I'm getting out of order, but I wanted to post about the soup dumplings we had at Shanghai Joe's in NYC's China Town. I should start by saying thanks to my cousins Mark and Valerie for taking my Aunt Mira, Syd, my other cousin, my parents, Emily and me to this particular restaurant. It was very good. Before we got into the door, I heard they had soup dumplings, which I had never had before, and I knew what I wanted. Years of watching Tony Bourdain travel in China had made me want this particular flavor bomb. I call it that, because it is pretty much what you get when you take unctuous broth and put it into a not too thick, not too doughy, hot dumpling. When you bite into it, the broth just comes out and you have the meaning of umami coating your tongue. I could have not eaten anything else on this trip and I would have been happy - well, at least in NYC. That said, we followed up the dumplings with an entrée that wasn't nearly as memorable as the fun I had playing with Valerie's daughter, Mia.
Part of the reason the other items were so forgettable I blame on the ordering. No offense to those who were with me, it was what you wanted and I have no metaphorical beef - just the actual beef that was in the beans. While I was trying to decide between the items with tripe and the fish dishes, a myriad of take-out chicken staples had been ordered along with some green beans. The green beans were good, but sesame chicken, chicken and broccoli and the like could disappear from the earth and I don't think I would miss them.
My feelings don't have anything to do with authenticity, they have to do with adventure. I don't leave my home to eat because I want something I am familiar with. I go out to eat because there is a chef who can do something that I can't (all credit due to Emily who does most of our in-home cooking). We certainly have our favorite dishes at our favorite restaurants, but we always look for specials. I mean, we were in China Town - a place where if we wanted to push it, we could have asked for a menu that would have been entirely indecipherable to me - even once I had the plate or bowl. Maybe Joe's doesn't cater to that type of crowd, I don't know, but they did have tripe (which I've only ever had in Florence).
There are times where you climb a mountain for a familiar view, but because you know it is a great view. There are times you don't climb a mountain for a view because you're happy the view you've got, or your tired or don't feel like washing dishes, or your shoes or something. However, if you're going to climb the mountain, get the view - don't settle for general's chicken, you know what you're getting and you are not showing respect to the mountain - the chef. Yes, I"m saying going out to eat is an adventure and only as rewarding as you make it. I'm also saying, try the soup dumplings and the tripe!
I'll also quickly add that the night I'm writing this, I went out to a Chinese restaurant in Connecticut and got egg drop soup, steamed dumplings, and general's bean curd. These, to me, were staples - not much of a view. The general's bean curd was a little different though; I haven't had that flavor in years since it normally comes on fried chicken. I don't think I'll miss it for another several years, although it was enjoyed. I suppose in this particular case, there many views to be had. It was sort of like eating in Iowa.
Emily enjoyed the soup dumplings at Shanghai Joe's in China Town, NYC.
