>

AlwaysInformed: Dim Sum Deal at Jing Fong

Arthur Bovino — March 09, 2010

Clockwise from top: Jing Fong in Chinatown, Beef and Shrimp Shao Mai, food carts, Tapioca Dessert.

An escalator up a passageway lit by crystal chandeliers spills you out into a vast, gilded dining room filled with blue neon, and table after table. There is a constant chatter in Cantonese, and different smells rising in clouds of steam from carts as they pass through the crowd.

So it is at Jing Fong Restaurant on Elizabeth Street, the Chinatown dim sum hotspot with an enticing weekday special (left) that should not be forgotten. Just be wary of the small print: “All promotions are subject to change without notice.” A meal can end with haggling the bill as if you had been transported to a market in Hong Kong. Even if you think you may have paid a few extra dollars for being a gweilo (foreigner), you can still walk out feeling as if you are about to burst with dim sum without having spent a fortune. It’s especially fun for a long lunch, if you can get away from the office.

For those who haven’t been, the more adventurous rites of passage include: Chicken Feet with Black Bean Sauce, Boiled Pig Stomach, and Honeycomb Tripe. Everyone seems to find at least one of these dishes enjoyable— at Always Hungry that’s the Tripe (chicken feet involve too much work for too little payoff). It may not be as pretty as some of the versions we love around town, but it’s still good.

More Dim Sum Photographs >>

AlwaysTraveling: Dim Sum at Hakkasan (Miami Beach, FL)

GutterGourmet — February 26, 2010

Clockwise from top: Honey Roast Pork, Prawn Won Ton, Har Gau, and Seafood Fried Rice.

Restaurant: Hakkasan
Address: 4441 Collins Ave, Miami Beach, FL 33140
Hours: Dim Sum Lunch, Sat-Sun, 12:00pm-3:00pm
Contact: (877) 326-7412
Grade: A
Always Hungry Recommends: Grilled Shanghai Dumplings, Steamed Har Gau, Char Siu Bun, Sweet and Sour Prawn Wonton, Chinese Sausage & Fish Shu Mai, Seafood Fried Rice with XO Sauce, Crab E-Mien Noodles, Boneless Roast Duck, Honey Roast Pork

Dim Sum is said to mean “touch of the heart,” or “close to the heart,” so there was no better way to celebrate the convergence of Valentine’s Day and Chinese New Year recently, than to dine at Hakkasan Miami, and experience their Sunday Dim Sum. Though much of the menu consists of mainstays, the quality surpassed the best dim sum I’ve had. That includes the dim sum at the Imperial in Vancouver, Yank Sing in San Francisco, and New York’s Chinatown Brasserie. It even rivals my experiences in Hong Kong.

Steamed Har Gau were pristine and contrasted interestingly with their Sweet and Sour Prawn Wonton counterparts. The Char Siu Bun won the most-often-reordered award, while the Chinese Sausage & Fish Shu Mai were the most aesthetically pleasing. Siew Long Bun were tinier than most soupy buns, making them easier to pop in a single bite (the better to scald your mouth, than squirt your neighbor).

Grilled Shanghai Dumplings were perfect potstickers, though filled with chicken rather than minced pork. The chunks of crab in the Seafood Fried Rice in the always mysterious XO Sauce were only surpassed by the Crab E-Mien Noodles covered with egg white and Grand Marnier Sauce. Traditional Chinese barbecue is my favorite so when the honey roast pork came out I thought I’d died and gone to pig heaven. But shockingly, it was the Boneless Roast Duck that required seconds.

Alan Yau, who created Hakkasan in London, was going to come to the Gramercy Hotel in New York a couple of years ago, but decided not to. New York’s loss was Miami’s gain.

AlwaysPartying: The Year of the Tiger

Arthur Bovino — February 12, 2010

Decorations in Chinatown.

Kung Hei Fat Choi! Congratulations and be prosperous!

We’ve been eating a lot in Chinatown lately. So to honor the Year of the Tiger, we’re sharing some of what we’ve enjoyed and experienced. Like the game-changing Salt and Pepper Squid from Yee Li, the Spicy Pork Jerky form Ling Kee, the exceptional BBQ Pork Banh Mi from Sau Voi, newcomers like Xi’an Famous Foods, and of course, standards like Peking Duck from Peking Duck House.

While by no means a definitive guide to eating all of Chinatown, it is a collection of interesting and noteworthy foods in the neighborhood. They’re worth checking out if you haven’t already visited, and worth returning to if you have. You can also check out previous Chinatown coverage here.

Now, where are our little red packets…Lycee Dow Loi!

Click Here for the Full Slideshow >>

Featured Restaurant: Xi’an Famous Foods

GutterGourmet and Arthur Bovino — February 12, 2010

Clockwise from top: Cumin Lamb Burger, Spicy Pork Spine Noodle Soup, Exterior.

The greeting card and federal holidays have been getting all the love. But this weekend also marks the Chinese New Year: The Year of the Tiger. And if you haven’t yet been to Xi’an’s new satellite, there’s not a more buzzed about place in Chinatown to visit for a meal to bring in the new year.

Xi’an Famous Foods is beneath the Manhattan Bridge near the corner of East Broadway and Forsyth, next to where the original Saigon Bakery used to be (for banh mi trivia experts). There’s as much room for customers as there is for one more person to squeeze into the last car of a Brooklyn-bound L at 1st Ave during rush hour. Stake out the tiny metal counter in the corner, or have a spot to eat nearby in mind. Hint: there are two Starbucks within about eight blocks (111 Worth St and 183 Centre St).

Of course, the dish that put the “Famous” in Xi’an Famous Foods is the incredible Asian cumin spiced lamb “burger” on flat bread. The muttony, powerful, cumin-flavored meat totally delivers on its reputation. The pork “burger” will make you forget about David Chang’s Momofuku buns (for a moment). They’re spectacular and are 50 cents less then the lamb at $2.00 and $2.50, respectively.

For the thrill seeker, there’s the Spicy and Tingly Lamb Face Salad. The cold, fatty, spicy meat has just enough greens mixed in to be put in that category. The Lamb Treasure’s Soup (exactly what you think), and the Stewed Lamb Spine and Rib are also not for the faint of heart. The noodles in the Stewed Lamb Spine Hand-Pulled Noodles in Soup are amazing, and the soup gets better and better as you reach the bottom. If they run out of the lamb spine, try the pig spine— it’s delicious too. Wash it all down with sour Hawberry tea made from the fruit of the Chinese Hawthorne tree and you’ll think you’re in Xi’an City instead of New York City.

What’s in a Name: Peking Duck House

The Gluttoness — October 01, 2009

Just as parents set out to find the perfect name for their newborns, chefs and restaurant owners alike are always searching for the perfect title for their restaurants. Some people go for the obvious, like a relative’s name or a favorite ingredient, but often, there is more to a moniker than meets the eye.

Presentation of Whole Peking Duck from Peking Duck House on Mott Street.

Peking Duck House (view) is a glaring exception to the rule above. Unlike the newly opened Blue Elm, or Xie Xie, or any other restaurant whose name leaves no indication as to what is being served, Peking Duck House wears its product on its signage. If you’re looking for peking duck, then Peking Duck House is the obvious place for you. Fancier than most Chinatown establishments, the white tablecloths and suited waiters set a much more elegant tone than Nice Green Bo’s hurried service, awkward communal seating and sticky plastic tabletops.

Most importantly, the namesake dish is as well-executed as anywhere else in New York City, and at much more affordable prices than fancier Chinese restaurants like Tse Yang or Mr. K’s. An entire Peking Duck, with the traditional fixings costs $40 and this BYOB establishment offers prix-fixe deals for larger parties at $26.50 per person.

We prefer the Mott Street location, but with another restaurant in Midtown, you don’t have to head down to Chinatown. Peking Duck House is perfect for a range of occasions, from birthday dinners and quiet dates to a night out with the kids or impressing out-of-towners. Peking duck lovers need not look any further for their fix. Sometimes the obvious choice is the best one. In this case the sign says it all.

AlwaysInvestigating: New Buns on the Block

The Gluttoness — September 09, 2009

Until now, your best bet for pork buns (not counting Chinatown) was below 14th Street, the Goliaths being, Momofuku Ssäm and Noodle Bar. During the past few months Midtown has sprouted new restaurants that serve Chinese steamed pork buns (char siu bao).

Mantou Chinese Sandwiches, on the East Side (view site), is a sliver of a restaurant specializing in sandwiches on “sesame seed-studded, steamed mantou—a traditional Chinese steamed bread …a staple of Northern Chinese cuisine.” On the West Side is Xie Xie (restaurant page), which is Mandarin for “Thank you.” Xie Xie’s five-item Asian sandwich concept is helmed by Chef Angelo Sosa, who was executive sous-chef at Jean Georges for four years. Both places have a counter for ordering and seating, but these interpretations showcase two styles.

Mantou serves two buns, Spicy Pork or Braised Pork (each costs $3.95). Instead of buying them individually you can opt for the $9.95 Combo Box which includes any two sandwiches with a side salad and shrimp chips. The buns look like Big Mac’s but are soft and luscious like fluffy English muffins.

Mantou’s Braised Pork Bun.

Mantou’s spongy bun envelops thick, tender slices of braised fatty pork. It’s dressed with crunchy slivers of cucumber, cilantro, and hoisin, which ensure fresh well-rounded flavors and juicy sweetness that balance the rich flavor of the salty pork. The first taste (with a little Sambal) was the best. Unfortunately, the next bite included the chewy end of the roast.

Continue Reading >>

AlwaysTraveling: Hakkasan (Miami Beach, FL)

The Gluttoness — July 07, 2009

Some meals are simply unforgettable. Chef Alan Yau, founder of the Wagamama chain of noodle shops, is renowned for elevating Chinese cuisine in the United Kingdom. My dinner at his London restaurant, Hakkasan, was one of those jaw-dropping meals that I’ve always dreamt of reliving. When word came that he would be completing the trio of big name, high-end Chinese restaurants (Philippe and Mr. Chow) setting up on South Beach by bringing Britain’s only Michelin-rated Chinese restaurant across the pond to the Fountainbleu Resort, I booked a trip to Miami before I could pinch myself.

The London location impressed me as dark and seductive, and the new Miami outpost is equally sexy with labyrinthine dining rooms and elaborately carved wooden walls. It’s a theatrical atmosphere and the perfect backdrop for an expansive, creative Cantonese menu that features far-off ingredients like bitter lemon, choi sum, and lily bulb, which even impressed my Chinese dining companion.

Entrées are divided by fish, seafood, poultry and meat. It’s a vast menu sure to please any palate, but a meal at Hakkasan is best begun with a sampling of Dim Sum and the signature Jasmine Tea-Smoked Ribs, which were so fantastically succulent that they separated at the slightest touch of a spoon. Clay Pot Chicken was tender, while the subtle gaminess of Stir-Fry Ostrich offered a welcomed far-off flavor followed by a discriminate dash of spice. From the tequila-laced Pink Mojito to the Hot and Sour Soup and the Pandam Souffle, every taste was as vibrant and boisterous as the restaurant itself.

It’s impossible not to have fun at Hakkasan. It’s much like a Vegas production— an elaborate, Asian-inspired set with seductive dark lighting, calculated nightclub soundtrack and explosive flavors. Hakkasan was a trailblazer in London, and now it’s making its mark on Miami as well.

Restaurant: Hakkasan (view site)
Address: 4441 Collins Ave. (view map)
AlwaysHungry Grade: A-
AlwaysHungry Recommends: Jasmine-Tea Smoked Ribs, Dim Sum, Stiry Fry Ostrich, Sha Cha Chilean Sea Bass, Crispy Szechuan Shredded Ribeye, Chocolate Fondant

Click for pictures of Hakkasan dishes >>

SEARCH: Kids Are AlwaysHungry Too

June 19, 2009

Tomorrow kicks off Kids’ Restaurant Week in New York City. From June 20th through June 28th, 32 of the city’s restaurants will be offering special prix fixe children’s menus. Some notable participating restaurants include: Artisanal, BLT Burger, Blue Water Grill, DBGB Kitchen & Bar, Kefi, Otto Enoteca Pizzeria, The Oak Room at the Plaza Hotel and Zarela.

Of course some Manhattan eateries always welcome the younger ones, it’s just a matter of finding them all. For this reason, AlwaysHungryNY.com’s Very Advanced Search has a kid friendly feature that enables you to find the best place to bring the kids without sacrificing a good meal. Clicking “kid friendly,” then searching will provide you with a list of all the city’s children-friendly restaurants.

Of course, you can also just use our Very Advanced Search Engine to find restaurants that serve kid-approved fare. We have included some typical examples below but if your children have more sophisticated tastes, well, you can search those too.

Pizza

Hot Dog

Chinese

Macaroni & Cheese

Jewish Deli

AlwaysQuestioning: Wine Enthusiast’s Sybil Strum

The Gluttoness — June 09, 2009

Ten years after its first event at the Whitney, Wine Enthusiast’s Toast of the Town Grand Tasting is being held on June 15th at the David H. Koch Theater at Lincoln Center. Since its first year the event has spread to San Francisco, Atlanta, and Chicago. There are plans for it to be held in Dallas next year.

We recently spoke with Wine Enthusiast’s CEO, Sybil Strum, who founded the business with her husband. She shared some details with us about life as an oenophile, her favorite food and wine pairings, and of course, what she’s AlwaysHungry for.

Read the full interview with Wine Enthusiast's Sybil Strum >>

AlwaysInvestigating: Eatin’ Dumplings at Eton Dumplings

Lina Mark — May 06, 2009

On an unassuming corner in Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn, a small storefront houses Eton Dumplings, New York’s ““Best New Dumplings”:http://newyork.timeout.com/articles/eat-out-awards/73190/eat-out-awards-2009-best-new-dumplings-eton,” according to Time Out New York. Inside Eton Dumplings (named for the owner, Eton Chan) there’s not much to the place, but what there is has charm. There are four tables, a couple of counter stools and an open kitchen behind a granite counter. The kitchen is pretty basic: four burners on two hotplates, a steamer and a table where dumplings are formed, Two Hawaiian ice machines next to the register crank out more than 20 flavors of Hawaiian Shave Ice. And that’s all folks. Dumplings and Hawaiian Shave Ice are all they do at Eton Dumplings, but they do it well.

The chalkboard menu shows three kinds of dumplings: pork and beef with cabbage, chicken and mushroom, and vegetable with tofu. There’s also a special dumpling that changes frequently. You can order one kind of dumpling (5/$3.50) but the sampler (3 of each/$6.75) is the obvious move.

The dough is made with a special Chinese flour, which is finer and retains more water than conventional flour. The fillings are made in the morning in large batches, then formed and filled throughout the day. Watching the bandana-wearing dumpling-makers in action—cutting, rolling, filling, and crimping the dumplings— is like watching Oompa-Loompas working in Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory. They cook the dumplings to order, first pan-searing them to crisp the bottom skin, then steaming them in the same pan.

Read more about Eton Dumplings and the 25 Dumpling Challenge! >>

AlwaysInvestigating: Hot Mini Cakes

The Gluttoness — April 28, 2009

On a weekend afternoon, it is not uncommon to find a long line forming behind a tiny street cart labeled Hot Mini Cakes at the southeast corner of Bowery and Grand. The aroma alone could stop you in your tracks. The recession-proof menu clearly helps this crowd-pleaser. Twenty of these pop-able pancakes only sets you back one dollar. Mini cakes can be found all over Hong Kong, but New York City was first introduced to these Asian sweets by a stand aptly titled “Hong Kong Cakes.” Since it closed, Shao Chen has taken to the streets to satiate Chinatown locals, tourists and mini cake addicts alike, with his own heavily populated outpost. Chen worked in Hong Kong for many years, where he honed his secret mini cake recipe and fortified the perfect technique.

On this particular day, the cart was manned by David Chen, an adorable elderly Asian man who is not a direct relative of Shao, even though they share a last name (apparently, it’s a “very big family in China”). David Chen, like Shao, is in his late 70s. He operates the cart three to four times a week, weather permitting, and has been doing so for the past five years. The all-natural mini cakes are made with flour, sugar, eggs and water, but only Shao knows the exact proportions of ingredients. The batter is even delivered premade so you can’t watch him and try to figure it out either. Shao’s double-sided griddle is heated over an open flame until all thirty holes are piping hot, then both surfaces are brushed with butter. Once the batter is added, it takes about 1-2 minutes for the mini cakes to be ready. The griddle is flipped repeatedly so that the cakes cook on both sides.

The results are bite-sized morsels: crisp and golden on the outside, sweet and airy on the inside. When ready, they’re dispensed into a metal bowl, quickly separated (some stick together) and packaged in little wax paper bags. Before these steaming packages can even be closed, customers are eagerly waiting, dollar in hand. Or in my case, $5 for a quickly consumed 100.

Location: Corner of Bowery & Grand (view map)