vip in the city

Nice is the new New

How to keep track of these ever-morphing Chinatown restaurant names? New York Noodletown on Bowery begat Great N.Y. Noodletown, Big Wong on Mott begat New Big Wong which begat Big Wong King… all while management and menus seemed to remain staunchly constant. And now…

On Bayard Street, I noticed a new sign being tacked up over this restaurant, which for years has been dishing up delicious dumplings (both soup and fried varieties) under the name “New Green Bo“:

Curious indeed.

Tags: Chinatown, dumplings, Nice Green Bo

A very good place to start

After that first visit to Amazing 66 on Mott, I could hardly wait a week before coming back to sample more of their $4.95 lunch menu.

But where to begin? With item #1: Pork Chop with Chili & Spiced Salt.

The dish was expertly prepared: half a dozen lightly battered pieces of pork on the bone, topped with crunchy fried bits of minced garlic, and slices of scallions and jalapeños. I ended up finishing only about half of this platter. As I was pondering whether to have the leftovers wrapped, the harried waiter swiftly spirited our plates away, rendering my decision moot. No matter, these fried dishes tend not to hold up so well over time anyway.

And, because my friend had a craving: a plate of fried dumplings. I didn’t even see these on the menu, but ask, and ye shall receive.

Tags: Amazing 66, Chinatown, dumplings, pork