Hosive

when people come into the city, we are always surprised by where they want to visit or to go eat. they are equally surprised that we do not frequent those places or want to go eat there. no. i do not want to eat at ruby tuesdays , bennigans or tgifridays in times square. then they ask where we go……so here are the places we like…not the best or the cheapest or whatever category….just where we go and go on a regular basis:

more chinese in nyc: another favorite of the tsang family and club vision is x/o cafe which is known for cheap chinese fusion and tons of variety on an extensive menu. its a great place for a group of friends and family because there’s something for everyone and you can feed them all for very little. i think all of this was less than $50-$60. there was weiling’s pork/ham with cheesy noodles(yup…that’s the chinese fusion part of the menu). i love the pork chop or chicken or fish version of this dish and get it all the time.

there’s congee that my parents shared with a few people……

short riblets over rice…….pork chops with fried rice and there’s that prized egg again(another favorite of mine)…for 4.99…….!

my sister had beef stew over rice…..blocked by ice water!

jeremy chowing down on chicken and rice wrapped in lotus leaves……

finally debby having a bunch of blurry appetizers….

we bought our own desserts this night including cupcakes from sugar sweet sunshine, pie from little pie co but my dad also ordered some tapioca pudding off the menu.

a festive time every time we come! especially when we see the bill!

when people come into the city, we are always surprised by where they want to visit or go eat. they are equally surprised that we do not frequent those places or want to go eat there. no. i do not want to eat at ruby tuesdays , bennigans or tgifridays in times square. then they ask where we go……so here are the places we like…not the best or the cheapest or whatever category….just where we go and go on a regular basis:

this entry is parts chinese and parts street food. growing up in nyc and heading down to chinatown for chinese school, church and cheap eats….we ate here a lot. they are known for their fried pork chops and chicken legs over rice…with the egg! never forget the (optional)egg-the prized treasure of the meal! it does not come with the meal but it is a must have to complete the experience.

back in the day it was called mei wah but strangely, its been renamed wah mei??? happened when i was away from the city between 1990-2005.

the food’s the same though…. super fast, super cheap, super greasy, super bad for you and yet super yummy. most of the food is deep fried in front of you and then slathered with this mystery meat sauce from a cauldron that looks like its been in existence for decades. in other words, unless you are introduced to it by an insider, you are unlikely to try it….but once you do, you’ll come to see things our way.

there’s no place to eat….so its all take out…though there is a counter to “sit” at and eat in a contorted position. this is a true hall in the wall. barely one room that barely fits the kitchen.

i got the pork chop with pepper sauce and this is $5 worth or there abouts. some parts of chinatown got caught in a time warp and still exist in the 80’s and early 90’s.

now, i can’t eat this every week….just every once in awhile but it was one of the first meals i got when i returned back to nyc three years ago. you can take me out of the cult but you can’t take the cult out of me…..and mei wah or wah mei has a cult following. many don’t even know the name of it….its just that tiny place where you get pork chops over rice.

when people come into the city, we are always surprised by where they want to visit or go eat. they are equally surprised that we do not frequent those places or want to go eat there. no. i do not want to eat at ruby tuesdays , bennigans or tgifridays in times square. then they ask where we go……so here are the places we like…not the best or the cheapest or whatever category….just where we go and go on a regular basis:

if there was only one chinese place to take my out of town friends, it would be here. primarily for the “soup dumplings” aka shiao lung baos. the wait can be long on weekends and prime dining hours. all this traffic outside the restaurant is for joe’s shanghai.

i hear the quality has gone down but i can’t tell the difference. delicious may not not be super delicious but its still….delicious. and there are different locations in the city. the best one i hear is in the flushing, queens chinatown. but that’s in another part of the country for us so we default to the one in manhattan chinatown.

there is a guide for those who have never had soup dumplings…..most assume that you eat it like a regular dumpling and they bite right into it causing the boiling hot soup juices to explode in the person’s mouth…as seen on the picture all the way on the left. you first start by gently placing the dumpling in a spoon….then taking a nibble to puncture the skin to let some of the soup out onto the spoon….then as the soup cools, you eat and drink the dumpling and the soup in the spoon.

there are variations but that’s the basics.

we normally order a round of noodles either with beef or pork. then we get a couple of racks of the soup dumpling to share….there are two kinds of the soup dumplings…one with crab and one without. i can’t really taste the difference so i always go with the regular(without crab)and save a few bucks.

eating the dumplings can be an art especially when the dumplings are plump and the spoons can’t contain the dumpling. at this point for me, its instinctual…..but if this is foreign territory for you, just look around and see how others are eating it.

its hearty and tummy delightling….just ask my dad plumping up on a fall evening on dumplings and noodles with fried pork chops.

one more thing….that person in the gray and pinstripes is unrelated to us….be prepared to sit with strangers at a big table, cafeteria style. just keep track of your food and you’ll be alright. its a cultural experience! fair exchange for real chinese food!

when people come into the city, we are always surprised by where they want to visit or go eat. they are equally surprised that we do not frequent those places or want to go eat there. no. i do not want to eat at ruby tuesdays , bennigans or tgifridays in times square. then they ask where we go……so here are the places we like…not the best or the cheapest or whatever category….just where we go and go on a regular basis:

here’s some more street food but this time….not from a cart! no “restaurant” either. no seating. no entrance(for customers, only workers). just a few signs over a storefront that opens into the kitchen where you can order….the result?

a constant line of folks awaiting some of the best fried chicken in the city…at $1 a piece. a dollar. yes! a hundred pennies! the trick is finding a place to eat it before it gets cold. we found people eating standing up…sitting on steps…sitting on benches…sitting wherever…..

here’s that storefront……there’s a table up front where you place your order, pay then wait for your food. that’s it. the whole joint is that table and the kitchen where you can get southern treats…mostly fried chicken, ribs, corn bread. most of the items are $1-$3. you can build your own happy meal.

i got a 2 pieces of chicken for $1 a piece: $2

a rib-it. a little rib….no joke. its a called a ribit. another $1

a dollop of mac and cheese…if forget how much……but 1 or 2 bucks….

total….let’s say $5. in nyc….this is highway robbery! and i’m the robber!

theresa got chicken and waffle with a side of potato salad. i think this was also $5

angie got the chicken and waffle with a side of bread pudding.

we wound up sitting on some steps at some brownstones near by. of course, loitering is illegal and fines can be levied. but the people in the building we sat at were cool. but cops may not be. my next meal, i took it to a starbucks while i used my 2 hours of free internet thanks to the starbucks card promotion.

that time i went back to try their jerk pork platter….delicious! a big old rib with rice and cabbage. i’m looking forward to their jerk chicken!

when people come into the city, we are always surprised by where they want to visit or go eat. they are equally surprised that we do not frequent those places or want to go eat there. no. i do not want to eat at ruby tuesdays , bennigans or tgifridays in times square. then they ask where we go……so here are the places we like…not the best or the cheapest or whatever category….just where we go and go on a regular basis:

another two current obsessions of mine in the city….vendor food and jerk chicken. i just love me some vendor food. and i love me some jerk chicken.

the concept of vendor food or street food just appeals to my sensibilities. the underdog nature. the entrepreneurial spirit. the love of food exhibited by their owners. the guerrilla mentality. cheap, cheap, cheap.

in nyc, there is a vendor food culture complete with awards and cult followings. many people will frequent carts near their work place because they have no choice. but there are a few carts that feature artists who’s medium is food. their work is beloved and people will make the trip to feed their cravings.

so my search for good jerk chicken in the city led me to this place….with a following of their own. the major complaint of this place is that it is slow….to which its supporters will say…that’s what makes them authentic! they are on island time! more cynical fans add that the boys in the truck probably smoke it up after hours to account for the delays in service. and occasional glazed looks.

as mentioned already, what’s cool about street food is that it is usually marketably cheaper than restaurants housed in a (more)permanent structure. so if you can find a place that also serves a killer meal, it’s a thrill to find in the city. its a treasure hunt resulting in a prize.

the reviews of this place boasted of the flavor of the meat. they are right on. the smoke and heat of jerk seasonings goes throughout the meat. my mouth is on fire and loving it. the flavor is rich and authentic. the cabbage and rice are serviceable…not great but not bad either…but with the sauce…anything with that sauce is magic! but clearly the meats are the main attraction here. a criticism of the chicken maybe that it is not as tender as offerings from a restaurant kitchen. but then these are the wide margins we allow for street food.

i got the large which was way too much food. the next time i got the small and was still stuffed.

here’s my boy, p-eater ong salivating.  we took the food down to bryant park and had a jolly good time. i can see this being a good sabbath ritual. wake up. wash up. or maybe not. then head down to the dutchy for some jerk chicken. back home for a good food coma nap.

for my devoted and long suffering monday readers, sorry that this is late. i was away on a retreat…and sabbath’d from the internet.

when people come into the city, we are always surprised by where they want to visit or go eat. they are equally surprised that we do not frequent those places or want to go eat there. no. i do not want to eat at ruby tuesdays , bennigans or tgifridays in times square. then they ask where we go……so here are the places we like…not the best or the cheapest or whatever category….just where we go and go on a regular basis:

my current favorite obsession is the australian meat pie shop called the tuck shop. when we lived on the lower east side, i saw it but didn’t know what the heck a meat pie was. after asking my buddy, pei li(who is a lot of nyk’rs’ australian friend), i understood it as a pie with different fillings. but still wasn’t sure if it was more like a pot pie or more like a jamaican patty. i went to an upscale shi shi aussie place hoping to discover the answer and the meat pie there was neither!

turns out….at least here…..its like a pot pie! that’s great because i love pies….both sweet and savory….the crust…the fillings….the portability…the shape of it…the cuteness. i must convince you: i heart pies.

there’s a tuck shop midtown but the pies there are older(stored over a few days)…. as opposed to freshly made in the one on the lower east side. they just don’t sell enough and go through their stock quick enough midtown. so make sure you go to the l.e.s. spot. the pies are also cheaper and there are more pie choices further south. makes sense that the one down “under” would be that way….

here are three of the pies we sampled including a guiness steak pie…yes! that kind of guinness! and yes! steak! we watched them make a new batch with strips and strips of cow and a big ole bottle of beer.

we also tried the chook and ham pie…which is chicken and ham. and finally, my sister and i sampled a shepherds pie, a once a week specialty. all yummy. but my favorite was the guinness steak.

check the menu for other pie options……

this is my kind of food….comforting, hearty fall food. its delicious! just ask my niece jaq, jaq! we went back a few days later with our bud, justin from out of town. i am using every opp to go…..this is likely a once a month craving.

we return to the city for food reviews during this week of reflecting on new york. we’ll return to la and sf in the next few weeks….

when people come into the city, we are always surprised by where they want to visit or go eat. they are equally surprised that we do not frequent those places or want to go eat there. no. i do not want to eat at ruby tuesdays , bennigans or tgifridays in times square. then they ask where we go……so here are the places we like…not the best or the cheapest or whatever category….just where we go and go on a regular basis:

without a doubt, one of our favorite places for breakfast, brunch, lunch and dinner is community food and juice. when theresa and i lived in the lower east side, we were part of the masses to discover clinton street bakery now with the epic 3 to 4 hour waits on the weekend. when we moved to the columbia area, we lamented the hour long trek back and forth for magic food…but we made the trip anyway for special occasions and to take friends.

however, the owners opened an outpost(that’s what successful places down south are calling branches up north)in my fraking neighborhood. this joint is within walking distance. we love love love that. food here tastes the way it’s supposed to taste. people sometimes are disappointed that we come for french toast, bacon and orange juice. but then they taste the food and realize that they’ve been eating counterfeits all their lives.

dj jazzy victor and love it too for our midmorning meetings with the magic sun on our skin and luxury in our mouths.

this morning, we get the unlisted, insiders’ pancake special. their cracked laced blueberry pancakes with cocaine butter syrup, coffee, juice for a nyc low price. but i can’t just eat cake for breakfast and also order some grilled ham.

my favorite thing to get is the fish sandwich. recently, they had a summer replacement of soft shell crab sandwich. magic and more magic. this is our duartes in the city.

our annual family trip to a nyc tourist attraction on labor day…a tradition that we just started doing a few years ago and kept doing. we discovered that tourists evacuate the city so the spots empty out and you have these massive places to yourself. mostly.

this year, we brought along my parents. my mom had been bugging me to take her on a cruise….i told her…here it is! cruise! boat! a 10 minute ride over……

we booked online weeks ago as special tickets are needed to ascend into the lady. many a unprepared visitor is disappointed to get onto the island but not able to enter into the monument itself. you have to book these at least a week in advance and during high season, way earlier.

when we got to the ferry point, there were two lines…..prepared and unprepared. they called them reserved tickets and flex tickets. reserved, sold in advance, have a specific time given to board for security checks. flex are the tickets sold to people who walk up to the booth that day. the flex line was 4 times(at least)longer than the reserved line. and when they saw that my dad had a cane, they brought us right up to the front!

here, the nerds in the family take the obligatory audio tour to learn more about the island and the statue. i only paid for one but the lady gave us two….again, the end of the season….labor day visiting pays off! all the tourists are already at lga, jfk and ewr.

we bought food onto the island which you are discouraged to do. but we’re cheap and we bought breads, mcdonald’s chicken biscuits and my mom bought a ton of beef and pork jerky. we did purchase drinks at the monopoly on site.

i dunno why we do this every year. to affirm our love for the city? to affirm our love for each other? to affirm our calling to the city? to affirm our calling to each other? because its fun? because its silly and stupid? just because?

the traditions that we inherit, the traditions that we create and that we choose to carry on define us in conscious and subconscious ways. it might be all these reasons…and others that we have not brought to the surface yet.

normally, we go to the tourist site…..top of the rock, empire state building…..closer to dusk and watch the sunset. but visits to the island end before that. and climbing the statue herself ends at 4:45. a bummer……i think i insist on doing this to symbolically transition from the hot summer to the cool magical fall. having missed out on that, fall does not seem like its arrived yet. technically, we do have a few weeks of my least favorite season.

the original torch is on display as you ascend as are replicas of the statue. theresa likes to pick noses. my dad does his best shaq imitation(kobe, tell me!…..), my mom reaches for the skies and the girls play with her toes.

you used to be able to go up higher all the way to the crown but 9/11 stopped that. there are rumors that they will open up eventually. but there is no elevator up to the top so that’s a healthy walk for the view. i believe that we will one day return here if access is granted. who knows how long they will keep it open or before al qaeda decides to attack again?

we took multiple shots trying to catch us and ms. liberty and this is the best of the bunch. we’ve gotten pretty good at these self portraits.

our noses look perfect in this one. the key to my heart is a good nose.

my parents liked tagging along even though they had to sit and rest a lot. afterwards we had dinner and even walked home on the upper west side. my dad assured us that he would not have a stroke.

at some point, they realized that chinese dramas would be on cable and they walked even faster.

love of family, love of city and calling affirmed. thanks, tourists, for your loot and booty; especially you european tourists with your valuable cash reserves.  you may leave now. see you again next year, somewhere in the city.

we close with the annual ancestor picture. unfortunately, theresa’s sneer is starting to look like her smile.

when people come into the city, we are always surprised by where they want to visit or go eat. they are equally surprised that we do not frequent those places or want to go eat there. no. i do not want to eat at ruby tuesdays , bennigans or tgifridays in times square. then they ask where we go……so here are the places we like…not the best or the cheapest or whatever category….just where we go and go on a regular basis:

people ask where we go for chinese food…..this is one of the places…

…..one of theresa’s favorite, favorite restaurants period. maybe because they advertise one of their specialties as being chinese bibimbop. that’s the way to appeal to koreans. but the way to pack your place with actual chinese is to serve authentic stuff.

my mom used to pick stuff up from here and transport it on the chinatown bus all the way to maryland. the food was good warm but its best served piping, piping hot.

yummy noodles is located at the corner of bowery and this alley. no joke. this alley is home to many hole in the wall joints. it looks understandably scary to tourists…so the places attract many locals and tourists in the know. or those who are lost. sometimes its better to be lost than lucky. if you need a better cross street, its closest to bowery and canal.

there used to be a japanese toy store here in the 70’s that had power rangers and voltron figures way before america discovered them. i used to come and lust after these magical figures that were way too expensive for our middle class budget. but when the products became mainstream and i actually had cashflow of my own, i lost interest. lust sometimes is about wanting what you can’t have.

the place has standard chinese fare that is very tasty…a lot of regular chinese people come and dine which is a good sign…its THE sign for a chinese place. if you see too many outsiders, the place maybe closer to panda express than what real chinese eat.

another good sign: my uncle who is a filthy rich doctor channels his inner ghetto and comes down and eats in this moderately sanitary joint.  that’s a compliment when the upper class come and hang with the masses because of the eats.

the prize specialty ironically is not a noodle dish but are these rice dishes cooked in clay pots at extreme heat. you can add chicken, pork, sausage, veggies, mushrooms, eggs….then its steamed to yummy perfection.

just ask my wife!

Posted under new york, new york eats, some favorite(NYC)things

when people come into the city, we are always surprised by where they want to visit or go eat. they are equally surprised that we do not frequent those places or want to go eat there. no. i do not want to eat at ruby tuesdays , bennigans or tgifridays in times square. then they ask where we go……so here are the places we like…not the best or the cheapest or whatever category….just where we go and go on a regular basis…

sometimes they ask us where we can get some nyc pizza. having only tasted dominos or papa johns, maybe pizza hut, they want to see what the big deal is. a lot of italians will tell you that the secret to nyc pizza is….the water? especially in brooklyn, they swear that water does something to the dough. most outsiders don’t know that nyc and ny state has one of the finest tap water systems in the world. in md, there was an italian store that shipped slices of pizza from nyc and sold them out of their freezer. the owner also said that the unique flavor was because of the h2o.

we go to the local koronet, right by columbia university. we can walk over from where we live….its famous for its two handed slices. that is not an optical illusion. that slice is the length of my waist.

if you don’t believe me, check out jeremy using two hands on that one slice behind the snapple. and dok ok posing with his monstrous olive and anchovy cheezy, doughy goodness. speaking of waists, this is how generations of columbia alumni have fattened up over the years.

i will concede that they are better pizzas…every pizza place in nyc does things differently with their own secret recipes handed down from the motherland or maybe just their mothers. and i think the best pizzas are out in brooklyn…..but that’s too far for us to go for a slice. if you come visit, we’ll walk a few blocks over for a pretty satisfying nyc pizza experience.