A couple of days ago I wrote about the mediocre Xiao Long Bao (XLB) at Shanghai Family Garden, a stall at the underwhelming Fei Long Supermarket food court in Brooklyn’s Sunset Park (technically probably Dyker Heights). Not only were the wrappers on the thick side, but the dough wasn’t properly cooked, so there were hard, dry parts, with the flour showing in some spots. The filling was ok, but overall I much prefer the XLB I enjoyed a month or so ago at a new stall called Diverse Dim Sum in the old Flushing Mall Food Court. These I thought were some of the best I’ve had in New York City, possibly even better than the vaunted Nan Xiang Xialongbao.

A couple of days ago I wrote about the mediocre Xiao Long Bao (XLB) at Shanghai Family Garden, a stall at the underwhelming Fei Long Supermarket food court in Brooklyn’s Sunset Park (technically probably Dyker Heights). Not only were the wrappers on the thick side, but the dough wasn’t properly cooked, so there were hard, dry parts, with the flour showing in some spots.

The filling was ok, but overall I much prefer the XLB I enjoyed a month or so ago at a new stall called Diverse Dim Sum in the old Flushing Mall Food Court. These I thought were some of the best I’ve had in New York City, possibly even better than the vaunted Nan Xiang Xialongbao.

Diverse Dim Sum XLB

Dubbed the Magic Cupcake, that is the correct name for this moist, fluffy chocolate cake covered with chocolate ganache icing and filled with cream frosting, sort of like the best Ring Ding you ever had. $4 and well worth it. Skip the coffee. Duane Park Patisserie, 179 Duane St, Tribeca, New York 10013

Dubbed the Magic Cupcake, that is the correct name for this moist, fluffy chocolate cake covered with chocolate ganache icing and filled with cream frosting, sort of like the best Ring Ding you ever had. $4 and well worth it. Skip the coffee.

Duane Park Patisserie, 179 Duane St, Tribeca, New York 10013

I’ve been real busy with Project Latte, which should be launching in a few weeks, but even so, I was embarrassed to see how long it’s been since I updated this blog. Yesterday, after some real disappointing xiaolongbao at the Shanghai Family Dumpling stall in Brooklyn Chinatown’s Fei Long Supermarket Food Court, I headed across 8th Avenue to family-run Number One Ice Cream. They didn’t have any durian this time - the owner tells me there’s a durian shortage in New York City. I made do with a ridiculous number of other flavors: black sesame, taro, milk tea and green tea (hiding underneath) - luckily I had my friend June along to help me out. All flavors were spot on and distinctly un-sweet, with the green tea in particular having a deep green tea flavor with hardly any sugar. Great place - I wish I lived a little closer, but it’s probably good that I don’t. Four dollars will get you three scoops! Number One Ice Cream, 6410 8th Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11220

I’ve been real busy with Project Latte, which should be launching in a few weeks, but even so, I was embarrassed to see how long it’s been since I updated this blog.

Yesterday, after some real disappointing xiaolongbao at the Shanghai Family Dumpling stall in Brooklyn Chinatown’s Fei Long Supermarket Food Court, I headed across 8th Avenue to family-run Number One Ice Cream. They didn’t have any durian this time - the owner tells me there’s a durian shortage in New York City.

I made do with a ridiculous number of other flavors: black sesame, taro, milk tea and green tea (hiding underneath) - luckily I had my friend June along to help me out. All flavors were spot on and distinctly un-sweet, with the green tea in particular having a deep green tea flavor with hardly any sugar. Great place - I wish I lived a little closer, but it’s probably good that I don’t. Four dollars will get you three scoops!

Number One Ice Cream, 6410 8th Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11220

Decor-wise a retro version of Ben & Jerry’s, Vanderbilt Avenue’s Ample Hills Creamery serves ice cream that seems good in small spoonfuls but is too one-note to maintain one’s interest. The Mexican Hot Chocolate had great mouth feel but was much too sweet and I ended up throwing the whole shebang away after a few bites.

Decor-wise a retro version of Ben & Jerry’s, Vanderbilt Avenue’s Ample Hills Creamery serves ice cream that seems good in small spoonfuls but is too one-note to maintain one’s interest. The Mexican Hot Chocolate had great mouth feel but was much too sweet and I ended up throwing the whole shebang away after a few bites.

La Luncheonette is a seriously old school French bistro on a formerly sleepy corner of western Chelsea, a neighborhood that’s been awakened by the advent of the Highline. It’s one of those places I’ve drifted by countless times during the day, but the relatively high lunch prices always kept me away.  Luckily, my coffee compadre Jason and I were in the neighborhood last month for Coffee Common, so we headed here for a late lunch afterward, and I scored this Half Roast Chicken w/ Meaux Mustard Sauce. Meaux Mustard is that grainy dijon mustard that comes in a crock, and as you might imagine, it makes a fine sauce when it’s mixed with butter, port, cream, shallots & veal stock. 

La Luncheonette is a seriously old school French bistro on a formerly sleepy corner of western Chelsea, a neighborhood that’s been awakened by the advent of the Highline. It’s one of those places I’ve drifted by countless times during the day, but the relatively high lunch prices always kept me away. 

Luckily, my coffee compadre Jason and I were in the neighborhood last month for Coffee Common, so we headed here for a late lunch afterward, and I scored this Half Roast Chicken w/ Meaux Mustard Sauce. Meaux Mustard is that grainy dijon mustard that comes in a crock, and as you might imagine, it makes a fine sauce when it’s mixed with butter, port, cream, shallots & veal stock. 

I decided to finally make my way Cafe Sabarsky (in the Neue Gallery on 86th St, across from Central Park) after reading Adam Platt’s Where to Eat 2012 in New York Magazine. It fell off his best 101 places this year - he said that the hipster coffee joints in New York are making coffee “that is almost as good” and “a little cheaper.” Cafe Sabarsky has buckets of old-world European charm, dark wood, cozy booths lining the windows, and lots of marble-topped metal tables. There’s an old-fashioned wooden rack in the corner laden with the day’s papers. It’s a great place to read, or to meet a friend, and the breakfast food isn’t bad either. But I recommend going early. When my friend and I left around lunchtime, there was a line of around 100 people waiting to get in! I can’t imagine why. Yes, it’s a charming, old-world spot. But the coffee is $6 and it’s terrible, darkly roasted god-knows-when, dry, no body, with a scum of milk on top. I’d go back if I was in the area and arrived early. But I’d never wait in line to get in there. Adam Platt needs to drink some better coffee.

I decided to finally make my way Cafe Sabarsky (in the Neue Gallery on 86th St, across from Central Park) after reading Adam Platt’s Where to Eat 2012 in New York Magazine. It fell off his best 101 places this year - he said that the hipster coffee joints in New York are making coffee “that is almost as good” and “a little cheaper.”

Cafe Sabarsky has buckets of old-world European charm, dark wood, cozy booths lining the windows, and lots of marble-topped metal tables. There’s an old-fashioned wooden rack in the corner laden with the day’s papers.

It’s a great place to read, or to meet a friend, and the breakfast food isn’t bad either. But I recommend going early. When my friend and I left around lunchtime, there was a line of around 100 people waiting to get in!

I can’t imagine why. Yes, it’s a charming, old-world spot. But the coffee is $6 and it’s terrible, darkly roasted god-knows-when, dry, no body, with a scum of milk on top. I’d go back if I was in the area and arrived early. But I’d never wait in line to get in there. Adam Platt needs to drink some better coffee.

General Greene has repurposed their former back dining room (and later general store) as an ice cream parlor. They still serve their house-made ice cream, along with interesting-looking baked goods, although I feel as if the ice creams I tried were a bit sweeter than what I’ve had there before. The people behind the counter are passionate about their offerings and explained that the Earl Grey Quince flavor is actually Earl Grey ice cream folded into a Quince sorbet. The tea flavor was prominent and benefited from its fruity partner. Pain D’epices has crumbs of French gingerbread incorporated into the ice cream base and includes fennel, orange and other spices.

General Greene has repurposed their former back dining room (and later general store) as an ice cream parlor. They still serve their house-made ice cream, along with interesting-looking baked goods, although I feel as if the ice creams I tried were a bit sweeter than what I’ve had there before. The people behind the counter are passionate about their offerings and explained that the Earl Grey Quince flavor is actually Earl Grey ice cream folded into a Quince sorbet. The tea flavor was prominent and benefited from its fruity partner.

Pain D’epices has crumbs of French gingerbread incorporated into the ice cream base and includes fennel, orange and other spices.

Not a great photo, but it’s all I have to commemorate one of the best lobster rolls I’ve had, from Ed’s Lobster Bar Annex on Clinton St. My companion concurred, and she has serious lobster roll street cred, being from Rhode Island and all. This was a mini-lobster roll, only five bucks, not too mayonnaise-y, but with enough dressing to bring out the lobster flavor, served on a little disc of bread, and loaded with perfect, fresh, chewy lobster. They have a nice selection of raw oysters, wines by the glass, friendly, helpful servers and a full seafood menu. If you can’t get into the over-heated Frankie’s 17, this is just down the street. Good for post-Culture Fix and pre-Dessert Works.

Not a great photo, but it’s all I have to commemorate one of the best lobster rolls I’ve had, from Ed’s Lobster Bar Annex on Clinton St. My companion concurred, and she has serious lobster roll street cred, being from Rhode Island and all. This was a mini-lobster roll, only five bucks, not too mayonnaise-y, but with enough dressing to bring out the lobster flavor, served on a little disc of bread, and loaded with perfect, fresh, chewy lobster.

They have a nice selection of raw oysters, wines by the glass, friendly, helpful servers and a full seafood menu. If you can’t get into the over-heated Frankie’s 17, this is just down the street. Good for post-Culture Fix and pre-Dessert Works.

Scoutmob was offering a free scoop at the Chinatown Ice Cream Factory, so even though I was full from a homey lunch at the Excellent Pork Chop House around the corner on Doyers St, I ordered a cup of Pandan ice cream, which turned out to be disappointing. It looks very artificially green, something I’d be willing to overlook if it was delicious, but it didn’t even rate as acceptable: too sweet, very creamy, presented taste-wise as artificial almond, no pandan to be found. I bet they have standard bases of various colors and just add flavors to those. 

Scoutmob was offering a free scoop at the Chinatown Ice Cream Factory, so even though I was full from a homey lunch at the Excellent Pork Chop House around the corner on Doyers St, I ordered a cup of Pandan ice cream, which turned out to be disappointing.

It looks very artificially green, something I’d be willing to overlook if it was delicious, but it didn’t even rate as acceptable: too sweet, very creamy, presented taste-wise as artificial almond, no pandan to be found. I bet they have standard bases of various colors and just add flavors to those. 

All other Flushing food courts are on notice now that Maple Snacks (Savor Fusion) has opened on the corner of Main and Maple. Approximately eight stalls run the length of one wall, while in the back left corner sits a friendly concierge waiting to answer questions, and there are clean bathrooms to boot. The large menus fronting each booth proclaim “English Menu Available,” but in fact, none will be available for another month. If you have an idea of some regional specialties, you can ask for them at the various stalls. Over the next few posts, I will recommend some things I’ve eaten in the past couple of days, even though none of the iPhone photos I took are particularly appealing. These Three Treasure Dumplings (三鮮), from the first stall, all the way in the back, were recommended by the proprietor as his favorites, and I have to say, I think they’re the best dumplings I’ve ever eaten, including any I’ve had in China itself. Homemade translucent wrappers contain the juiciest, tastiest pork, chives & shrimp mixture and are served with the standard vinegar soy sauce mixture.

All other Flushing food courts are on notice now that Maple Snacks (Savor Fusion) has opened on the corner of Main and Maple. Approximately eight stalls run the length of one wall, while in the back left corner sits a friendly concierge waiting to answer questions, and there are clean bathrooms to boot. The large menus fronting each booth proclaim “English Menu Available,” but in fact, none will be available for another month. If you have an idea of some regional specialties, you can ask for them at the various stalls. Over the next few posts, I will recommend some things I’ve eaten in the past couple of days, even though none of the iPhone photos I took are particularly appealing.

These Three Treasure Dumplings (三鮮), from the first stall, all the way in the back, were recommended by the proprietor as his favorites, and I have to say, I think they’re the best dumplings I’ve ever eaten, including any I’ve had in China itself. Homemade translucent wrappers contain the juiciest, tastiest pork, chives & shrimp mixture and are served with the standard vinegar soy sauce mixture.