Nice post. Any fans? https://plataformaonline.com/
Shanghai Cafe Deluxe was closed for a year or so, and has now reopened as Shanghai Dumpling.
I totally agree about the High Line. And if you do venture into Chelsea Market … Los Tacos No. 1 is great as is Mok Bar, which is right across from it. I favor Mok Bar, actually… both are great and you could actually sample both together
Thanks. I was wondering that because I couldn’t find it on Yelp. So how is Shanghai Dumpling?
Are there any particular restaurant you would name for the fish? I’d like to walk around the tanks to look.
I’m still compiling information together and going what do you mean you need reservations for half the places!? But currently I am thinking of going to Eleven Madison Park for lunch and just get there early for the bar seating. I want to check out Existing Conditions for a cocktail or so since I’m a big fan of cooking issues. A bagel for breakfast at one of the aforementioned places. And a trip to MOFAD to see their CHOW exhibit. A steakhouse somewhere, though I realized there are too many choices haha. I probably will wander around Manhattan Chinatown as well for some HK breakfast and fruits.
And… probably no to the helicopter tour haha. That seems a little bit more pricey than I care for.
That CA aqueduct water? I’m going to be around what I presume downtown Brooklyn so I should be within a relative easy access. So I’ll go and eat dinner there, never quite cared for delivery as the food just isn’t that fresh.
Thanks for the tidbit on KungFu Kitchen. A little curious about all these XLB places, but how do they compare to Din Tai Fung? Also regarding dim sum, might just grab some BBQ Pork Buns from Tim Ho Wan to go as well. I want to compare them to the HK one.
Gotcha!
Yeah everything’s fully booked. But at least the response is better than whatever I got from Peter Luger’s haha…
Nice! Though I’ll be in LA the week before, would these tacos be worthwhile?
If we are talking about Manhattan Chinatown (not Flushing Chinatown), then I like to recommend either Bite of Hong Kong (Chrystie St) and Wu Wonton King (E Broadway).
Bite of Hong Kong is easier to find seat. They have reasonably price seafood in my opinion
Wu Wonton King is more popular and crowded, and I feel you have a better chance to find more unique seafood there.
Both places have fish tanks.
As for Chelsea Market and Los Tacos… I have to say that even through I like Chelsea Market, I don’t find Los Taco to be that awesome. I think if you happen to be there, you should try it (the taco is very small, so it will be a taste-bite). I never understand why people love Los Taco this much, but it is the most popular stand in Chelsea Market.
I have no issues heading towards Flushing Chinatown just last time I was there it didn’t seem too interesting to wander around. I can’t recall that many notable interest points and I didn’t want to buy groceries as I had not kitchen haha. But I have no problems if you want to give any recs around that area. I know Xi’an Famous Foods has lots of branches so I might just take a bite from there before heading off. Still compiling things haha.
Edit: Oh random note. Any thoughts on Manhattan Clam Chowder places? I do enjoy tomato broths
Shanghai Dumpling? Haven’t been. Two years ago we set out for Shanghai Cafe and found it was closed. So we went next door to Shanghai Heping and tried their XLB. Nothing special. Last year we went to Joe’s Shanghai and had the best XLB ever. Several orders of magnitude better than anything else I’ve ever had. So that’s where we’ll be going from now on.
Yes!!
Problem is that the line can be long even for unpopular hours. I would say 20 min is on the short side.
This is true, but the wait is worth it.
No eat tacos in LA, not in NYC.
In chelsea market either splurge in a lobster roll at the lobster place (which I’m thinking you def don’t get much of in SF), or if you won’t make it to Balaboosta then go to Miznon for middle eastern and get the cauliflower- which is stupid expensive but also IMO worth it for a once in a while thing. I know, seriously, but yeah best cauliflower you’ll probably ever eat.
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I have tried Joe’s Shanghai and it’s Xia Long Bao/Soup Dumplings are excellent.
However, there is Joe’s Ginger just 10 steps away, which is operated by the same owner Joe Si
“Following our Joe’s Shanghai success, owner and chef Joe Si created Joe’s Ginger in New York Chinatown in December 2004, as part of the expansion to our Joe’s Shanghai model.”
Then, there is the original Joe’s Shanghai in Flushing, Chinatown.
Yet, neither Joe’s Shanghai in Flushing nor Joe’s Ginger in Manhattan is as busy and as popular as Joe’s Shanghai in Manhattan. I have only eaten at Joe’s Shanghai in Manhattan.
It’s been a really long time since we were introduced to Joe’s Shanghai, but we’re still given to adding a +1, since our host has a pretty reliable reliable palate, although he still hasn’t been to the DTF mothership (as we have), and we enjoyed the introduction to Joe’s.
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How would you like to describe Joe’s Shanghai vs DTF in general?
I agree with you. In general, I find Manhattan Chinatown to be more fun than Flushing. Not just food, Manhattan Chinatown just more well-grounded. It is also right next to Little Italy, and close to Little Tokyo. I think if you can get the steamed fish you like in Manhattan, then there is no need to spend extra hours in Flushing.
In Flushing, I have seen better selection of fish even in mid size restaurant. Attached is a shot of the fish selection from Full Kee Seafood from Flushing.
I got the tiger grouper (老虎斑) that day. For some reasons, Marble Goby (筍殼) is easily found in Northeast restaurants (like New Jersey or New York), but I haven’t seen them in SF or LA. I would be very surprise if you cannot find a restaurant which serve Marble Goby. So, if you run into certain fish you difficult to find in SF, then this will be a good opportunity. Have fun.
Re: EMP. It’s our favorite NYC restaurant and we are regulars. You can reserve a table for 1 in the bar (and in the dining room where we’ve frequently seen solo diners). However, according to Tock, the bar tables are fully booked in May. If you sit at the bar, I think the menu is not the bar’s 5-course prix-fixe but a selection of a la carte dishes. Best to call the restaurant to check. (I presume you know that lunch is served only on Fri., Sat., and Sun.?)
For other upscale lunch options, two which we’ve been to countless times are The Modern Dining Room and Gabriel Kreuther. Both have spectacular cuisine; an excellent wine list; superb service; and wonderful, though very different, ambiance.
If you want to go the Italian route, last week, we had a seriously delicious lunch at Del Posto.
You can find photo sets for these restaurants on my Flickr. (Link below)
Mmm there’s a lobster place south of SF in Burlingame called New England Lobster Market & Eatery that seems pretty popular and friends liked it. Thanks for the rec of Miznon, the idea of a super good cauliflower seems interesting as well!
Well if I stop by any of them I just plan to eat XLB and just taste them Are they served at the Joe’s Ginger as well? I can’t recall which chowhound thread but pretty much they claim that Joe’s XLB were more like soup dumplings and not XLBs. Some wormhole of a thread that went to describe the origins but fairly interesting.
Huh, I don’t think I’ve ever really recall seeing the marble goby but I’ll keep an eye out on it. I had the tiger one before it was just… pricey haha.
Yeah I put myself on the waitlist and sent an inquiry. I was planning to just show up early and grab a bar seat.
Hmmm do you have any thoughts on Blanca (pretty much next to Roberta’s)? I was actually reading some reports on FoodTalkCentral about Chef’s Table Brooklyn Fare which sounded really good until the whole dress code thing shows up. Call me lazy, but I really hate bringing another set of somewhat dressy clothes on vacation. Also, last time I was in New York and wandering around town it got… m… unpleasantly warm.
But thanks for the update, I’ll go comb through your blog right now. Still trying to figure out a fun amount of activities to do in certain areas. Currently everything is kinda spread out.
I agree with Ttrockwood. If you do stop by Chelsea Market, you can stop by the Lobster Place area which has more than lobsters. The lobsters there are not cheap. There is definitely the chowder and lobster roll as well. More so, there are many raw oysters, sea urchin, …etc served there. Just stop by and see if you want to eat. If not, it is still a great experience just to walk through.
I was going to suggest to stop by Dizengoff, but it appears Dizengoff is no longer at Chelsea Market.
As for Joe’s Shanghai and Joe’s Ginger, I have only tried Joe’s Shanghai, but some people claim the quality is the same. I don’t know. They are very soupy.
Well, if you have never tried Marble Goby, then give it a try. It is pretty cheap, and they are usually 1-1.5 pound, so one person can easily finish it. You will likely spend under $30-40 for one. Its meat is very much on the tender and silky side, but not mushy at all. For some reasons, it can be easily found in Philadelphia, and New York restaurants. The fish has a round head and round body.
