Words and images by Jenine Lurie
An Insider's Tasting Tour
Chinatown, where to begin? The neighborhood is filled with many great spots, and really the best way to find your favorites, is simply to eat your way through. Here are a few places to start:
Nha Trang 87 Baxter Street
Give Me Jury Duty- And Give Me Lunch. Around the corner from the New
York Court House, the simple and authentic atmosphere makes this Vietnamese restaurant
a great place to spend lunch. An absolute must is the ghio-yao (egg roll with salad) and
fish sauce. Wrap the egg roll in lettuce and dip into the fish sauce for a crispy,
delicious inside out sandwich. For a variation on the theme, it can be
served over vermicelli with fresh mint or try the classic combination with grilled shrimp
egg rolls served over vermicelli.
Shanghai Gourmet 57 Mott Street
A newcomer
to Mott Street, this narrow restaurant serves some of the very best pork and crab meat
dumplings anywhere to be found this side of the Yangtze River. Scoop one up
with a spoon and take a nibble off the top. Add a dab of the vinegar
ginger sauce and suck out the inside soup before biting into the warm
dumpling. Warning: These will cause irresistible cravings and impulsive,
erratic visits at unpredictable times of the day.
Oriental Garden Seafood Restaurant 14 Elizabeth Street
Chose your dinner from the aquarium outside. The selection includes shrimp,
langostinas, clams, crabs and lobsters. Age is determined by size (there
is currently a 30 pound lobster in the window who has been around for almost as many years)
and the shellfish are priced by the pound, making them really worth their weight.
Order right out of the tank for your table, steamed with ginger and soy or
a garlic sauce. If you are dining in a group, try the Peking Duck,
sliced and served at your table in a warm dumpling with hoisen sauce
and scallion. A feast to celebrate all occasions.
XO Kitchen 148 Hester Street
And now for dessert: A fresh mango shake with pearls of black tapioca. The thick straws
are the fun part of the drink, which could also be made with bananas, honeydew or cantaloupe.
