Hua Ji Pork Chop is indeed fast... but is it good?

Friday night, I open my minifridge to prepare dinner, and what do I find? Nothing. That's the problem... I had no more ingredients (for someone who likes to find cheap eats, I do a lot of cooking), but I digress, no cabbage, no bean sprouts, hell, I was down to 3 bags of ground tenderloin... am I supposed to just eat pork and rice?!? No, desperate times call for desperate measures... I was going to make a special trip to Chinatown. Okay, so maybe I just wanted to go to Chinatown, can you really blame me? The food is ridiculously good there, and oh so cheap, plus I could get my more 'exotic' grocery shopping done as well.

I had originally planned on going with some friends to Hua Ji (華記), since I knew their pork chop over rice combo was of ridiculous proportions, and splitting the rice while getting extra chops, but alas... everyone bailed on me, either citing the fact that they had to study, or that they didn't want to wake up early... weak. Anyway, first thing in the morning, I get up, go to the gym, forgetting that I had planned on running there, and doing a good half hour of stairs and lifting before I remembered, so I quickly stopped and got ready to leave. The run downtown was gorgeous on Saturday, high 60's weather (after about a week of midteens), virtually no wind, no overcast, basically perfect running conditions. I travelled light, with just my camera bag holding my camera, my id, a metrocard, and $30 bound together with a rubberband (ha, in retrospect I probably should've brought more money), but yeah... 10 am leave, 10:45 arrival on Canal Street... pretty good time for me on a 10k (or is it 11k?).

First thing I had to take care of was the groceries, which looking back, I should've handled after lunch. I'll explain why later. Onto the corner of Elizabeth and Hester I went looking... for Hong Kong Supermarket (there are a few in Chinatown, and I've been to the one on East Broadway, so I figured I'd go to a different one). Go inside, and handle the grocery business... 8 pound head of napa, check... some greens (油菜, literally 'oil vegetable') for stir frying, check... add to that list beef tendon, cured tofu, pork chops, eggplant, and panko bread crumbs and I was done. Paid the $14 dollars (wicked cheap right?) and I was on my way to lunch. Now, why I should've reversed the order of events should be obvious. Listen, I don't care how jacked you think you are, 8 pounds of cabbage is heavy when you're walking in Chinatown, with another solid 5 pounds of assorted other groceries, your hands will get tired. I learned my lesson and will plan accordingly in the future, I hope haha.



After walking a solid half mile across Chinatown to Allen Street, I finally get to my 'Mecca,' a hole in the wall place that is no larger than my dorm room that serves Taiwanese style pork chops. As I walked into the shop, again... my authenticity meter peaked. Sitting to the right, along a thin strip of counter with only 5 stools were two old Chinese men speaking in Taiwanese, gawking at a small TV overhead while enjoying their lunches (I think they both got the pasta dishes which are inappropriately named 意粉). What were they watching? Hakka news of course! Haha, it was like I died and ended up back in Taipei, this shop was legit for sure. Looking at the menu, even though I knew exactly what I was there for, I found it short and simple... pretty much chicken/pork over rice or noodles (yeah they have beef noodles and dumplings, but come on... it's called pork chop king in Chinese). I ask for the regular pork chop over rice (豬排飯) and within 30 seconds, the woman in the back produced a takeout container with my order, steaming hot.



I'd like to point out that I did tag this post with 'friend.' Why? Because the first thing she said was, "The box is too full, I can't close it... can you eat some here before leaving?" When I responded that, that was my intention, a huge smile beamed on her face, as she told me "Oh, why didn't you say so? I would've given you more!" Chinatown hospitality is pretty amazing sometimes. So back to the food, the standard order for $4.50 will net you the giant box of rice and pickled vegetables (酸菜) with a crispy fresh pork chop, as well as a cup of soup (I think it was pork broth, since I found bits of meat and gelatinized marrow, containing some red dates and other things I'm clueless about). This was a meal to be reckoned with, I was planning on splitting it originally and felt slightly intimidated, but hey, I just did 300 flights of stairs, lifted, ran 6+ miles, and carried groceries all around Chinatown... I was hungry damnit!

How was the food? Let's just say it was as good as any pork chop I've had in Taipei. The meat was piping hot, juicy, and had a nice crispy skin (check the cross section, you can see the oil glistening in the artificial lighting, and the thin layer of breadcrumb fat). The meat to bone ratio was terrific, and best of all it didn't really cling, so there was little wasted. The soy sauce blend that they pour on top was just as I remembered... sweet and tangy, just a complement to the pork's natural fats, and the saturated transfats that it was fried in. Oh, and maybe the best part... the pickled vegetables... I really could've just eaten the rice with the veggies alone haha. To sum up in one word... amazing. To top it off, I finally can end my search for that take out container for repeated use since this one is both massive and sturdy (har har, yeah... I'm sure that's what she said). The soup was a nice complement, nothing special, but it didn't have to be. It was meant to be subtle, and was good to have as a means to cleanse the oil from your lips (except not really, since it was pretty heavy as well). In any case, I finished my pork chop, but only maybe 1/4 of the rice... so I asked the woman if I could have some more preserved vegetables, which, of course, she obliged to... proclaiming that, "The 酸菜 is free! Have as much as you want!" After downing some more rice, I decided to just pack it in and bring the rest home for cooking dinner (I was defeated by the massive platter).



Before I left, I remembered that Wayne mentioned he wanted fried chicken... completely unrelated, but whatever. In any case, there's a dish in Taiwan that is traditionally street food called 'salt crispy chicken' (鹽酥雞) that I saw on the menu. Figured since their pork chops were delicious, that anything from that that's fried in the same oil must be delicious as well. Got an order for $2.50 (not nearly as much a steal) and headed back with bags a plenty in tow. I didn't have any, but Wayne said that they were pretty good. I'll take his word for it. Final verdict? I'd go again... and again... and again, and then maybe in between I'll try 'Excellent Pork Chop House' and compare the two, but this is definitely a place I would revisit whenever I'm in the area (and that's knowing that Super Taste and Sheng Wang are right around the corner).
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Lan Zhou Noodles + North Dumplings (Chinatown megapost)

Second Friday in a row I had to go to Brooklyn, not by choice of course, but because the first time I went, the FDNY refused to give me my certification of fitness (something about being an undergraduate student... pssh). So I went back, passed the certification exam, and got my card, which lets me stay in the lab by myself... unsupervised haha, worried yet? Of course it would be a complete waste of a trip if that was all I did...

Prior to going, I had planned out a meetup in Chinatown with Chris, Wayne, and Han... (some guy named Rich was noticably absent, claiming he needed to be in lab). So after my exam, I started my run from downtown Brooklyn to Chinatown. I don't want to dwell on the this topic, since it has nothing to do with food, but it was mid 50's weather, and the run across the Manhattan Bridge was actually ridiculously pleasant. Anyway, got to Chinatown way early, since the others couldn't leave until around noon, and just wandered around in circles, exploring the random streets for shops. I stopped by one of the many "Hong Kong Supermarkets" and picked up napa cabbage (7 pounds of it lol) and some tea leaves. To my surprise, upon checkout, I found a bottle of premium dark soy sauce and a small bag of cured tofu (豆腐趕) that I hadn't been charged for... another day, another 'friend.'

Come 12:30, I finally meet up with the guys and we head over to Lan Zhou Noodles, which has been receiving raves from pretty much every food blogger in NYC for the past month. Entering the restaurant, it has the same homely feel as Super Taste did, a couple benches on either side, and 3 or so tables... the bare minimum, check on the authenticity so far. In the far back, you could see the head chef going nuts on a piece of dough... twisting and beating it down on the metal counter top repeatedly (it's ridiculous that this was soon to become our noodles), and a couple women furiously filling dumplings with their pork and chive mix (they gotta work fast since as you can see from the menu... 50/$8... what a freakin' steal!). Being able to see the people who make your food... another plus one on the legitness scale. If you haven't noticed yet, I give big points not only on the quality of the food, but also how well it stacks up with true the true Asian way of serving said food, maybe this isn't fair, but hey... I want the real experience!



Han, being an idiot, wants something that they're not even famous for... soup noodle with duck (鴨肉墨魚麵)



I never actually go traditional beef noodle soup unless the price for beef tendon is unreasonable (牛筋拉麵).



Traditional beef noodle soup (牛肉麵)! The standby dish if you have no clue what to get in a noodle shop.



And of course, the obligatory order of pot stickers (鍋貼) to share. Anyhow, the food was delicious (as expected) and I have to say, those other food bloggers aren't lying when they say it's a really good bowl of hand pulled noodles. Wayne and Chris had no qualms with the traditional bowl of beef soup noodles, in fact, Wayne went 100% authentic and added the pickled mustard greens (酸菜) in the spirit of things... what a trooper. I have no clue how Han's duck was, but since it's not even what they're known for, I won't let that weigh on the review. As for my bowl, even though I had to change my order (grrr... they said they didn't have enough tendon for an entire bowl) to the brisket, a pleasant surprise came to the table when my order was half brisket half tendon (半筋半肉) like they serve it in Taiwan! Yes... another 'friend' on the same day, what are the chances. In any case, the broth was nice and beefy, spicy enough after addition of Sriracha, and good enough for me to drain my entire bowl. The greens were the standard Shanghai greens, enough said there, and the brisket/tendon mixture offered a nice balance of chewy softness to crunchy that was a standout point for me at Super Taste... dare I say, an even more subtle balance? The noodles were indeed the star of the show, al dente in texture, but still soft and chewy enough to play around with in your mouth, which is more or less the qualifications of good hand pulled noodles. Indeed, this was an excellent bowl of noodles, which was on par with those at Super Taste (though Lan Zhou does get bonus points for using real bowls). In any case, this joint is something any noodle lover should check out, with my belief that their bowl is Super Taste's equal... in both value and flavor. Oh, and one last thing, while the noodles are the focal point of Lan Zhou, their fried dumplings are ridiculous... seriously, think juicy like soup dumplings (小龍包), but at the same time crispy... not to be skipped if you go!



After we had paid our bill at Lan Zhou, $21 dollars which left us all stuffed btw, I asked if the rest of the group wanted to get authentic scallion pancakes from a spot I spied during my hour wait (also a promise of minced pork noodles (炸醬麵) to Han). They, of course, said yes and we headed up Essex to North Dumpling, another one of those 5/$1 dumpling places. We weren't there for the dumplings though (not after the ecstasy that we experienced with Lan Zhou's... that would be like cheating), no, we were there for their scallion pancakes, priced at 2/$1, and their beef filled sesame pancake, which was fairly massive in size for $1.75. The rest of their menu is actually more of the same really, you could get any of a variety of dumplings either boiled or fried (with the option of cabbage instead of chives being pretty nice), as well as other noodle dishes priced reasonably similarly (nothing went above $5 here... winner). Did I mention they have hot soy milk (豆漿), another traditional Beijing delicacy? In fact, this is something they did really well, as they offered both the salty and sweet varieties.



We order up Han's noodles, another genuine steal at $2.50 for the massive plate you see in the picture.



... and our order of assorted pancakes. To be honest, the pancakes weren't very authentic, at least not to what I know them as. In Asia, when I hear scallion pancakes, I think of something thin like a normal pancake, but deep fried to a golden brown, speckled throughout with diced scallions. Their version was a pillowy bun, more akin to a pork bun known as xian bing (餡餅) that was filled with scallions, vermicelli, and egg. It was good... but different. Their beef sesame pancake was more of the same, the pillowy bread, which I guess can be compared to an oily paratha(?), which was filled with thin slices of slow roasted beef (醬肉)... at least the meat was pretty legit I guess. The winner here was the noodles, which was both ridiculously cheap, and also reminiscent of the ones you get a streetside carts in Taipei. I actually think we made a mistake here... going into a place called Northern Dumpling and not getting dumplings, but still, it was cheap and good all the same. I'll recommend it on that basis alone, a Lincoln'll get you mighty far in this hole in the wall joint, but uh... if you go? get the noodles or the dumplings haha.
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Super Taste... is super tasty!

Another Friday, another day of glorious non-self cooked lunching! Today was different though, because instead of heading to midtown, I had to go to Brooklyn. Why? Because apparently I need to get a certificate of fitness from the FDNY, saying that I'm safe to be alone in a lab. What a joke, I'm not even safe to be alone in my dorm by myself (I injure myself in a surprisingly diverse set of ways). Anyway, first thing in the morning I head over to 9 Metrotech Center, figuring that I'd be out of there by 11:00 at the latest with my card of certification. Yes, I did end up leaving by 11:00, but without my certificate of fitness because I needed a note saying I'd taken a lab safety course before... what a crock (In other news, I'll be headed back to Brooklyn next week!). Did I mention that I also lost my mailbox key AND got lost on the way there? Not really important, just thought I'd throw that out there.



Back on point, by this time, I'm pretty annoyed that I had to come back a week later, and that I'd lost my mail key, but I didn't want to make this a wasted trip. So what does a good luncher do? Go to Chinatown. I love Chinatown... but it's far... and would normally cost me $4 ontop of the cost of food, so really it's not cheap for me. Today was different though, I was so close already! I made up my mind and hopped on the F train, and got off on East Broadway, rather than going straight to work. Having my heart set on a bowl of hot beef noodle soup, I marched towards Eldridge street, home of both Lan Zhou Noodles and also Super Taste Noodles. Ultimately, I chose Super Taste because numerically it came first... but Lan Zhou is next on the chopping block (maybe as early as next week haha).



It is what it is, a super small shack of a store, not unlike those that you would actually find in Taipei. So on the basis of authenticity, it gets a nod of approval before even walking in. Inside you find just a few tables, with the kitchen nestled in the back, very homely I guess. The menu... all Chinese, legitimacy was now through the roof. I quickly ordered the classic, the spicy beef noodles (辣牛肉拉麵), priced at $4.75... something that would easily cost $7 in midtown. Yes, there are more adventerous things on the menu, but hey, you always start with a standard right? Within a couple of minutes, a bowl of piping hot red brothed noodles sat in front of me, generous portions of thinly cut beef, a layer of bok choy, and a nice serving of handmade pulled noodles in a white plastic tub (lol at that). On another tangent, I tried to buy a plastic bowl from the woman behind the counter, but she kept insisting that since the manager wasn't there, she wasn't allowed to sell anything aside from noodles... which is a pity, those plastic bowls were pretty versatile (what with all the microwaving and crap that I do in my dorm).



Was it good? I'd have to say that it could match the average noodle shop in Taiwan, which is to say it was excellent by US standards, and on cold day like today... I was in heaven. The texture of the noodles was soft, yet resilient, which is a defining characteristic of hand pulled noodles (they also serve the knife cut variety), the broth was rich and clearly stewed for a long time, and the beef... just look at the mix of tendons with lean and fatty meat (what's known as 半徑半肉 in Chinese).



This is definitely a bowl that could stand up to any I've had in NYC. So in the end, I do recommend this as a great place for cheap eats ($5 will fill you up). If you want a traditional bowl of noodles that is high on authenticity, then you shouldn't have to look further than Super Taste. It really is good... or should I say... Super Tasty! Haha, I'm sorry for that last bit, it's getting late and I just wanted to get a little bit of humor in this post.
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Lazzara's Pizza review done proper

It's Saturday afternoon and I'm actually just posting this now because I don't want to start a problem set, so here goes. A few weeks back, I made a post that referenced Lazzara's, a fairly well known and beloved midtown joint. Known for their thin, not quite Sicilian, square slices, Lazzara's has become one of my favorite midtown slices ever since my first encounter about a month ago. At $1.85 a slice, it's certainly not an expensive or overly fancy place, but for the size of the slice it's definitely not what I'd consider a true cheap eat. I felt like I owed it myself to make the trip to the actual pizza place and grab a slice as it should be... fresh from the oven.

So after someone had graciously left a few boxes of cold cheese pies in the American Express kitchen a few weeks ago, I've pretty much been craving a few of these little slices, and I knew I wouldn't be satisfied until I got to enjoy them hot once again. Wayne and I made our early lunch trek over to the 43rd and 9th location of Lazzara's (there is also one on 38th), since I have a retarded schedule that includes a 1:10 class. First off, we went by midtownlunch's directions, which said it was between 44th and 45th... not really... it's on the corner of 43rd... semi fail number one, but no big deal. We arrived at 11:22, not realizing that they don't even open for lunch until 11:30... semi fail number two. Is this the making of another day where everything would go wrong?!



Anyway, we order up a full cheese pie for $8.99 and one chicken parm for $9 (with free drink!), a bit expensive, but it's midtown... what do you expect? Both of these are part of their 'recession special' menu, along with an option to buy a coke and get a $.99 slice + $1.50 for every additional. We decide to split the chicken parm and the pizza... I ended up bringing home a couple slices for my mom, since she always says I never bring her food.



The chicken parmigiana arrived first, and it was absolutely terrific. I had read about Lazzara's chicken parm on midtownlunch as part of their search for the best in midtown. It wasn't the crowd favorite, so I had my doubts, but it's definitely a good sandwich. At $9 I was primed for disappointment, but what arrived was beyond my heightened expectations. First thing to note, the size... it's a big sandwich. From the picture it's pretty easy to see that each half is almost the length of an average paper plate, easily besting most normal sandwiches from a generic deli (Wayne and I both agreed it would make an adequate meal on its own). So far so good in terms of value. Next came the quality of the bread. What's to say, it comes on an hoagie roll, studded with sesame seeds, that's been lightly toasted. It definitely wasn't too crunchy or soggy under the weight of the marinara sauce. Now... the ultimate test... the one thing that can ruin a chicken parm... the innards. The chicken was pounded nice and thin, adequate in quantity and piping hot, the sauce was plentiful, but not overpowering, and the cheese was evenly melted and not terribly stringy. Overall it was a glorious mess of flavor that really did ooze when bitten into. Parmigiana success. How were the slices? No comment. Seriously, I don't feel like I have to justify how good they are (see here). Actually, I'll append to that post with a single thought... I thought I had enjoyed one of the best slices in midtown back then, but that was before it was served up hot. As I bit into the slice... there was an unadulterated symphony of cheese and tomato flavor in my mouth (okay, so I went heavy on the garlic and chili peppers too). In conclusion, it is without reservation that I recommend this hole in the wall pizza place by saying... Lazzara's is probably my favorite slice in midtown... so far.
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