Day 250-Present
Hi guys!
So, we want to excuse ourselves for dragging ass with the writing, but we’ve only had the time to eat takeout and then post the pics to Twitter.
Also, there isn’t too much to say on a day-to-day basis at this point, so we’re kind of looking at this holistically: Data-wise, what can we extrapolate from all this Chinese fast food?
That said, here are our expeditions of late…
We were really impressed with these noodles. These “soba” (read: THEY ARE LO MEIN FOR GOD’S SAKE) strands are nothing more than dressed up ramen.
However, they come soft in a vacuum-pack and are thus strong enough to sustain stir-frying.
No surprise here, but we were not impressed by this latest string of Midtown steam tables.
One of them — the one on 47th and Seventh Ave-ish — featured a seafood slurry that had been shaped to look like a shrimp.
Elsewhere, we munched on lo mein noodles that nearly made our mouths bleed for being so dry, hard, and jagged.
So uhm yeah…bon appetit?
247 248 249! Who knows?!??!
Behold, some vacuum packed tofu, purchased from a Chinatown grocery. Though the slices have a cheese-like texture and a salty, sour taste, they go well on salad dressed with bacon French dressing, of all things.
Also pictured are the fish tofu and fried tofu from A+ Lollipop, a Taiwanese-Vietnamese vaguely boba place somewhere on Manhattan Avenue. Addy TK (I started work at 6 a.m. and was at my desk until 5 and here I am again. #FREELANCELYFE).
The dips — one was sweet and featured a fantastically strong presence of Thai fish sauce — went particularly well with the curd cubes.The simple soy selection required a bit of sriracha, but what doesn’t, really?
Day 245 (or 246? WHO THE FUCK KNOWS ANYMORE?) Min Jiang Restaurant (95 East Broadway 212-766-3313)
So you walk into this place, and the woman does not want to serve you, but you put up with the haughtiness because goddam — for $5, you get to pick five types of meat and noodles and get this bad boy-bowl of soup which is perhaps as perfect as any soup can get.
(FYI: We’re talking spot on saltiness with the chicken broth — prepped via perpetual rolling boil — the perfect balance of mild and metallic meats, fluffy noodles, etc…)
This actually relates to what we ate yesterday, too…we have a hypothesis that Cantonese-American and even Fouzou Chinese noodle soups will be the next pho. Now all we have to do is prove it. Thankfully, the best way to do so is through eating.
Day 246 (245 is TWEETED) Details manana
DAY 244: Spicy Squid Jerky
OK WE KNOW WE ARE BEHIND WITH THE WRITING PART BUT WE ARE TRYING TO GET OUR SHIT TOGETHER AND ARE STILL EATING CHINESE FOOD EVERYDAY SO JUST BE PATIENT FOR A BIT. UPDATE TK
Day 244: King’s County Hospital Cafe HAS THE BEST GENERAL TSO’S IN ALL OF NEW FUCKING YORK
More on this tomorrow morning. We’re sorry that our timing is shitty, but our work schedule is early so our sleep schedule is FUCKED.
(Not that we’re complaining at all — we get to hang out on crime scenes all day. We’d get up at 3 a.m. for this. Stuff like this MADE us get into journalism in the first place. It’s just that waxing Cantonese-American must take the occasional back-burner.)
Alas, our recreational writing has to happen when it does…
Like right now. Check back tomorrow.
UPDATE: So why is this the best, you might ask?
Well, the meat is melt-in-your-mouth moist, and has been seasoned with plentiful salt and pepper so that it boasts a strong flavor.
And the sauce, packed with sichuan peppercorns, has a bit of a smoky vibe — so it’s not just the sweet quasi barbecue typically encountered.
The vegetables aren’t especially Chinese — their prep says nothing “Cantonese-American” at all, really — but we have to give them props.
They taste like they’ve been prepped with chicken or beef broth, and there’s plentiful dill, giving them a truly rich taste.
Day 243: Amy’s Teriyaki Bowl
For something based around brown rice, this ain’t bad. However, considering that brown rice sucks (so mealy! so “organic”-tasting! so “healthy!”) as much as “whole wheat” anything, that doesn’t really say much. Save your $6 and get some fresh Chinese takeout instead.
Day 243: Vegan lo mein and egg roll from Sunneen Health Foods
See update in the morning, we’re suuuuuper sleepy at the moment!
UPDATE: Morning, night, we nap and work constantly. We lose track.
That said, here’s what you’ve got to know about this Pennsylvania-based food distributor…
The noodles were aight — they were oily and vinegary but did lack nuance.
The egg roll, however, killed it. Not only was the cabbage peppery and fluffy, but the shell felt moist and soft despite being from a cold case.
Day 242: Beef Stew On Rice Noodles from Happy Star (160 East Broadway)
This costs $2.50! OMG!
And this is AMAZING: here, tender and savory chunks of beef — as well as a fair amount of tendon — top freshly made rice noodles.
And because the pasta pieces get served sticky, their glutinous vibe makes even a small amount feel quite filling.
Pair with sriracha.
Also, don’t be afraid to use soy sauce if you didn’t properly mix in the broth.
Day 241: New Chinatown Restaurant (11 Avenue D, 212-420-8799)
We wish we weren’t perpetually forgetful, always neglecting to pack this and that — namely, we lament neglecting our nice, new, digital camera that snaps REALLY snazzy pics of snacks.
That said, what isn’t pictured — New Chinatown’s hot and sour soup — is what we want to talk about.
It’s spicy and briny and brimming with egg, bamboo shoot, and bean curd.
It’s probably the most impractical thing to order on a hot day — especially when you’re working up a sweat as a house painter in an un-air conditioned tenement — but the thick, vinegary vibe and chili flakes are just more reasons to drink down bowl after piping bowl.
