Back in Town for a Flushing Adventure: Friendship Plaza and Minzhongle

Hey you fressing faces, time flies when you are locked in the library! Besides full time studenthood, Philly has really been keeping me busy with all the lunch reports and other adventures I require to keep sane.

But every now and then I have to return to my hood for a food adventure with my family. A recent trip to Flushing was so particularly noteworthy, that it was... worth... noting.

So, I chose a new route to get back home- the Chinatownbus from Chinatown Philly to Chinatown Manhattan. Then, a few blocks from that bus station, I hopped on a smaller bus that brought me directly to Flushing! Brilliant. Only $12.75 and 3 hours to get from Philly to Flushing... why aren't more Philadelphians (and Manhattanites) making the trip??






While on my last leg of the trip driving on Main St, I noticed a "plaza" that I had never seen before. The sign let me know that Best Northern Dumpling had moved there, so I wondered what else could be inside. Was this another food court?

In the middle of the plaza (a long hall really) was good Ol' Best Northern, it was comforting to see the same menu, like seeing an old friend. We enjoyed some fluffly veggie buns here, as they were out of most other things.

At the end of the hall was a stall with zero English posted anywhere and zero English spoken. I didn't want to give up, because the little pork wontons being made looked so good, so after several minutes, I got them to serve me something. I just wasn't sure what.... For $3 I got a boiling hot (no, really, I burnt my mouth badly) cup of pork wonton soup. The wontons with their silken wrappers and slightly sweet pork contents were the star, though the delicate broth was impressive too. And they don't cheap out on the wontons, the soup was full of them. There is a bit of a timing issue here though, you want to let the soup cool, but as you wait the wonton skins slowly disintegrate. The proper gobble method must be a skill learned with practice.




This was just a side trip for the main event, so we took our burnt mouths down Main Street to Minzhongle, a relatively new restaurant recommended by the only guy who I trust for Flushing tips, Joe DiStefano.



We were almost foiled by the entrance, a bustling tea counter is on your left as you walk in and a clothing boutique almost disguises the entrance at the very back of the building.



According to Joe, the food is a crazy Korean-Chinese combo because some of the chefs come from a Korean province located in China. Who knew?

Blood vessel in cumin sauce? Extreme spicy beef veins? Ummm, not this time.

But a spicy squid salad appetizer sounded perfect. While this was probably the least unique of the dishes, this was an amazing version of a squid salad. The tender squid was spicy and appropriately balanced with cooling cucumber and cilantro. I would have to order this again.



On Joe's recommendation we had the popcorn in egg sauce. We almost didn't get it at first, but the fried corn kernels and pignolis grew on us- a lot!


The other recommendation we used from Joe was the crispy duck leg. This was a triumph of cooking technique. We all agreed we had never had duck that was this crispy with the usual grease. Equally impressive was how perfectly the meat was cooked under that glorious skin. A dish of salty something is on the side to add more flavor, but use sparingly.


Lastly, we had a sizzling platter of saucy ribs. The traditional Korean influence was most prominent in this dish. The little nibs of ribs were cooked until soft and served in a mildly sweet sauce.


This was one of the best meals I have had in a long time. I'll just have to jump on the series of Chinatown buses to make another pilgrimage soon.


Friendship Plaza:41-42 Main St
Minzhongle: 37-14 Main Street

Father's Day in Jackson Heights

This is how we do father's day in my family- full day eating fest. I convinced the fam to ditch Flushing for once in favor of Jackson Heights.

With so many amazing ethnic restaurants all within a few blocks, it is fressing paradise.

Himalayan Yak:

Our first stop was Himilayan Yak, you know, for breakfast. We started with an appetizer sampler, samayabajee, that came with shredded meat, pickle, beaten rice, and soy nuts. The beaten rice was very unfamiliar to us; it resembles uncooked oatmeal and had a pleasing chew and took on the sauce that it came with.

We could not turn down the wild boar sausage, which looks like a fatty piece of bacon.

It was loaded with smokey flavor but had a bit too much fat on it for me.

Momos were another must have, we ordered the pork version.
With the doughy bun and juicy filling, Sister compared the texture and flavor to a soup-less soup dumpling, and I agreed.

Street Festival:

We followed some music that led us to an Indian/Bangladeshi/Pakistani street festival. It was packed with people dressed in bright colors and stand after stand of spicy food.

We sampled a type of chaat (I have had better at the 6th ave news stand) from one of the friendly vendors. We made a stop for spicy but refreshing picked mango, which came in bright yellow and a darker curry color. Fried veggie patties were plentiful, we only tried a nibble to avoid too much grease, after all we had plenty of eating left to do

Hornado Ecuatoriano:

Next we stopped at Hornado Ecuatoriano, a favorite of mine for ceviche. I usually order the shrimp ceviche, but we opted for the mixto. The shocking dark color of this ceviche was due to the conch that floated around along with the shrimp. Despite its muddy appearance, we loved the limey liquid and every drop was consumed.

Tostones on the side helped soak up the last remnants from the bowl.

My parents pepped up with café con leche that they claimed to be exceptional. I opted instead for a glass of chicha, the taste of slight fermentation just does it for me.

Los Chuzos:

A sign advertising arepas and chorizo caught our eyes next,

and we went into the tiny eatery, Los Chuzos y algo mas. We shared one cheese arepa and a fresh fruit juice with strawberry, pear, and orange. Both cost $3 and were devoured in seconds. There is a window for ordering from the street.

Tacolandia:

Tacolandia has a window right on the street and you can guess what they sell. We had a taco al pastor and one of chorizo. The meats are all on a steam table and finished off on the griddle to order. The chorizo was the better taco. Neither were the best of my life.

Unidentified Flying Chicken:

We finished off with fried chicken for dessert. UFC has supposedly famous Korean fried chicken that we had to judge for ourselves. We sat downstairs in the dining area and got the $10 small order of wings and drumsticks in soy garlic and sweet and spicy.

The soy garlic, the traditional kfc, was the clear winner, with that perfect crisped skin and umami flavoring. We also agreed that we would order only wings next time, as they provide more crisp to meat ratio. I also ordered a cup of tea, which is not the perfect accompaniment to fried chicken but I required something soothing and caffeinated at the time. I have to point out the cuteness of the tiny little honey cup they brought out for me. That combined with the wee little chicken motto was borderline too much
cuteness to handle.

Guayaco's Truck:

More ceviche? Yes, because it came from a truck and we got our selections to go. Guayaco’s Ecuadorian truck had a horde of men watching the soccer game of the t.v. attached to the truck.

Our other order, cazuela, made me retch. I could probaby start dry heaving right now if I thought hard about the way it tasted. It was extremely fishy, but leave it to my dad to say he likes it. I was expecting cazuela de pollo, my mistake.

The shrimp ceviche on the other hand was very fresh tasting and would have fulfilled the ceviche craving had we not just had some 15 minutes before. They even threw in a bag of plantain chips.

Grocery Shopping:

Later at the Asian market I spotted something that made me cock my head to the side and go hmmm? Sliced deer horns. Apparently they can be used as a sexual tonic. Eeek. I’ll just purchase my powdered dashi and be on my way.

La Casa Del Pollo Peruano II:

My mother can never resist a Peruvian chicken, so I took her to La Casa Del Pollo for a bird to take home. A whole chicken can be ordered for take-out for under $8 with the elusive green sauce. Extra sauce is another quarter; sister insisted on extra. The Peruvians have it down, the next day my lunch of meat was moist and the skin was charred and spiced in that way that makes mouths water.

Happy Father’s Day Daddy! You are a champion eater.

Himalayan Yak: 72-20 Roosevelt Ave
(718) 779-1119

La Casa de Pollo Peruano 2: 8707 Roosevelt Ave

UFC: 71-22 Roosevelt Ave
(718) 205-6662

Weekend Cooking

There is nothing better than strolling through the Union Square market on a sunny day and impulsively buying fresh produce.

  

Some adorable fingerling potatoes.

These mushrooms are stunners: hen of the woods and yellow oysters. Lets not even get into how much they are a pound. 

Ramps, of course

(I liked this sign for obvious reasons)

And here is what we did with all of it:

Sauteed ramp shoots, fingerlings roasted with ramp bulbs, oyster and hen of the wood mushrooms sauteed in butter, and grilled skirt steak

The grill master

Our pre dinner spread was also delightful

And lunch the next morning: egg salad with sauteed ramp bulbs, carrots, celery, tarragon, and deep fried sage leaves.

La Nacional: yay paella

Table for 8 early on a Saturday night without a reservation? No problem.

La Nacional is a family favorite for solid Spanish food that won't break the bank. It is associated with La Sociedad Benefica Espanola de Socorros Mutuos, a Spanish Society founded in the 1860's, which occupies the building above. The basement dining area, complete with Christmas lights and paintings, and its obscure entrance have just the right amount of diviness to enhance the charm.



Head down the stairs and though the hall to get to the dining room.


Immediately order a pitcher of sangria. And enjoy the olives and breads brought to your table.

Appetizers are split into two sections, hot and cold. The chorizo appetizer($8) is an easy choice, cannot go wrong there. Look at that spicy oil deliciousness and do not be afraid to dip your bread in it.

Other hot appetizer options that also delivered the flavor along with being properly tender: pulpo (octopus,$9) and calamares a la plancha (grilled squid, $9). You will probably also want to dip your bread into the squid's sauce.

And for the main attraction- paella. The staff is good about calculating serving size based on the number of people in your party. Though we all agreed the quality was slightly better a few years ago, this is still a great dish. The seafood tasted fresh and the rice was full of real flavor that comes from being cooked with so many yummy things.

There are shrimp, mussels, cockles, chicken, and peas in the version we selected (paella de la casa).
Here are some close up shots if you are into seafood.
And a shot of that essential rice crusting.

Past visits while the owner was around resulted in free glasses in sherry and some great tips on traveling in Spain.
The food plus the relaxed,unexpected environment is the perfect place for a group to have great conversation over pitchers of sangria and sufficiently authentic Spanish dishes. And if you don't have great conversation, get new friends.

239 W 14th St