This evening, a good friend told me about a recent visit to Fu Run (40-09 Prince St., Flushing) where said friend was subjected to the most abysmally bad behavior - in fact, the term "bad behavior" doesn't begin to describe it - by both patrons and management alike. While I'm not at liberty to go into the details, I was sufficiently shocked by what I was told (and let me tell you, I don't shock easily) that I feel I must rescind any past recommendations that anyone patronize this establishment.
Anyway, the old chef is now at the excellent new Lao Dong Bei (44-09 Kissena Blvd., Flushing 11355, 718-539-4100). I haven't blogged about this place yet, but plan to soon. In the meantime you can read a bit about it on Joe DiStefano's wonderful new website, Chopsticks and Marrow.
Wednesday, January 30, 2013
Tuesday, January 29, 2013
Farid Halal Cart (formerly Al-Shamy)
(UPDATE 7/22/13: Something is up with this place, and it's not good. I had tried to go three times in the last couple of weeks, at times when they normally should have been there... they weren't at their spot. I finally called this evening - the response was just short of rude, but I was told they were at their spot. When I got there, people were tense and weird. Ahmed was not around, and I dared not ask why. The formerly-wonderful thick, deep-red hot sauce had been replaced by a vinegary/watery abomination, the sort of thing one gets with Peruvian roast chickens. The meat was okay, but my request to leave it a bit less done went unheeded or unheard. The seasoned rice had substantially less flavor than before. And I never got an answer to my question as to why they've been AWOL lately. In the end, a most depressing experience. I suppose I should use at as a Buddhist exercise in non-attachment. Go at your own risk.)
During a stroll up Steinway St. a while back, the Farid Halal Cart caught my eye. But of course, how could it not, with large skewers of varied meats sizzling over real smoldering charcoal...one doesn't encounter that on the streets of New York every day.
Since then, I've managed a few visits, and I think I can safely these guys serve some of the city's finest street cart fare.
Apart from the ingredients, it's the guys that work the cart that really make it something special. Ahmed is the public liaison - he'll take your order, chat you up, and really make you feel attended to. He positively radiates good spirit. Quietly tending the skewers with careful attention is equally good-spirited Ishem (I hope I got his name right). Both of these guys prepare their food with real care and pride - watching them cook and assemble dishes is a thing of real beauty. They prepare all the excellent ingredients by hand, and the difference is palpable.
There's a bucket of skewers on the sidewalk waiting to be loaded up...
...and that's exactly what happens when a customer's order is placed - nothing is sitting around waiting to be slapped on the grill.
The offerings seem to vary slightly from day to day, but they almost always have half-chickens (spatchcocked, seasoned, and grilled to order, of course)...
...beef kebabs, chicken kebabs (cubes of white meat marinated in yogurt and spices), kofta (ground lamb kebabs), homemade beef sausages, and lamb chops. (Ed. to add: I just found out the grilled half chickens are fantastic - the best thing I've had here yet. Moist, but with just enough charred bits to keep things interesting... even the wings, which I normally skip altogether, are juicy and delicious.)
My first visit, I had a really lovely chicken kebab...
...wrapped with some greens in a pita: a large, thin - delicate, even - pita, not the thick, chewy abominations most Middle Eastern joints in NYC serve. (I learned later that the pitas are broken out only when they run out of the crusty baguettes they normally make their sandwiches with.)
More recently, I decided I wanted to try beef and kofta. So, chunks of good-quality beef were loaded onto one skewer, and ground lamb mixture was expertly formed on another.
(From left to right: three kofta kebabs, two beef, one chicken kebab and one half chicken.) I was even asked how well-done I liked my meat...and even better, it came out that way! They have two kinds of rice to choose from: a terrific, fragrant brown (the color of the dish, not the grain - Ahmed said it's cooked with a bit of tomato and green pepper, but there are definitely other spices working their magic in there) and a delicately-perfumed yellow rice.
I naturally couldn't decide, so opted for half and half, over which Ahmed beautifully arranged the freshly-grilled chunks of meat.
They have a bunch of sauces to choose from: tahini and their hot sauce seem to be the stars, but there is also white sauce, "French sauce" (essentially an excellent French dressing to put on greens), and a complex, slightly sweet brown sauce I forgot to inquire about.
The finished product:
Prices, like their offerings, apparently vary a bit, but sandwiches seem to run $5-7, rice platters $8-12, and half chickens are $10 (the only posted menu is in Arabic, which I can't read, and I haven't yet inquired about the price of their lamb chops). They get there sometime in the late afternoon (except Wednesdays, their day off) and stay open until 4 a.m. - MY kind of cart! And if you happen to live near enough, they will deliver telephone orders.
If you go, tell Ahmed that Eric the musician sent you.
Farid Halal Cart
Steinway St., east side, between 25th and 28th Aves., Astoria NY 11105
718-200-7618
(M or R train to Steinway St., then 5 blocks north)
During a stroll up Steinway St. a while back, the Farid Halal Cart caught my eye. But of course, how could it not, with large skewers of varied meats sizzling over real smoldering charcoal...one doesn't encounter that on the streets of New York every day.
Since then, I've managed a few visits, and I think I can safely these guys serve some of the city's finest street cart fare.
Apart from the ingredients, it's the guys that work the cart that really make it something special. Ahmed is the public liaison - he'll take your order, chat you up, and really make you feel attended to. He positively radiates good spirit. Quietly tending the skewers with careful attention is equally good-spirited Ishem (I hope I got his name right). Both of these guys prepare their food with real care and pride - watching them cook and assemble dishes is a thing of real beauty. They prepare all the excellent ingredients by hand, and the difference is palpable.
There's a bucket of skewers on the sidewalk waiting to be loaded up...
...and that's exactly what happens when a customer's order is placed - nothing is sitting around waiting to be slapped on the grill.
The offerings seem to vary slightly from day to day, but they almost always have half-chickens (spatchcocked, seasoned, and grilled to order, of course)...
...beef kebabs, chicken kebabs (cubes of white meat marinated in yogurt and spices), kofta (ground lamb kebabs), homemade beef sausages, and lamb chops. (Ed. to add: I just found out the grilled half chickens are fantastic - the best thing I've had here yet. Moist, but with just enough charred bits to keep things interesting... even the wings, which I normally skip altogether, are juicy and delicious.)
My first visit, I had a really lovely chicken kebab...
...wrapped with some greens in a pita: a large, thin - delicate, even - pita, not the thick, chewy abominations most Middle Eastern joints in NYC serve. (I learned later that the pitas are broken out only when they run out of the crusty baguettes they normally make their sandwiches with.)
More recently, I decided I wanted to try beef and kofta. So, chunks of good-quality beef were loaded onto one skewer, and ground lamb mixture was expertly formed on another.
(From left to right: three kofta kebabs, two beef, one chicken kebab and one half chicken.) I was even asked how well-done I liked my meat...and even better, it came out that way! They have two kinds of rice to choose from: a terrific, fragrant brown (the color of the dish, not the grain - Ahmed said it's cooked with a bit of tomato and green pepper, but there are definitely other spices working their magic in there) and a delicately-perfumed yellow rice.
I naturally couldn't decide, so opted for half and half, over which Ahmed beautifully arranged the freshly-grilled chunks of meat.
They have a bunch of sauces to choose from: tahini and their hot sauce seem to be the stars, but there is also white sauce, "French sauce" (essentially an excellent French dressing to put on greens), and a complex, slightly sweet brown sauce I forgot to inquire about.
The finished product:
Prices, like their offerings, apparently vary a bit, but sandwiches seem to run $5-7, rice platters $8-12, and half chickens are $10 (the only posted menu is in Arabic, which I can't read, and I haven't yet inquired about the price of their lamb chops). They get there sometime in the late afternoon (except Wednesdays, their day off) and stay open until 4 a.m. - MY kind of cart! And if you happen to live near enough, they will deliver telephone orders.
If you go, tell Ahmed that Eric the musician sent you.
Farid Halal Cart
Steinway St., east side, between 25th and 28th Aves., Astoria NY 11105
718-200-7618
(M or R train to Steinway St., then 5 blocks north)
Wednesday, December 5, 2012
Sheng Wang - Wall Menu (CLOSED)
A few weeks ago, I noticed that Sheng Wang had posted some hand-written menus on the wall. At least some of the items were definitely new, and when I recognized the characters for zhá jiang miàn (炸酱面), I got excited - I have rarely encountered a zhá jiang miàn I have not enjoyed, at least on some level. My expectations were, in fact, exceeded. This is probably now my favorite zhá jiang miàn in New York City (at least the Chinese version of the dish - the best Korean jja jang myun is another discussion entirely), followed closely by that of HeNan Flavor. Sheng Wang's wonderful hand-pulled noodles are topped with a generous dollop of a thick sauce sweet with stewed onions and bean paste, tiny chunks of hand-minced pork, and just enough hot-pepper kick to liven things a bit up and keep it from being cloying. Comfort on a (styrofoam) plate for 4 bucks.
Also on the wall menu is 元宵圆 (yuán xiāo yuán - Lantern Festival sweet dumpling), a dish I have also enjoyed at Happy Garden Palace. They look rather like their potato balls, but whiter - the dumplings are made with glutinous rice flour, filled with the same pork filling (that's MY kind of sweet dumpling!). Like everything else here, a bargain at 10 for $3.00.
The rest of the wall menu offerings are as follows (many, many thanks to Miss Audrey Lo for her help in deciphering the hand-written characters!):
1. lǔ wèi - stewed dishes
2. lǔ yā chì - stewed duck wing (2/$1.50)
3. lǔ dà cháng - stewed pork intestine ($3.50)
4. lǔ yā zhuǎ - stewed duck feet (4/$1.00)
5. lǔ niú ròu pīn pán - stewed beef combo cold platter ($5.00)
6. chǎo lā miàn - fried hand-pulled noodle
7. mǐ fěn - rice noodle
8. niú ròu chǎo lā miàn - beef fried noodle ($6.00) This dish is not new, and has been one of my favorites here for quite a while:
9. huā gé chǎo lā miàn - clam fried noodle ($6.50)
10. dà cháng chǎo lā miàn - pork intestine fried noodle ($6.00)
11. hǎi xiān chǎo lā miàn -seafood fried noodle ($6.50)
12. yáng dǔ chǎo lā miàn - lamb tripe fried noodle ($6.50)
13. zhá jiang miàn ($4.00)
14. yuán xiāo - Lantern Festival dumplings ($3.00)
15. běn lóu chǎo lā miàn - house fried noodle ($7.00)
16. yóu yú chǎo lā miàn - squid fried noodle ($6.50)
17. niú nǎn chǎo lā miàn - beef flank fried noodle ($6.00)
18. shāo yā chǎo lā miàn - roast duck fried noodle ($6.50)
19. niú zá chǎo lā miàn - beef offal fried noodle ($6.00)
There is also a sign that advertises hot or cold mung bean soup (lǜ dòu tāng) for $2.00.
Sheng Wang
27 Eldridge St., New York 10002
212-925-0805
Also on the wall menu is 元宵圆 (yuán xiāo yuán - Lantern Festival sweet dumpling), a dish I have also enjoyed at Happy Garden Palace. They look rather like their potato balls, but whiter - the dumplings are made with glutinous rice flour, filled with the same pork filling (that's MY kind of sweet dumpling!). Like everything else here, a bargain at 10 for $3.00.
The rest of the wall menu offerings are as follows (many, many thanks to Miss Audrey Lo for her help in deciphering the hand-written characters!):
1. lǔ wèi - stewed dishes
2. lǔ yā chì - stewed duck wing (2/$1.50)
3. lǔ dà cháng - stewed pork intestine ($3.50)
4. lǔ yā zhuǎ - stewed duck feet (4/$1.00)
5. lǔ niú ròu pīn pán - stewed beef combo cold platter ($5.00)
6. chǎo lā miàn - fried hand-pulled noodle
7. mǐ fěn - rice noodle
8. niú ròu chǎo lā miàn - beef fried noodle ($6.00) This dish is not new, and has been one of my favorites here for quite a while:
9. huā gé chǎo lā miàn - clam fried noodle ($6.50)
10. dà cháng chǎo lā miàn - pork intestine fried noodle ($6.00)
11. hǎi xiān chǎo lā miàn -seafood fried noodle ($6.50)
12. yáng dǔ chǎo lā miàn - lamb tripe fried noodle ($6.50)
13. zhá jiang miàn ($4.00)
14. yuán xiāo - Lantern Festival dumplings ($3.00)
15. běn lóu chǎo lā miàn - house fried noodle ($7.00)
16. yóu yú chǎo lā miàn - squid fried noodle ($6.50)
17. niú nǎn chǎo lā miàn - beef flank fried noodle ($6.00)
18. shāo yā chǎo lā miàn - roast duck fried noodle ($6.50)
19. niú zá chǎo lā miàn - beef offal fried noodle ($6.00)
There is also a sign that advertises hot or cold mung bean soup (lǜ dòu tāng) for $2.00.
Sheng Wang
27 Eldridge St., New York 10002
212-925-0805
Wednesday, October 24, 2012
Hot Pot Under de Tree
Last week, I stopped into One Stop Patty Shop for a beef patty, and I noticed a pile of menus for Hot Pot Under de Tree on the counter. It definitely looked like it had potential, so today I made the short trek up to W. 151st and Frederick Douglass Blvd. My instincts proved to be correct.
Hot Pot dishes up authentic, home-style Jamaican food (judging from the accent of the fellow behind the counter, he's pretty definitely Jamaican) at very reasonable prices. I'm a sucker for jerk chicken, so that's what I had to get. It may not be the hottest jerk around, but the chicken is simmered in a deep, complex concoction of spices that made for the most satisfying non-Asian dish I've had in quite a while.
(What you can't see in the photo is the small mountain of rice and peas - the Jamaican version of moro, made with red beans - under the chicken, cabbage, and plantains.)
The hot dishes vary from day to day, but they almost always have jerk chicken, plus four or five other stews (such as goat, oxtail, and fish). Each meal comes with two sides, and in three sizes - small is around $7, depending on the dish. Medium (pictured) is around $9, and large $11-12.
Their beef patties are homemade and baked on the premises - and even better than One Stop's.
I was told by one of the enthusiastic fellow-patrons that I need to come back on a Thursday, Friday, or Saturday when the serve grilled jerk chicken. Sure enough, there was one of those oil-barrel-cum-grills right by the front door. And to come early, as they tend to run out. I intend to do just that.
Hot Pot Under de Tree
2839 Frederick Douglass Blvd. (@ 151st St.), New York 10039
212-234-3505
Hot Pot dishes up authentic, home-style Jamaican food (judging from the accent of the fellow behind the counter, he's pretty definitely Jamaican) at very reasonable prices. I'm a sucker for jerk chicken, so that's what I had to get. It may not be the hottest jerk around, but the chicken is simmered in a deep, complex concoction of spices that made for the most satisfying non-Asian dish I've had in quite a while.
(What you can't see in the photo is the small mountain of rice and peas - the Jamaican version of moro, made with red beans - under the chicken, cabbage, and plantains.)
The hot dishes vary from day to day, but they almost always have jerk chicken, plus four or five other stews (such as goat, oxtail, and fish). Each meal comes with two sides, and in three sizes - small is around $7, depending on the dish. Medium (pictured) is around $9, and large $11-12.
Their beef patties are homemade and baked on the premises - and even better than One Stop's.
I was told by one of the enthusiastic fellow-patrons that I need to come back on a Thursday, Friday, or Saturday when the serve grilled jerk chicken. Sure enough, there was one of those oil-barrel-cum-grills right by the front door. And to come early, as they tend to run out. I intend to do just that.
Hot Pot Under de Tree
2839 Frederick Douglass Blvd. (@ 151st St.), New York 10039
212-234-3505
One Stop Patty Shop
Take any pastry and fill it with meat and I'm all over it (Spanish emapanada, Portuguese fohlados de carne and pastéis de massa tenra. And my partiality to spicy food should be well-known to my readers by now. So it follows naturally that I LOVE beef patties. It's pretty much the only thing One Stop Patty Shop does, and they do it very well.
What does one say about a beef patty? Light, flaky dough with a hint of curry enveloping a spiced ground beef mixture. It's all in the seasoning, and One Stop's is good. Very good. A small meal (or the perfect breakfast!) for all of two bucks.
One Stop Patty Shop
1708 Amsterdam Ave. (@ 145th St.), New York 10031
212-491-7485
What does one say about a beef patty? Light, flaky dough with a hint of curry enveloping a spiced ground beef mixture. It's all in the seasoning, and One Stop's is good. Very good. A small meal (or the perfect breakfast!) for all of two bucks.
One Stop Patty Shop
1708 Amsterdam Ave. (@ 145th St.), New York 10031
212-491-7485
Tuesday, October 2, 2012
New York Han Du (CLOSED)
Next door to my beloved Spicy Road is a space that is now home to its third restaurant in as many years. The short-lived Deyi Peking Duck House is now the much-more-satisfying-in-every-way New York Han Du.
New York Han Du is a Korean-style barbecue buffet run by northern Chinese. I haven't figured out, and forgot to ask, if it's a Yanbian establishment, but I suspect not. Their food, in any event, is excellent. A good selection of meats, seafood, chicken, and organ meat (sliced kidney, anyone?) is on hand, both marinated and fresh, spicy and non-spicy. The side offerings are minimal, but it hardly matters: the barbecue items hold center stage effortlessly.
And with the addition of the galbi (갈비):
Comparison with Picnic Garden, the best-known (only other?) Korean barbecue buffet in Flushing is inevitable: I find New York Han Du's quality a notch or two superior. And there is the added advantage here that the pleasant, attentive, and skilled wait staff tend your barbecue for you. For the time being, they are running a 20% off special at dinner - at the moment the price is $19.99 a person (regularly $24.99).
New York Han Du
43-18A Main St., Flushing 11355
718-539-3061
(7 train to Main St.-Flushing, then 9 blocks south on Main St.)
New York Han Du is a Korean-style barbecue buffet run by northern Chinese. I haven't figured out, and forgot to ask, if it's a Yanbian establishment, but I suspect not. Their food, in any event, is excellent. A good selection of meats, seafood, chicken, and organ meat (sliced kidney, anyone?) is on hand, both marinated and fresh, spicy and non-spicy. The side offerings are minimal, but it hardly matters: the barbecue items hold center stage effortlessly.
And with the addition of the galbi (갈비):
Comparison with Picnic Garden, the best-known (only other?) Korean barbecue buffet in Flushing is inevitable: I find New York Han Du's quality a notch or two superior. And there is the added advantage here that the pleasant, attentive, and skilled wait staff tend your barbecue for you. For the time being, they are running a 20% off special at dinner - at the moment the price is $19.99 a person (regularly $24.99).
New York Han Du
43-18A Main St., Flushing 11355
718-539-3061
(7 train to Main St.-Flushing, then 9 blocks south on Main St.)
Spicy Road (四海居), Pt. 3
Good things are still happening at Spicy Road. They continue to tweak their menu, and a new version was unveiled just this past week, with some new dishes. I was a bit dismayed to notice new prices for some of the old dishes, too, but eating here is still firmly within the "good value" category. There are many dishes here one should know about - what follows is just a small sampling.
On a recent visit, it seemed that one particular dish was on every table in the restaurant... what was one to do but order it, too? There was a reason everyone in the house had ordered it: Xinjiang Style Sautéed Sliced Beef (新疆炒肥牛 - xīn jiāng chǎo féi niú) is fantastic. Thin slices of beef belly - reminiscent of pork belly in all the best ways - are stir-fried with hot green peppers and scallions, and topped with a generous sprinkling of cilantro.
Sautéed Elbow with Seafood and Double Winter Vegetables (雙冬海鮮扒肘子 - shuāng dōng hǎi xiān bā zhǒu zǐ) is a dish that could only come from northern China. "Elbow" (肘子 - zhǒu zǐ) turns out to be pork hock, and which is braised in a brown sauce with bamboo shoot, black mushrooms, scallion, and sea cucumber - an interesting texture counterpoint - served with a ring of steamed broccoli florets. Surprisingly subtle and delightful.
Smiling Pan-broil Dumpling (開口鍋貼 - kāi kǒu guō tiē) turns out to be a generous portion of open dumplings, fried pot-sticker style, with your choice of filling. The best version of these I know of in Flushing.
Pork in Orange Sauce (鍋包肉 - guō bāo ròu) is yet another winner. Thin rectangles of pork almost the size of file cards are covered in a thin layer of batter and fried, then tossed in a sauce of orange, white raisins, currants and pine nuts, then sprinkled with sesame seeds.
Yun Gui Chuan Hot & Spicy Chicken (云貴川香麻辣子雞 - yún guì chuān xiāng má là zǐ jī) turns out to be small chunks of chicken stir-fried with dried red peppers, lots of Sichuan peppercorn, and some sort of snack mix, replete with cracker sticks and a close relative of Wheat Chex! It's the same idea as the late, lamented M & T Restaurant's Fei Hong chicken - I can only assume the Yun Gui Chuan refers to some sort of snack.
One of the new menu items is Kua Style Fish in Casserole (砂锅跨炖鱼 - shā guō kuà guā dùn yú). I must admit to being a bit stumped by the name... 砂锅 (clay pot), 炖 (stewed), and 鱼 (fish) are all self-explanatory. But 跨?? Kuà mean "cross" or "jump over". What arrives at ones table is a HUGE clay casserole of what is essentially a light, delicately-flavored hot and sour soup with egg, Chinese chives, and a a good-sized whole fish that has been previously sautéed. Perhaps this cross-pollination of cooking methods is the "crossing over" of the dish's name. In any case, it's marvelous.
It´s bigger than it looks, trust me.
Northeast Style Stew Pork (東北亂燉 - dōng běi luàn dùn) is a great dish for the coming fall and winter. The luàn of the name means "jumbled", and this stew is a jumbled riot of ingredients: chunks of pork belly, green beans, white cabbage, potato, black mushrooms, eggplant, tomato, and those wide, clear mung bean noodles (粉皮 - fěn pí). Another quintessentially northern Chinese dish.
Make special note of the large sign in the front window with a picture of a small, metal, wok-shaped dish containing some tidbits in a reddish sauce. It lists four or five dishes in Chinese with English translations, all of the má là (spicy-tingly) variety, served in what in what one area of the menu terms a "dried wok". It comes to your table set up on a stand over a sterno burner so it bubbles away pleasantly for several minutes. The stellar Lao Gan Ma pork ribs (老幹媽香排骨 - lǎo gān mā xiāng pái gǔ) are surprisingly tender bits of spare ribs with bone, made with the famous Lao Gan Ma brand of hot sauce. Ma La Duck Neck (麻辣鴨脖 - má là yā bó), inch-long chunks of duck neck in a sauce of similar flavor, is also good, but the miniscule bones get real annoying REAL fast. And the unexpected bonus was the part I somehow missed on the poster in the window: these dishes cost $1.88! (one per table) I'm not sure how long this special will be running, so go check it out soon.
Spicy Road
43-18 Main St., Flushing 11355
718-321-3688
(7 train to Main St.-Flushing, then 9 blocks south on Main St.)
On a recent visit, it seemed that one particular dish was on every table in the restaurant... what was one to do but order it, too? There was a reason everyone in the house had ordered it: Xinjiang Style Sautéed Sliced Beef (新疆炒肥牛 - xīn jiāng chǎo féi niú) is fantastic. Thin slices of beef belly - reminiscent of pork belly in all the best ways - are stir-fried with hot green peppers and scallions, and topped with a generous sprinkling of cilantro.
Sautéed Elbow with Seafood and Double Winter Vegetables (雙冬海鮮扒肘子 - shuāng dōng hǎi xiān bā zhǒu zǐ) is a dish that could only come from northern China. "Elbow" (肘子 - zhǒu zǐ) turns out to be pork hock, and which is braised in a brown sauce with bamboo shoot, black mushrooms, scallion, and sea cucumber - an interesting texture counterpoint - served with a ring of steamed broccoli florets. Surprisingly subtle and delightful.
Smiling Pan-broil Dumpling (開口鍋貼 - kāi kǒu guō tiē) turns out to be a generous portion of open dumplings, fried pot-sticker style, with your choice of filling. The best version of these I know of in Flushing.
Pork in Orange Sauce (鍋包肉 - guō bāo ròu) is yet another winner. Thin rectangles of pork almost the size of file cards are covered in a thin layer of batter and fried, then tossed in a sauce of orange, white raisins, currants and pine nuts, then sprinkled with sesame seeds.
Yun Gui Chuan Hot & Spicy Chicken (云貴川香麻辣子雞 - yún guì chuān xiāng má là zǐ jī) turns out to be small chunks of chicken stir-fried with dried red peppers, lots of Sichuan peppercorn, and some sort of snack mix, replete with cracker sticks and a close relative of Wheat Chex! It's the same idea as the late, lamented M & T Restaurant's Fei Hong chicken - I can only assume the Yun Gui Chuan refers to some sort of snack.
One of the new menu items is Kua Style Fish in Casserole (砂锅跨炖鱼 - shā guō kuà guā dùn yú). I must admit to being a bit stumped by the name... 砂锅 (clay pot), 炖 (stewed), and 鱼 (fish) are all self-explanatory. But 跨?? Kuà mean "cross" or "jump over". What arrives at ones table is a HUGE clay casserole of what is essentially a light, delicately-flavored hot and sour soup with egg, Chinese chives, and a a good-sized whole fish that has been previously sautéed. Perhaps this cross-pollination of cooking methods is the "crossing over" of the dish's name. In any case, it's marvelous.
It´s bigger than it looks, trust me.
Northeast Style Stew Pork (東北亂燉 - dōng běi luàn dùn) is a great dish for the coming fall and winter. The luàn of the name means "jumbled", and this stew is a jumbled riot of ingredients: chunks of pork belly, green beans, white cabbage, potato, black mushrooms, eggplant, tomato, and those wide, clear mung bean noodles (粉皮 - fěn pí). Another quintessentially northern Chinese dish.
Make special note of the large sign in the front window with a picture of a small, metal, wok-shaped dish containing some tidbits in a reddish sauce. It lists four or five dishes in Chinese with English translations, all of the má là (spicy-tingly) variety, served in what in what one area of the menu terms a "dried wok". It comes to your table set up on a stand over a sterno burner so it bubbles away pleasantly for several minutes. The stellar Lao Gan Ma pork ribs (老幹媽香排骨 - lǎo gān mā xiāng pái gǔ) are surprisingly tender bits of spare ribs with bone, made with the famous Lao Gan Ma brand of hot sauce. Ma La Duck Neck (麻辣鴨脖 - má là yā bó), inch-long chunks of duck neck in a sauce of similar flavor, is also good, but the miniscule bones get real annoying REAL fast. And the unexpected bonus was the part I somehow missed on the poster in the window: these dishes cost $1.88! (one per table) I'm not sure how long this special will be running, so go check it out soon.
Spicy Road
43-18 Main St., Flushing 11355
718-321-3688
(7 train to Main St.-Flushing, then 9 blocks south on Main St.)
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