Lingbo Li
Flushing, Queens
So each time I go home, I cannot resist the dirty siren call of Flushing, Queens, where the streets are stickier and the sauce spicier, where the tiny, steaming kitchens are filled with slurping patrons and the rhythmic slap, slap of hand-pulled noodles.
“Wouldn’t it be great,” I asked my dad, “if you could just eat all day? And never be full? And never get fat?”
“No,” he said. “It would be expensive.”
But that’s the thing – here, a giant bowl of noodles costs you around a fiver and kebabs a mere dollar. You can sample baked goods for even less than that. At my favorite sorta-ghetto clothing shop, Pretty Girl, which sells women’s clothing and accessories at wholesale prices (t-shirts for $3, dresses for $8-15, jackets $10) I picked up a surprisingly ladylike ruffled, floral print shirtdress. I imagined myself walking through Harvard Yard, oversized sunglasses, pneumatic of lip and balancing on 4 inch high espadrilles, coursebooks swaying at my hip. $13. Yes.
So it was off to the Flushing Mall again, which was featured in an earlier post for their shaved ice and takoyaki. I have to say, I enjoyed the shaved ice at JoJo Taipei in Allston more since the ice was more finely grated and my waitress had been kind enough to do an everything-but-the-kitchen sink piling of toppings. This time around, you can see the szechuan dumplings ($3.95) (the Chinese name for them is “red oil dumplings”) with a healthy dose of garlic and dan dan noodles ($3.95) (my mother criticized them as inauthentic – the noodles were flat, not round). Sadly, neither of these were spicy in the leastest. And I even ordered in Chinese, so not sure what the problem was there.
Later, I ran across some adorable cakes, which I obviously had to photograph. I am always a sucker for food shaped like animals. And tiramisu. This version, $3, was had at Yee Mei Fong Bakery. The thick layer of cocoa powder on top made it a bit messy to eat. It was just prepared just as Chinese like their desserts – mostly a light cream, a suggestion of cake, not much else.
I’d like fries with a side of lethal injection, please.
mmm fries and death
Meals to Die For is a memoir of a prison cook who prepared final meals for inmates. Apparently they didn’t always get what they wanted. (An appeal?) Filet mignon became t-bone steak… 24 hamburgers became 4.
On the Arizona Department of Corrections website, the state where the author worked, you can see what each prisoner requested.
They’re usually some combo of hamburger and fried eggs. For example, this guy got a little excited:
Six fried eggs, cooked over-easy, 16 strips of bacon, one large portion of hash-browns, one pint of pineapple sherbet ice cream, one “breakfast steak” well done. One 16 ounce cup filled with ice, one 7UP, 1 Dr. Pepper, 1 Coke, one portion of hot sauce, one cup of coffee, two packets of sugar and four Rolaids tablets.
I mean, who needs the Rolaids when you’re about to uh, DIE? I guess you don’t your last moments on earth ruined not only by the stony-faced executioner wielding a syringe but a bad case of acid reflux.
Anyway, read the interview with the chef.
I just got a little more legit
You can now see my favorite cheap food finds at 3 Buck Bites, part of Citysearch.
Read my first write up on some delectable Japanese octopus dumplings!
Shopsin’s on Essex St
This sounds like the most fantastic kind of restaurant ever. Over 500 menu items, charmingly foul-mouthed service, and arbitrary rules galore. I’ll definitely be making a trek over spring break.
You should definitely read this New Yorker article if you haven’t already.
Restaurant Week: Rialto
Restaurant Week is sometimes a tricky proposition. What am I getting for my $33.09? What corners, or portion size, will the sous chef cut from my budget meal?
Will they serve me glorified roast chicken the size of a thimble with a side of potatoes little better than sustainably farmed mush? Will the waitress be overwhelmed that she does little more than briskly administer a few slices of fig bread before slapping down a platter of underseasoned steak, crying into her apron because 18% of 33.09 is um, not very much? Will I be dining with similar clueless plebes with undercultured palates?
At Rialto, I can assure you that at the very least, the first two are groundless. If the waiters felt tip-bereft, they didn’t show it.
Having dined here on a non-RW night, I can say that the service was actually better. Our waiters were charming, efficient, and when one diner requested a different dessert, the switch was made uber-graciously. Chef Jody Adams, whose visage graces the promo banner outdoors, even stopped by to chat. (She didn’t do that when I had considerably pricier meal.)
She explained that since Rialto offered didn’t offer their regular menu in addition to RW offerings, it meant more choices for diners. What ends up getting cut is fancier preparations and pricier ingredients. I could resist but ask how business was during the week so far (always looking for a food story to pitch, after all), and she said business was good. (Expected.)
All of that was true: the bread was not as fancy, nor the entrees as elaborately garnished, but it was a well-prepared and well-serviced, if not memorable, meal. The thing that I don’t like about RW is that the menus tend to be pretty safe, wheres I’m more, “Ooh! I’ve never had calf brain! Let’s get that!” There’s just no danger.
I organized this RW outing for the Harvard Culinary Society so I ended up dining with a group of friendly strangers. It turned out surprisingly pleasant, so thanks guys if you’re reading!
Spring green risotto
Not the most photogenic appetizer. I wished I had gotten the antipasti, which came looking luscious on a wooden slab. A decent risotto, presentation could definitely be more appealing though – a sprig of parsley or something on top perhaps? This just makes me think of that frozen vegetable mix that’s available in every grocery store. Not that it tasted like that.
Roasted whole trout, beans, peas, bacon
Yes, an entire roast trout with the head attached! Also conveniently deboned. Decent, but nothing too earth shattering. I also like my fish to be of the melt-in-your-mouth variety and far moister.
Orange panna cotta, orange almond cake
Probably my favorite part of the meal. I am definitely becoming more of a panna cotta fan.
Chocolate espresso torta, walnuts, bourbon cream
Here’s someone else’s dessert, which looked delicious.
And if you’re curious, or hungry, here’s their Restaurant Week menu:
FIRST
Hearty greens…caciotta cheese, walnuts, balsamic
Beet salad…baked ricotta, pistachios, oranges
Mushroom soup…horseradish cream, buttered croutons
Spring green risotto…asparagus, escarole, parsley
Antipasti… Parma prosciutto, walnuts, figs, shaved Grana Padana
SECOND
3 big spicy sweet potato ravioli…sage, brown butter, blood orange
Local catch…carrots, ginger, green onions, sesame
Roasted whole trout… beans, peas, bacon
Chicken…lemon, asparagus, potato fritters
Grilled flank steak…polenta, peppers, olives
DESSERT
Chocolate espresso torta…walnuts, bourbon cream
Pineapple sorbet…fresh raspberries, coconut rum sabayon, pineapple chips
Orange panna cotta…orange almond cake
Lana Lingbo Li
I'm a world traveler / enthusiastic eater who's now blogging and producing videos over at HelloLana.com. Visit me there!
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