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 >>

Always Hungry: In Honor of Instant Ramen

Maryse Chevrière — March 05, 2010

Clockwise from top: Pork Ramen Original (Akamaru Niku) from Ippudo NY, Pork Neck Ramen from Momofuku Noodle Bar, Terakawa Ramen from Terakawa Ramen, Ramen Soup from Morimoto.

March 5th marks the birthday of Momofuku Ando. If you are not familiar with the name, you’re certainly familiar with his product: precooked instant noodles. Ando released his packages of “Chickin Ramen” in 1958, and went on to great success in 1971 when he invented Cup Noodles, popularizing the insta-meal overseas, and changing the diets of impoverished college students for generations to come.

In his honor, we have compiled photographs of some of our favorite bowls of ramen throughout the City. And as an added bonus, you can check out our great video with 15 East chef Masato Shimizu, who took us to Mitsua Market for a lesson in ramen etiquette.

HungryChefs: Chefs Love Lupa, Mixed on Hot Dogs

The Gluttoness — June 11, 2009

Roasted Pork Shoulder “Gyro” with Pickled Cucumber & Yogurt from Anthos at Street & Savory

Some of the country’s best chefs attended Citymeals-on-Wheels’ Street & Savory Tasting Event. We’ve already brought you pictures of all the dishes and rounded up our favorite plates, but we were also able to speak with the chefs.

Our questions were obvious: What are you AlwaysHungry for? Which New York City restaurant do you crave? And in keeping with the night’s theme: what would you serve if you opened your own street cart? Some chefs took the easy route, promoting dishes they had prepared for the evening, others were quite creative with their responses.

Click Here to read all the chefs' answers >>

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! >>

AlwaysHungryNY: Spring Soba at Matsugen

The Gluttoness — March 30, 2009

I often stop to watch the preparation of the fresh soba through the window at Matsugen, and this past Saturday, I was surprised to see the chef working with a curiously pink dough. My inquisitiveness made me alter my dinner plans, and the insert inside Matsugen’s menu answered my question: Spring Soba. The duo of seasonal soba featured a Cherry Blossom Soba (the pink noodles I had seen earlier) alongside a Green Tea variation. As usual, the chilled soba was accompanied with dashi and a ceramic dish of scallions and wasabi. But, the beautiful pink and green dish made for a gorgeous presentation, especially in comparison to the normally sandy hue of typical soba. It may have been raining outside, but Mastugen’s Spring Soba was a welcomed introduction to spring, both in it’s vibrant aesthetic and simple celebration of fresh, natural flavors.