Five-for-a-dollar dumpling update 2007/2008

[Fat Guy]

Now that the five-for-a-dollar dumpling phenomenon has become firmly entrenched and widely imitated in Chinatown, I thought it might be useful to consolidate our knowledge and opinions in a single, current topic.

The first of these places that I ever found was Fried Dumpling on Allen Street (99 Allen Street just off Delancey Street, 212.941.9975 not that there's any point in calling). That was in 1999. We were wandering around Chinatown with a friend from out of town and Ellen spied the "Fried Dumpling" sign -- they had opened a few days beforehand. I was going to keep on walking but Ellen and our friend said we had to try it. The dumplings were terrific: hand-made on premises, rustic, sweet, meaty, fresh and laced with plenty of chives. I think, if I'm not mistaken, the dumplings were originally six for a dollar -- at least that's what Eric Asimov later reported in the Times.

A few years later, maybe in 2003, Eddie Schoenfeld introduced me to Dumpling House on Eldridge (118 Eldridge Street, Between Grand and Broome Streets, 212.625.8008 not that there's any point in calling). I wouldn't necessarily say the dumplings at Dumpling House are better than those at Fried Dumpling -- indeed I think the best five-for-a-dollar dumplings may be Fried Dumpling's dumplings, when you get them right out of the pan, on a good day. Dumpling House, however, has more consistently excellent dumplings, and has thus earned more of my business lately. Dumpling House also has a somewhat more extensive set of offerings, including a wonderful cold braised beef sandwich with pickled carrots and hot sauce on a sesame-scallion bread-like pancake, for $1.50. (Fried Dumpling also has these pancakes, and they are a bit better than at Dumpling House, but they only come plain not as a beef sandwich.)

There are quite a few other such places, and it would be great to get a list going, with comments.

Today I stumbled across a place I'd never seen or heard of. We were going to dinner at New Green Bo but all the parking in that part of Chinatown was screwed up for some reason -- there were inscrutable white paper signs up on every lamppost, indicating that we'd get towed if we parked there. Even though a million cars were parked there in defiance of the signs, we tend to be the one car that gets towed or ticketed in such scenarios, so we drove way the heck out by the bridge to park.

Anyway, on the hike back towards Bayard, we walked past Sweet Spring Restaurant at 25A Catherine Street (212.766.1777 not that there's . . .). It seemed to be a slightly more ambitious, spacious version of a five-for-a-dollar dumpling place. Actually, it seems the dumplings were $1.25 for five, but that they scaled back the price to a dollar in order to mark the trend -- you can see where it was crossed out. The menu has 47 items, and even discounting the items that are the same as the items before and after there are quite a few different things.

There are several varieties of dumplings, buns, soups, and a bunch of Fuzhou stuff like "Special Fujainese Ball & Rice Noodle Soup." Also "Salted Dough Soup," whatever that is. Most items run $1 to $2.50, though there are some 50-cent things and one $4.25 splurge (the aforementioned ball soup). I checked Sweet Spring Restaurant online and didn't find much of interest, though I'm sure the place has been there for a year or more (there was no way to get information out of them). I'll go for a full menu sampling at some point. Has anybody else been?

[Kobi]

Tasty Dumpling, on Mulberry Street near Bayard, is a popular stop amongst myself and my co-workers. Best to go at lunch when they are moving a lot of product and everything is fresh. I *think* they have steamed vegetable and both fried and steamed pork and chive but I'm not sure about that. They also have a decent "golden pancake" for 50 or 75 cents and a variety of soups and a bunch of varieties of frozen dumplings to go.

Has anyone been to Prosperity Dumpling on Bayard? I've heard good things.

- KOBI

[Sneakeater]

What're their phone numbers?

[Sneakeater]

I guess what I always think of as the original five-for-a-dollar dumpling place, on Mosco Street,* is generally considered to be beneath serious discussion?

_______________________________________________________

* I don't know their phone number.

Edited April 10, 2007 by Sneakeater (log)

[Fat Guy]

As far as I know, the Mosco Street place is the second branch of Fried Dumpling (the original branch of which is, I think, the one on Allen). I think it's good, but I've always preferred the one on Allen (see above for phone number). If you're at the courts, however, Mosco Street will do.

[Nathan]

interesting...I always thought the Mosco Street was the original one as well...it's great if you get them when they're fresh.

[Fat Guy]

When Fried Dumpling on Mosco opened, New York Magazine reported:

The best dumpling deal in town just got better: Now that  Fried Dumpling has opened a second branch in Chinatown on Mosco Street, there are two places -- not counting the inferior clones -- to buy five flavorful crescent-shaped minced-pork-and-leek dumplings for a dollar.

[Sneakeater]

Oooooooooooh. Thanks.

[chetlemon]

Prosperity Dumpling at 46 Eldridge, is a few blocks south of Dumpling House. It seems like it's roughly on par with Dumpling House, but less crowded ... which means that if you order fried dumplings, you're more likely to get stuck with something that's been sitting around for a while.

I've been to Tasty Dumpling on Mulberry as well and got stuck with fried dumplings that had been sitting around for too long (I was indeed there at dinner, sounds like that may have been a factor). But the vegetable dumplings, which they cooked on the spot, were also pretty flavorless, so I haven't bothered going back.

[Fat Guy]

I think the high turnover theory is valid at all these places, but there's one caveat: there's a certain point at which they start pushing too hard to cook as many dumplings as possible, so you get dumplings that are kind of limp and that don't fully develop their flavor. So it's more of a bell curve than a rising line of quality. There's some point of high, but not too high, turnover that's ideal for fried dumplings.

I don't think I was aware of Prosperity Dumpling. I'll have to check it out.

Tasty Dumpling was pretty tasty when I tried it early one evening while waiting around to meet some people, but that was my only sample.

[weinoo]

North Dumpling - 27A Essex between Hester and Grand...perhaps even better than Dumpling House when you hit it at the right time.

Phone number unknown, but I'll check it out next time I walk by!

edited to correct name, address and the fact that it might not be as good as Dumpling House - after the five I had this afternoon left me wanting.

Edited April 10, 2007 by weinoo (log)

[Fat Guy]

That's another one that had escaped my notice.

[Live It Up]

Great Northern Dumpling on Essex between Hester and Canal...perhaps even better than Dumpling House when you hit it at the right time.

Phone number unknown, but I'll check it out next time I walk by!

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I've actually never been a fan of fried dumpling on allen...I must have never gotten there at the right time because the dumplings I've had have always had tough, chewy skins. However, I recently discovered north* dumpling and I love it. They have these amazing pancakes that are a kind of flaky pastry filled with noodles, egg and chives. They're great. The only problem is that I walk past this place every time I'm coming home from the gym--it's one temptation I don't need.

*edited to correct name

Edited April 11, 2007 by Live It Up (log)

[weinoo]

Passed by one yesterday - looked like a clone of Fried Dumpling...simply called Dumplings at 25B Henry Street, just off Catherine.

And isn't there a family-linked Fried Dumpling on lower Mott or Mulberry St.?

[Fat Guy]

The only one I know of on Mulberry is the aforementioned Tasty Dumpling, but who knows? These places seem to open at the rate of real estate brokerage offices.

[weinoo]

That's it - yes, and sorry didn't reread the thread closely enough...

[tautog]

Fried Dumpling at Mosco still going strong. My cousin from Ireland was amazed at the price. He couldn't get 5 similiar dumplings for less than $5 in Dublin.

[mascarpone]

Tasty Dumpling on Mulberry is run by the sister of the woman at Dumpling House. I seem to recall that Dumpling house had the Pork/Chive dumplings while Tasty Dumpling had both Pork/Chive and also Pork/Cabbage. I wouldn't go so far as to say the Pork/Cabbage was without taste, but rather, it was more subtle (sweet) that the more dramatic pork and chive.

Edited July 16, 2007 by mascarpone (log)

[juuceman]

Tasty Dumpling is (was?) run by Vanessa. I believe Calvin Trillin wrote an article about her, I believe he also stops there on his eating tours.

Tasty is my favorite of the cheap dumpling spots, offering a number of different options, including very good boiled vegetable dumplings. A number of dumpling based soups are available, as is a decent chinese vegetable with noddle soup and decent cold noodles with sesame sauce. The pickled cabbage is great there, when they have it.

They've also opened a branch on 14th Street, just east of 3rd Avenue, that offers the full dumpling assortment plus some low end sushi and teriyaki. Dumplings here are $2, instead of $1, but they are more frequently freshly cooked.

Both locations sell bags of frozen dumplings that are great freezer standbys.

The best offering might just be the egg and scallion pancake (box) that they offer downtown. Freshly scrambled eggs with scallions and soy sauce inside a bread like shell. I think it was fried, it was a while ago. Delicious.

[tautog]

Went to Dumpling House and the pork and chive dumplings were not well browned as the place was slammed. Beef sandwich was decent but a bit cold.

[Fat Guy]

The big dumpling news for spring is that Dumpling House on Eldridge has just undergone a gut renovation and expansion to approximately double its old size. It's downright luxurious now. In exchange for a small price increase (dumplings are now 4 for $1 instead of 5 for $1; the beef sandwich is now $2 instead of $1.50), there are now tables, computer-printed order tickets with numbers that they call out, and a brand-spanking-new food-prep area behind a glass wall. Product is the same as before.

[Nathan]

The big dumpling news for spring is that Dumpling House on Eldridge has just undergone a gut renovation and expansion to approximately double its old size. It's downright luxurious now. In exchange for a small price increase (dumplings are now 4 for $1 instead of 5 for $1; the beef sandwich is now $2 instead of $1.50), there are now tables, computer-printed order tickets with numbers that they call out, and a brand-spanking-new food-prep area behind a glass wall. Product is the same as before.

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do you know when this happened?

several of us went a couple months ago and noticed the renovation then...we weren't sure when it had been done.

[Fat Guy]

I believe they started around February. Not sure when they finished.

(If you notice a renovation and don't post about it, did it really happen?)

[Nathan]

I believe they started around February. Not sure when they finished.

(If you notice a renovation and don't post about it, did it really happen?)

←

heh...I think we were there in March. I just assumed that the renovation had already been covered by all the usual suspects...

[Vinotas]

I'd like to add a vote for that tiny dumpling place on equally tiny Mosco Street: Fried Dumpling, where very good ones can be had for 4/$1. I was there a few days ago and did a review on my blog here, with pics:

http://vinotas.blogspot.com/2008/05/i-love...hidden-one.html

I thought the quality of the meat was excellent, and while the dough was a tad thick in some places, it was such a minor quibble that I was just noticing it because I was looking for something wrong.

I will try the other places mentioned in this thread hopefully soon!

Cheers!