How could I have been anything but "flush with excitement" this past Sunday, anxious with anticipation about a daytrip to the wilds of Flushing, Queens with my Indi-anna Jones pal Kristin? You may recall that Kristin was my ready and able partner-in-crime during a foodie expedition to Brighton Beach a while back.
Waiting to meet her on the #7 platform at Queens Plaza, I had a feeling that Kristin and I would do equally well in what was purported to be NYC's most authentic Chinatown.
Always trust your feelings.
Kristin came fully prepped with loads of Internet research and recommendations. And, as an added bonus, she also added some extra items to our quest: thin, cotton, drawstring pants and a switchblade - both of which could come in handy during an upcoming archaeological business trip to the blistering hot and mortally dangerous country of Uzbekistan. (And, I thought my recent business trip to San Francisco was cool!)
Getting off the train, it seemed like we already had landed in another continent - Asia to be exact. Intrepid round-eyes, we - we bolstered our Food Slut inclinations and headed straight to a Food Court on 36-58 Main Street. Winding our way through the two floors of stalls we decided to heed an Internet poster's advice and order up some mixed dumplings from C's Hk Tasty Food. It was difficult figuring out the ordering system, but happily another diner was able to help us translate. (What can I say? Both my Cantonese and Mandarin are rusty. My Yiddish on the other hand!)
The dumplings were delicate and bursting with tiny sweet shrimp and rich pork meat. And, yet, we couldn't help bemoan the fact that we hadn't ordered up the Fried Shrimp Wontons. We watched the cook deftly fry up a couple of batches and were mesmerized. But, no. We resisted and headed towards the Flushing Mall Food Court for more.
A big mistake.
Attempting to down a flavorless overcooked Turnip Bun and another one stuffed with overly salty beef and chilis, we quickly determined that we shouldn't waste the calories or the room in our stomachs.
Our next destination: the highly praised Sichuan restaurant Spicy & Tasty. We had both been dreaming of their tongue-tingling, slow-burning DanDan Noodles and the chef's Tea-Smoked Duck was also tops on our lists. We ordered both and threw in an order of Sauteed Pea Shoot Greens and Rice Nuts in Rice Wine for good measure.
What a disappointment. The greens were bright, fresh and lovely. The DanDan and the Tea Smoked Duck on the other hand, were big Don'tDon'ts. The noodles were insipid and had ABSOLUTELY no heat, until we demanded they add some, to which they simply dumped a little atop. The duck was moist, but nothing special. And, as for the novelty dish of the Rice Nuts, it was more of a sweet broth accompanied by large white and hot pink rice puffs. Kristin was kinda taken by it, but it was a big "pass" for me.
We were despondent. Where to next? Did we really have room for much more food anyway? We decided to pay a visit to the A & N food market for supplies - Chrysanthemum Tea for me and loads of Asian condiments and such for Kristin - and then make our next food selection.
At the checkout counter we knew: Fried Shrimp Wontons.
Checking a few clothing stores for Kristin's elusive pants (which remained elusive) and completely forgetting about her need to pick up weaponry, we boogied on back to our original stop, C's Hk. In addition to our order of crispy wontons, we also indulged in another order of dumplings - this time sitting on top of an order of eggy thin lo mein noodles.
It was all yummy to say the least. We exited and headed towards the #7 to return home, full and finally sated - and then we spotted the Sago Tea House. We really could use a bit of caffeine to finish off the day...And, a sweet wouldn't be a bad idea either...
We compromised and picked up iced coffees to go. Mine was shaken with a bit of rich, creamy coconut milk and Kristin had peppermint added to hers...It was a sweet ride back to civilization.
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