Top 5 Chinese restaurants in America

[eatingwitheddie]

Ben Pao  All that being said, I think you can eat well there.

How good is the food? That is the most important question.

[tommy]

A fairly scientific way to gauge if a Chinese restaurant is authentic or not, is do a quick head count in the % of dinners that are Asian.

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Steve

and that means it's good too, because everyone knows that chinese people have really good palates.

[awbrig]

Ben Pao - you dont see too many Asians here...but yet you dont see to many French people at Ambria either and they have authentic French food.

Anyway, maybe its not tried and true authentic Chinese...but its damn good in my opinion with an outstanding decor and fair service...

[trillium]

Ben Pao  All that being said, I think you can eat well there.

How good is the food? That is the most important question.

The food is fine. It's a lettuce restaurant in all the good and bad ways. I went there once for lunch with a big group of people who wanted to go somewhere interesting but not intimidating. It worked well for them.

regards,

trillium

[Fat Guy]

A fairly scientific way to gauge if a Chinese restaurant is authentic or not, is do a quick head count in the % of dinners that are Asian.

------------

Steve

That percentage can be deceptive. I've found that, for example, Chinese-Americans tend on the whole to eat earlier than Americans of European descent. So if you go to one of the big dim sum places at 10:00am you might find it completely full of Chinese faces, but if you go at 1:00pm it might be populated by a majority of white people. Also, at this point there are so many assimilated, third-generation Chinese out there that the authenticity barometer is becoming less reliable. Most importantly, authentic doesn't mean good -- it only means authentic. I think the best way to determine whether a restaurant is good is to figure out whether or not the people from eGullet vouch for it!

[Stone]

Ben Pao - you dont see too many Asians here...but yet you dont see to many French people at Ambria either and they have authentic French food.

Anyway, maybe its not tried and true authentic Chinese...but its damn good in my opinion with an outstanding decor and fair service...

I'm guessing that Ben Pao is the restaurant you go to when you can't get a reservation at Trotters?

[Jaymes]

How about Tommy Toy's in SFO?

I know for sure that THEY think they're in the top five.

[anil]

...... So if you go to one of the big dim sum places at 10:00am you might find it completely full of Chinese faces, but if you go at 1:00pm it might be populated by a majority of white people. Also, at this point there are so many assimilated, third-generation Chinese out there that the authenticity barometer is becoming less reliable. Most importantly, authentic doesn't mean good -- it only means authentic. I think the best way to determine whether a restaurant is good is to figure out whether or not the people from eGullet vouch for it!

Some excellent observations One minor disagreement on the last point

Anyway - I've noticed the crowded yum-cha places in the morning ; an this is a phenomena worldwide. In HongKong [7:00 AM] , it's because many are headed to work. Unfortunately, I've not had dim-sum during weekdays in NYC [i have to go to work ] The second wave of customers in many places are people who have taken a morning break [i.e 10:00 AM ]

About third-generation ..... same can be said about one-generation too, it's a matter of exposure -- I always observe how and what shop-keepers eat in Canal /Chinatown/Flushing, you'd be surprised at how many times I find them chow-ing down pepper-steak or some run-of-the-mill stuff.

As all anthropologists will tll 'ya that food is one of the major expressions of a culture, along with language,clothing etc., so an authentic may or may not be healthy or flavorful or nutricious; but a good/bad binary classification misses the more meaningful distinctions that are possible. The same is true of many in egullet - Not all who vouch, do so for just quality of food.

Edited March 27, 2003 by anil (log)

[eatingwitheddie]

How about Tommy Toy's in SFO?

I know for sure that THEY think they're in the top five. 

What do YOU think?

I have found it silly myself, but truth is that it's been a while, a long while since I've been there.

[Fat Guy]

Tommy Toy's in SF should duke it out with Golden Temple in Brookline.

[SteveW]

Maybe not considered Chinese cuisine(at least Chinese influenced). Is any of San Choy's restaurants in Hawaii world-class? He's a big celebrity chef there.

---------------

Steve

Edited March 27, 2003 by SteveW (log)

[mongo_jones]

excuse me for resurrecting this long-dormant thread but i was struck by the lack of l.a area chinese restaurants here--major east coast bias huh? i've eaten chinese food all over the u.s and i'd be hard-pressed to pick too many outside of the san gabriel valley if i had to pick 5 to eat at in the u.s. chung-king on garfield (just past garvey) in monterey park is my all-time favorite, though hua's garden, lake spring etc. are all very good. there's a whole bunch of great restaurants at 140 west valley in rosemead as well (in the huge 99 ranch complex). 888 seafood a few blocks down the road was my favorite dim sum destination in the valley. alas, all of this ended a couple of months ago as i moved to boulder, colorado. the three dim sum places i've been to in denver have made me want to weep.

[anil]

.....all of this ended a couple of months ago as i moved to boulder, colorado. the three dim sum places i've been to in denver have made me want to weep.

North of the border; VYR [Vancouver] and YYZ [Toronto] have reputable high end as well as value-laden restaurants. Just hop-on-a-puddle-jumper from DEN

Edited October 4, 2003 by anil (log)

[browniebaker]

I didn't know this thread existed. And I can't believe it thrives. The top five Chinese restaurants in America? Chinese cuisine is very broad, comprising diverse regional styles of cooking. Equally diverse are the restaurants and the different regional styles of Chinese cooking that they present. This is like asking what are the top five "European-style" or "continental" restaurants in America. Impossible.

I'd consider the question if there were categories, for Szechuan, Taiwanese, Cantonese, Hunanese, Shanghainese, Peking-style, Mongolian, Hakka, Hawaiian-Chinese, Singaporean-Chinese, etc.

[jo-mel]

Jason Perlow --- Thanks for the tip on China 46 in NJ. I didn't know it was there!! I will most certainly visit it soon.

I googled it, and was impressed with their menu. Extensive and interesting.

A question ---- Their noodle listings didn't mention what kind of noodle. Could I assume they would be the thick hearty 'Shanghai' variety? Also, I didn't see Shi Zi Tou -- Lions Head Meatballs. Too commonplace?

I'm delighted to see Shanghainese food get recognition. It kinda got lost, with other regional foods getting the attention. The only other one in my area (Essex) was eased out because of rebuilding. I can hardly wait to get my 'fix'!

(I just found this site, and I can see that I will be here often.)

[tommy]

Also, I didn't see Shi Zi Tou -- Lions Head Meatballs.  Too commonplace?

they do have lion's head meatballs almost all of the time. they're on the specials list. that list contains about 20 dishes (most are on the list pretty much all of the time), and it contains some of my favorites.

go to C46 immediately. also, check out this thread, this thread, and this thread.

[eatingwitheddie]

Jason Perlow --- Thanks for the tip on China 46 in NJ. I didn't know it was there!! I will most certainly visit it soon.

I googled it, and was impressed with their menu. Extensive and interesting. 

A question ---- Their noodle listings didn't mention what kind of noodle.  Could I assume they would be the thick hearty 'Shanghai' variety?  Also, I didn't see Shi Zi Tou -- Lions Head Meatballs.  Too commonplace?

I'm delighted to see Shanghainese food get recognition.  It kinda got lost, with other regional foods getting the attention.  The only other one in my area (Essex) was eased out because of rebuilding.  I can hardly wait to get my 'fix'!

(I just found this site, and I can see that I will be here often.)

Also you can checkout Hunan Cottage also on route 46 (in Fairfeld?). David Corcoran reviewed it in the Jersey section of The NY Times a week or two ago. It's really a Shanghai style restaurant and a pretty good one too. Ask for the the 'other' menu if they just hand you the Americanized version. It's in English, don't worry.

[Fat Guy]

Here's the link to that review:

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html...753C1A9659C8B63

[Jason Perlow]

Corcoran reviewed China 46 as well:

http://www.china46.com/images/New-York-Times.jpg

But yes, Hunan Cottage is a very serious Shanghainese restaurant and when Rachel and I lived in Morristown we went there ALL the time.

[jo-mel]

WOW! What a response!! Thanks to all of you for the information and links. I see I've got some serious eating ahead of me! Leek Boxes! Aside from a small place in Blmfld, the only places I've seen them are in the 'cooked food' sections of Chinese supermarkets.

Since Ocean King closed in Livingston, I've been concentrating on China Gourmet, near Pal's in West Orange. They are not Shanghainese, but they have a Chinese menu, from which I order. They have sandy pot casseroles of which I am fond, and Chinese vegetables in season.

I've never understood why some Sweet/Sour restaurants, which have 'good' reputations, have never offered Chinese vegetables -- Chinese broccoli, you cai, pea tops, etc. Sooooo good, and yet not at all daring for those with timid tastes.

AFA the Chinese characters, I love the challenge. I barely get by in the language, but when it is written in free form, rather than print, I'm just about lost. BUT-- it means that the clientele is Chinese, and I am comfortable with that.

Again - thanks for all your input. So glad this site was pointed out to me!

P.S. ---- Are your thought on Chengdu 46 the same as mine? Expensive, food prepared well, small servings, small menu, but doesn't stray from the standards? It always seems to get the 'stars', but I guess that is determined by who is voting.

[tommy]

P.S. ---- Are your thought on Chengdu 46 the same as mine?  Expensive,  food prepared well, small servings, small menu, but doesn't stray from the standards?  It always seems to get the 'stars', but I guess that is determined by who is voting.

one trip to China 46 will erase any memories of that crap.

[jwagnerdsm]

The best Chinese I ever had in the U.S. was at Kingdom of Vegetarians Chinese Restaurant in Philadelphia. I ate there once (and was a smidgen, just a smidgen, drunk, so I can't completely vouch for the food) but it's one of those places that still resonates when I think about good food. And, amazingly, it was all vegetarian. They did some incredible things with tofu and wheat gluten. I've always wondered why we eat mock meat when the real stuff is better and, uh, easier, but this stuff was all damn good.

[Jason Perlow]

Since Ocean King closed in Livingston, I've  been concentrating on China Gourmet, near Pal's in West Orange.  They are not Shanghainese, but they have a Chinese menu, from which I order.  They have sandy pot casseroles of which I am fond, and Chinese vegetables in season.

Yes, Ocean King was a solid dim sum place.

I'm not sure if its still open but there was a VERY nice dim sum place called Noodle Chu in Parsippany off route 46, in the shopping center opposite Harolds NY Deli. Clean, had really good roast meats as well.

Noodle Chu Dim Sum Seafood

(973) 299-6518 770 US Highway 46

Parsippany, NJ

The owner is named Harry Chu and he also owns Mr. Chu in East Hanover (very good americanized banquet-style chinese food), and was formerly the guy who owned Bill and Harry's in East Hanover as well.

A question ---- Their noodle listings didn't mention what kind of noodle. Could I assume they would be the thick hearty 'Shanghai' variety?

He uses different kinds of noodles there. The "Shanghai Noodles" dish is a medium thickness type noodle similar to chow mein. However he's also got the small flat rice noodle discs that he sautees, and also the chow fun. He also has the clear cellophane noodles that are used in the Spicy Capsicum Noodle dish. All of these preparations are exellent there.

[jo-mel]

RE Mr. Chu and Harry & Bills --- so THAT's the story!! Someone had said that H&B was ticked that their menu was being used somewhere else (If I got the story straight)

About a year ago I went to Noodle Chu and was pleased with what I had. (but forgot what I had!) I'm always pleased when I see Chinese Sausage used in a dish on the menu. (Noodletown in NYC has a casserole with Chinese Sausage, and it is rib sticking)

At Noodle Chu, I did a no-no. I didn't think about the 'face' issue at the time. On the menu, the Chinese characters were mixed up. The characters said "black bean sauce', the English said black pepper sauce', and I mentioned it. I hope they don't remember me when I go back.

Further out on 46, there used to be a noodle place that had 'Dao Mian' --- knife cut noodles. Mostly they were in soup, but they stir/fried them for me, when I asked. I don't know if they are still there.

So much good Chinese food out there! Thanks to the Asian population in the burbs, you can eat happily, locally.

[Jason Perlow]

Also in the Northern NJ area for dim sum, is Silver Pond on Main Street in Fort Lee. This has become our local dim sum place (but only go on Saturdays and Sundays in the late morning and early afternoon, their dinner fare is just OK). I've had lots of dim sum in the tri-state area and I think this place is the equal of if not superior to some of the best places in NYC chinatown. Lots of dim sum choices, seafood offerings are very good, very fresh.

Silver Pond Seafood Restaurant

(201) 592-8338

230 Main St , Fort Lee, NJ