Another post-lunch train trip to NYC today, therefore another take-out lunch from Gene’s DTX. I think about these lunches ahead of time (perhaps a sad commentary on how exciting my life is these days), and I’d already made the tongue-wrenching decision to forgo the 4 in favor of the 10 (hot and sour dumpling soup). It was not on the menu at DTX initially even after it appeared at other locations. It did show up a few years ago, but I’d never had it.
As I headed to my date with dumpling destiny (first trudging up the long, narrow non-functioning escalator at the Downtown Crossing T) I passed Lotus Test Kitchen and decided on the spur of the moment to conduct a dumpling smackdown. I added a third contestant: dumplings from the Moyzilla food truck outside South Station.
As pure dumplingness goes, Moyzilla won. They’re gyoza-like and so have thinner wrappers, and the filling was flavorful enough to need no sauce. The Lotus ones were large, but that was all they had going for them. The wrappers were very thick and coarse and the filling had essentially no taste. Even dipping them into the agreeably vinegary dipping sauce wasn’t enough to counter their determined neutrality. What worked was to nibble a dumpling open at the corner and pour in some sauce, then to have at it.
Gene’s dumplings had flavor (and thickish wrappers, but not anywhere as thick as Lotus), but the sour, slightly spicy broth with its mushrooms and slivered vegetables and sprouts made the dish. The broth was perhaps slightly on the sweet side, and I’d have preferred a heftier kick, but an all-round winner despite these minor quibbles.
Random notes:
- Gene’s had more people in it today, both eating in and taking out. That was encouraging.
- Lotus seemed busier. That was discouraging.
- The Moyzilla food truck had 6–8 people around it waiting for food. The Chicken & Rice Guys had nobody.
- I also got a few pieces of chicken karaage from Moyzilla. They were beyond bad: Bready, dry and tasteless. If you go, stick with the pork dumplings.
- I couldn’t resist three lamb skewers from Gene’s (hey, I had to sustain myself over a 4 1/2 hour trip and I owe it to my fan here not to faint during it). Sadly they were again on the lean side and two pieces were gristly. Really hope that’s not a trend. Tasted terrific, though, but again a little less aggressively so than in the past.
