There’s no way around it — this city has amazing food. Down the street there’s a place called Dumpling Yuan, which sells donkey. I haven’t tried the donkey. But eaten the pork dumplings and watched them made in the open air on a hot night. Sanitary? We all lived in Stephenson, right?
There’s a soup place near my office that, for the equivalent of about $3.50, gives you a steaming bowl of beef slices, spicy broth, noodles and pickled vegetables. It’s always crowded, the woman who hands it out is missing an eye and you end up slurping at the same small table with three total strangers, but the final product really can’t be described with mere words. My belly is currently filled with Indian food (that’s awesome here too) but just thinking about this place makes my mouth water. I’d link to a location or a review, but the name is all Chinesey and the best I can do is call it the “soup place.”
Then there’s Dr. No. Dr. No likes the Chinese chow, sure she does. But the girl can’t live on that. Not at all. See, the girl’s from Kansas.
Thursday night, we had burgers and Martinis. Friday night, we went to pretty much the only bar in our area (more on that at a later date), where she had bangers and mash. (I had the goa fish curry. It was nice.)
So today, for lunch, I thought somethng local might be in order. Maybe some char shui. Maybe some dim sum. Heck, the one-eyed soup lady’s not a bad option, either.
The girl wants bar food. Bar food.
All this is to say that hamburgers and bar food are the closest thing Americans have to a true cultural food. Perhaps Dan Ryans, the Hong Kong ethnic restaurant whose ethnicity is American, puts its best when they serve you their burger, which might be the best in town:
Oh yes. Americans: We conquered the burger. Mission accomplished.
Comments
You must respect the craftsmanship of the Enlightenment Nationalists who so successfully wove Cultural Identity from the threads of tribalism, racism and ancestral pride, while suppressing those very same roots. What other Creed allows a Worldbuilder to appropriate the art, the labor, the heroism and the victimhood of so many people, the dead, the living and those generations to come, with or without their consent? What Religion can boast that infidels who peek over its fences will scourge themselves for the dullness of their own yard?
Posted by: garmr | August 3, 2008 10:27 AM
uhhh, fuck yeah!! i like chicks too!
Posted by: jebus4me | August 3, 2008 11:46 AM
I agree with Garmr. I think.
Posted by: Mr. Guapo | August 3, 2008 1:12 PM
Park Slope has a new burger place. It's very popular...and cheap.
Posted by: hellx | August 4, 2008 1:04 PM
I love the fact that it's across the street from the hospital.
How's the old 'hood, Hellx? Wandered into Lucky 13 lately?
Posted by: Mr. Guapo | August 4, 2008 1:20 PM
No, but I ran into Melody the other day at Herald Square. In other news, it appears that the green grocer at 5th Ave/15th Street has shut down. It looks to me like a vicious circle happened.
I used to shop there, but then they began to cut back on the variety of produce they carried. So I didn't go as often and they cut back further on the produce until I stopped going entirely unless I wanted something right before going to the gym.
The deli on the corner of 5th ave/16th street has relocated to 4th avenue between 16th street & Prospect, but I think that may have happened before you left.
A restaurant/bar just opened next to Vin Rouge. They have a cool jukebox, but the bar manager is just a little too high energy for me, especially after I've just closed the shop. It's the guy's first restaurant and there was a mix-up about getting the commercial gas started, so the kitchen isn't open excpet for items that they can do in a crockpot. There are a lot of chili specials.
Posted by: hellx | August 5, 2008 12:33 PM
Yeah, the deli move is old news. I'm intrigued by the woman who runs the new one -- a skinny, red-haired white woman who wears what appears to be traditional Muslim headdress.
Posted by: Mr. Guapo | August 6, 2008 8:30 AM
She ran the old one, too. Her husband is much more outgoing, but you hardly ever see him there. She doesn't seem too happy.
Oh, in other news, the building next to Side Car has been completed. It's all black and angular and shit.
Posted by: hellx | August 6, 2008 4:05 PM