Posted by Joe DiStefano, October 1, 2008 at 1:30 PM
When I saw the new Chung Fat Supermarket I could hardly believe my eyes. The sprawling grocery that just opened on Main Street in Flushing takes up more than three storefronts. Since I was unable to find someone to translate what the name means, I can only guess that it's Chinese for "gargantuan supermarket with tons of fresh meat, seafood and vegetables." That, or it’s a tribute to the Chinese film producer. Either way there’s quite the variety of seafood, including abalone. I’ve never been able to overcome the price barrier of ordering this mollusk in a Chinese restaurant. Nor do I know how to prepare it, so I had put it out of my mind until I entered the snack aisle. There amidst a myriad of dried fruit and chicken biscuits was a box of one dozen abalone pastries, for a mere $3.49. That’s quite the price break compared to a restaurant. Japanese abalone has been known to fetch $108 an order at Ping’s Seafood. And that was eight years ago!
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Posted by Robyn Lee, September 25, 2008 at 6:00 PM
When I told Serious Eats dessert maven Kathy YL Chan that I was going to the Flushing Mall, she said, "You have to get the Mango Special at the shaved ice counter!"
And special it was, consisting of a heaping mound of shaved ice—unfortunately on the crunchy, not fluffy side—topped with chopped ripe mango, sweet condensed milk, and a huge scoop of creamy mango ice cream. My two friends and I polished it all off despite the decreasing space in our stomachs. I don't understand how frozen yogurt could become a huge craze while something as awesome and simple and refreshing as as shaved ice topped with ice cream and mango bits is hard to find.
Flushing Mall
Food Court (basement level)
13333 39th Avenue, Flushing NY 11354 (b/n Lawrence Avenue and Prince Street; map)
718-358-1618
Posted by Joe DiStefano, September 17, 2008 at 3:45 PM
New Jersey’s Mitsuwa is to Japanese food what Flushing's Assi Plaza is to Korean cuisine. Both are Wal-Mart sized megastores that sell all manner of dry goods, fruit, vegetables, meats, fish, condiments, and cooking equipment, and it even boasts a restaurant. The exterior of the sprawling Assi Plaza reads “Oriental Food Cash & Carry.” Last night I paid visit to a section of store that I like to call the banchan bonanza. There are literally dozens of types of the small side dishes you'll see served at every Korean restaurant, ranging from more common items to bizarre specialties. Which brings us to today’s subject: bahnggae jorim, or seasoned small crab.
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Posted by Joe DiStefano, September 15, 2008 at 12:00 PM
Long before the New York Times wrote about the wonderful regional Chinese fare available in the food court of Flushing’s Golden Shopping Mall serious eaters were abuzz about the fantastic lamb noodle soup available in a joint across from a hairdresser on the food court’s upper level. It was a wondrous concoction of hand-pulled noodles along with chunks of meat and other goodies. Sadly the place closed last summer. Every now and then I’d go back to see if it was reopening. Eventually I gave up and started focusing my eating on the food court’s lower level. The other day I decided to give it another shot. As I approached the hairdresser I noticed a day-glow orange sign, in Chinese. In between the two lines of characters was the English translation: lamb noodle soup.
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Posted by Kathy YL Chan, September 5, 2008 at 6:00 PM
The best thing about dim sum is that you needn't have dessert last. Nibbled at in the middle of a meal, between bites of marinated tripe, steamed sticky rice with lup cheong, or taro, there is no "right or wrong" as to when you indulge in dessert. Which is perfect because I love dessert at the beginning, in the middle, and at the end of a meal.
Dim sum desserts are found in all forms at Perfect Team Corporation. They are fried and steam— some take the shape of bright jellies, some are made from rice noodles. My favorite are the baked nai won baos. Served as a trio of warm, pillowy buns with crisp, egg topping (akin to pineapple buns), the topping all but crumbles away into sweet goodness on first bite. Inside, you'll find an eggy, sweet custard that, when served straight from the oven, oozes onto your tongue like molten lava. Try not to burn yourself. But the odds that you'll recall this warning while under the spell of hot baos are mighty slim!
Perfect Team Corporation
13659 37th Ave, 2nd Floor, Flushing NY 11354 (bn. Union and Main Streets; map)
718-888-9996
Posted by The Serious Eats Team, September 2, 2008 at 2:30 PM
Editor's note: We asked seafood expert and fluent Chinese speaker Trevor Corson to chat with cooks and restaurant owners in Flushing after they were lauded in a recent New York Times spread. Are they excited about the recent fame? Trevor found out.
Photograph by Trevor Corson
As Serious Eats noted recently, food-minded adventurers are suddenly descending on Flushing in search of authentic Chinese, clutching a copy of the big July 30 New York Times spread by Julia Moskin. They now know details about many of the hole-in-the-wall cooks in Flushing who specialize in mostly northern varieties of Chinese cuisine.
Having lived in northern China for a couple of years, where I survived on extremely tasty but occasionally sketchy food from hole-in-the-wall shops and street stands, I've long wished more Americans would warm to this wonderful stuff. But it was kinda funny to actually go to Flushing again now and do some eating with a couple of friends, after the highfalutin Times hoopla. Some spots are just a counter in a basement with a few folding chairs, now proudly posting copies of the Times spread on the wall with their eatery's mention circled in red ink.
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Posted by Alaina Browne, August 26, 2008 at 2:00 PM
Flaming ouzo shrimp from Tony Matuano's
When we arrived at the US Open yesterday for the evening session, my first task was to suss out some eats before heading into the stadium. Following Ed's advice, we wanted to check out Curry & Curry's New Delhi Spice and Tony Mantuano's tapas bar, Wine Bar Food.
There's a vast selection of fast food-ish options available in the "Food Village" including hot dogs, burgers, ice cream, pizza, deli sandwiches, and sushi. Last night was the opening round so crowds were light and lines, if any, seemed to move quickly.
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Posted by Ed Levine, August 25, 2008 at 1:30 PM
Photograph of Donovan's Pub from wallyg on Flickr; photograph of El Sitio's pork chops from wEnDaLicious on Flickr; photograph of Sripraphai from roboppy on Flickr; photograph of Leo's Latticini (Mama's) from Kathy Chan
If you're going to the U.S. Open this week, it's best not to arrive at the stadium hungry. If you're a serious eater, you know that most of the food is going to be overpriced and underdelicious.
Now if you insist on arriving empty-handed with an empty stomach, your two best bets are Tony Mantuano's tapas bar, new this year, and Curry & Curry. Mantuano will be cooking food from his book Wine Bar Food, which we featured on Serious Eats a few months ago. Mantuano is a fine cook (I have eaten his food many times), and I'm assuming they're giving him what he needs to prepare his tapas-style dishes well. But even if his food is up to snuff, it ain't going to be cheap. The people running the concessions at the Open, like at every other sports stadium and event I can think of, definitely subscribe to what I call desert-island or we've-got-you-by-the-balls pricing.
A cheaper, real food alternative might be the aforementioned Curry & Curry, a midtown mostly take-out spot that has somehow made it out to the Open as a sanctioned vendor. Serious Eats' Alaina Browne is going out to the Open tonight, so she will give us a full report.
But let's face it. If you want to eat some seriously delicious and cheap food, you've gotta eat before they take your ticket. There are a couple of solid choices within walking distance, and a number of others a subway stop or short drive away.
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Posted by Robyn Lee, August 19, 2008 at 12:30 PM
When the New York Times told me that there were spinach dumplings in Flushing, I knew I had to go there. Unlike pork dumplings, spinach dumplings seem hard to find. Lin's Dumpling House used to make one, but since the restaurant closed a few years ago I hadn't been able to find a vegetable dumpling I liked as much as theirs.
Available on the breakfast menu (served until 3 p.m.) at No. 1 East Restaurant, the plump spinach dumplings were stuffed with finely chopped spinach in such a way that resulted in a moist, fluffy texture. No pockets of air here, just lots of spinach goodness held within a thin, slightly chewy, homemade dumpling skin. Compared to my other favorite kind of dumpling—fried pork dumplings—theses seemed downright light and healthy.
In addition to the spinach dumplings, No. 1 East Restaurant also had another of my favorite dishes that I hadn't eaten in years: chive box.
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Posted by Joe DiStefano, August 13, 2008 at 2:30 PM
Despite my seriously adventurous tastes, there’s one area I haven’t explored much: raw meat. Until very recently the only uncooked animal flesh I’ve ever partaken in has been liver sashimi and Ethiopian kitfo. The liver was sort of slimy though not so bad when doctored up with salt, grated ginger and sesame oil. The chunks of beefy kitfo were very tasty, but their chewy texture left much to be desired; I took the remainder home and cooked it up in a cast iron skillet. Recently a friend raved about the Korean raw beef dish known as yuk hwe, and I was ashamed to admit that I’d never tried it. I immediately atoned for this sin of omnivorous omission and made a solo trip to San Soo Kap San to expand my raw meat horizons.
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Posted by Robyn Lee, August 12, 2008 at 12:00 PM
When I heard about Happy Beef Noodle House from the New York Times' feature on the food of Flushing's Chinatown, I put it at the top of my "to eat" list. Beef noodle soup is my favorite Chinese noodle dish and, for $6.25, Happy Beef Noodle House delivers a bowl large enough for two. This double serving of soup comes full of extra long, thick wheat noodles swimming in a star-anise flavored broth studded with thick chunks of stewed, chopstick-tender beef that almost melted in my mouth. Each table comes with a seemingly neverending bowl of chopped pickled mustard greens to garnish your soup with. I probably added more to my soup than what's proper, but I loved the added crunch and tang of the pickles. Besides, it's not like they were going to stop me.
Happy Beef Noodle House
38-10 Prince Street, Flushing, NY 11354 (at 39th Avenue; map)
718-661-3969
As part of the Hong Kong Dragon Boat Festival yesterday at the Flushing Meadows Park in Queens, men and women shoved as many dumplings in their mouths as they could for two minutes on stage. Both champs of the 5th Annual Chef One Dumpling Eating Contest won last year: for the male division, Joe Menchetti with 66 dumplings (breaking his record of 60) and Floria Lee with 38 dumplings (who couldn't top her last year's record of 43).
Posted by Joe DiStefano, August 1, 2008 at 12:00 PM
When the New York Times article about the wealth of regional fare on offer in Flushing came out earlier this week, I was glad to see the old gray lady give a fresh look at a scene myself and others have been covering for some time. Due to journalistic pride I was also glad no mention was made of Tian Jin Restaurant, particularly since it's right next to the White Bear, a spot where Julia Moskin ate. I’ve poked my head into Tian Jin a few times to ogle trays of glistening zhu ti, or pig's feet, but hadn’t tried any until yesterday. This may have something to do with the fact that I'm not the world's biggest fan of pig's feet unless they're done up crispy.
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Posted by Joe DiStefano, August 1, 2008 at 8:00 AM
Within hours of the publication of Julia Moskin’s guide to the wonders of Flushing’s Chinatown I was at the Golden Shopping Mall to congratulate Liang Pi, the man behind Xi'an Famous Snacks, home of the lamb burger and cold skin. He’d been telling me for weeks about the upcoming article. I also wanted to see how many ravenous Times readers had descended upon my second home. For all the ink it got the mall was pretty calm although I did notice a few wide-eyed non-Asians. I headed down the street to Liang Pi’s second location at the Shi Hong Mall, where I was told that they’d been quite busy all day.
Sadly this was not the case when I returned last night, and found the door to Shi Hong open, but the space completely darkened. A table out front was covered with bags of fish balls and other delicacies plus a clipping of the newspaper article proudly displayed. The people manning the table were from Shi Hong’s Fujianese stall. Apparently the landlord hadn’t paid the electric bill. Let’s hope the power gets turned back on soon. And I’m not just saying that because I haven’t had a chance to try the Fujian soup with wontons that Moskin raved about. 41-42 Main Street, Flushing NY 11355 (map)
Posted by Zach Brooks, July 30, 2008 at 2:30 PM
Golden Shopping Mall in Flushing. Photos by Joe DiStefano
As much I wanted to get all snarky over today's New York Times piece about Flushing's Chinatown, its awesomeness has me holding back. The Times is habitually late with these kinds of articles, and often will add nothing new to the conversation (did you know there are a lot of trucks serving desserts in the city?) But this one breaks the mold, interspersing delicious sounding recommendations with personal stories from some of the best cooks hiding in Flushing's many makeshift food courts. The best part? An interactive map of 20 great things to eat in the area; or as I like to call it, my newest checklist.
Related:
Off the Beaten Path: Golden Shopping Mall in Flushing
Metromix's Joshua Bernstein has been quietly amassing a whole list of tasty looking $1 grub guides to New York City. He's already tackled Jackson Heights, Sunset Park, Nostrand Avenue, Flushing and Spanish Harlem. Not everything he eats looks tasty, but lucky for us, he acts as guinea pig. The latest is his tour of Brighton Beach, where Josh samples some pretty delicious looking blintzes, pickles, and chocolate covered cheesecake all for under a buck.
Posted by Joe DiStefano, June 30, 2008 at 12:30 PM
Ever since T.J.’s Pizzeria in Flushing closed I’ve mourned the loss of kimchi pizza. So when I heard that My Favorite CheoGaJip Chicken was slinging several kinds of Korean pizza, including one topped with bulgogi, I had to try it. Korean barbeque and pizza both rank high on my list, so even though CheoGaJip didn’t have kimchi pizza, I was pretty excited. Since T.J.’s pizza was more of a standard-issue New York City slice topped with fiery preserved cabbage, I never really thought of it as Korean. I envisioned CheoGaJip’s pizza as a tastier, more Korean pie; living halfway between paejun and a standard New York ’za. Sadly all my hopes for mouthwatering Korean pizza were in vain. The only good thing about CheoGaJip was the fried chicken, and while we don't normally like to write about things on Serious Eats New York unless they are delicious– some things just have to be shared.
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Posted by Joe DiStefano, June 9, 2008 at 1:00 PM
In January, when I first visited the food court of Flushing's Golden Shopping Mall, I had no idea that the mall's Mandarin name was Wong Jing Xian Chan. I don't speak or read Mandarin, although I am studying it. Most of the signage is in Chinese, but luckily I was armed with a cheat sheet from an industrious Chowhound. Unfortunately it covered only one stall, Cheng Du Tian Fu Xiao Shi, or "Chengdu Heavenly Plenty Snack Restaurant," which specializes in Sichuanese street food from the provincial capital Chengdu.
Next time I came better prepared. I brought a fluent Mandarin speaker, Fuchsia Dunlop. I toured the food court with the Chinese food expert and author of the recently published Shark's Fin and Sichuan Pepper for more than two hours. In that time we grazed our way through only a few stalls. Did I forget to mention that it's not a food court in the traditional sense, but rather a warrenlike collection of tiny restaurants?
Dunlop was amazed by the diversity of eats and gushed that it was "just like being in China." The folks at the food court were equally amazed by us—a British woman who behaves and speaks as if she's Chinese accompanied by an American shooting photos of every plate. What follows is a guide to what we ate combined with my subsequent experiences.
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Posted by Joe DiStefano, June 3, 2008 at 12:30 PM
It's like the Israeli Kozy Shack.
When most eaters think of Main Street in Queens, the first thing that comes to mind is the wealth of incredible Chinese food that’s available in Flushing. But if you travel Southeast along Main Street, you’ll eventually find decidedly non-Chinese ethnic food and shopping in Kew Gardens Hills, an enclave of Orthodox Jews that is home to several excellent falafel and shwarma spots. There are also plenty of markets with all sorts of Israeli groceries, like one of my all-time favorite finds, the chocolate pudding known as Milky. The good folks at Israel’s Strauss have managed to make a product whose creaminess rivals Kozy Shack’s (making the stuff aptly named). Each cup contains a dairy-rich chocolate pudding topped with airy whipped cream.
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