Great writing Ligaya Mishan!
This is my favorite line:
"The menu here, as elsewhere in the neighborhood, is at once encyclopedic in breadth and minimalist in detail".
So funny that it brings to my mind the name of a dish (maybe not Cantonese cuisine but from Northern part of China?): Buddha Jumping Walls!
I'll check out this place next time I'm in town!
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Crab is amazing here and so is the pea sprouts. Dumplings made out of egg or so it seemed. Salty dishes. Beer is $4.
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I often have the feeling that Ms. Mishan is reviewing not the restaurant she visited but the one she would like to have visited (a creative way to get a "scoop" to be sure), and now I have proof! The suckling pig pictured is startlingly different from the one she described, one of the most unappetizing things I've ever seen after being told it'd be one of the most beautiful! She also talks about the procedure for making Peking duck as if she just uncovered a forbidden secret when this is common knowledge.
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Most refreshing to see a Critic's Pick with moderate prices. I understand the difficulty that some have with Dungeness Crab, but as an Oregon Native I've been enjoying it for decades. IMO the real key is do not attempt to be delicate about it! Tear it apart, dig the meat out with a nut pick if necessary and dig in. Any Dungie with Row is a female, the taking of which is a big No-No!
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Hungry City, Mishan's usual column, is always focused on these modestly priced ethnic enclaves (though maybe you knew that and were only commenting on the Critic's Pick part, in which case, ignore this). It's one of my faves from the NYT.
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Checking this place out my next time in the city. Looks delicious.
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I've had crab like this at R&G Lounge in San Francisco but this even looked better. If the food is as good as it looks in the photos those who live close by are lucky. Alluding to an article published in NYT's Food section earlier this week, perhaps the Italian's looking to market jellyfish to the masses should check how they are prepared here and give up on the notion of sliced jellyfish with tomatoes and figs.
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Well, so much for enjoying my oats and apple for breakfast.
Mmmmmmm......
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This overly saturated color style of photography to mimic the look of photographs from 1950's is trendy yes, but it makes those dumplings in the bowl look like they have been sitting there for hours due to a saturated yellowish color. Didn't the photography industry strive for a more realistic color and definition so we can better record what things truely looked like for viewers? Just because someone else is doing it, doesnt mean NYTimes should also.
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You should eat the crab just like a otter would.
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This place looks great. But I need some help. What is the proper technique for eating and enjoying that Dungeness crab? I am an accomplished cook and passionate eater of all foods, from street to four star. But I don't know how to tackle that. With the beautiful fried crust, I can't imagine that you pick the meat like a steamed or boiled lobster. But the Dungeness shell is so hard! What's the right gameplan? Maybe you should post a video. I volunteer to be the student.
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I was wondering the exact same thing.
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the legs is like eating king crab legs, use a nut cracker. the body similar to eating a regular crab, split in half and pick out the meat. The shell just use a fork or spoon to scoop out the roe if there is any.
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In most Chinese restaurants, they've cracked the legs and body a bit for you already so you just use the communal chopsticks to take it off the main plate, transfer it to your plate, and eat it with your hands. Often the restaurant will include a small communal hammer or pincer-type device to help everyone at the table crack the shell. At fancier places you may get your own along with a warmed towel before/ afterwards and a communal or individual warm bowl of lemon water to wash your hands a bit afterwards.
As a person who is of Cantonese origin and has spent decades eating the food, we don't stand on ceremony when it comes to eating!
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