NJ eGullet Dinner at China 46

[Jason Perlow]

Shanghai Sesame Buns (for stuffing the Ruby Pork into)

[Jason Perlow]

Shanghai Shrimp

[Jason Perlow]

Pan Fried Shanghai Buns

[Jason Perlow]

Salt and Pepper Soft Shell Crabs

[Jason Perlow]

Table 1

[tommy]

First of all I would like to apologize about not being able to post more pictures -- when I was previwing them they appeared to be fine, but a lot of them came out really blurry because I didnt use flash. Dumb.o

looks like we'll just have to do it again, soon.

this time, hopefully we'll have fewer corked bottles of wine. there were 2 at this particular gathering. one rhone rose, and a great looking dessert wine brought by coquille that had lots of promise to be wonderful. damnit.

Edited June 9, 2003 by tommy (log)

[Jason Perlow]

Table 2

[Kim WB]

I'm sure coquille is busy transcribing as I type...damn that day job that keeps her preoccupied!

However, please note that the Soup dumplings photo shows tongs as the serving implement. I was advised, by EXPERTS, that this is the incorrect tool, indeed the death knoll, of Soup dumplings. Soup dumplings must be gently grasped at the tip, pulled slightly upward in order to wedge a ceramic soup spoon underneath, then genly pried off the steamer bottom. With dumpling now safely ensconced on the spoon, dipping sauce needs to be added. THEN, you nibble off a corner of the dumpling ( there is a photo of Jason doing this) and let the soup broth enter the mouth first, followed by the sauces, noodle and pork filling. Lowell actually killed one of the dumplings using the tongs, and I believe it was Tommy's undying love and devotion to Rosie that allowed Lowell to remain at the table, dead dumpling and all.

And Momo is a very intelligent looking dog...Ellen and Steven have set up a great travelling system for him, and he was taking it all in!

Edited June 9, 2003 by Kim WB (log)

[Fat Guy]

Momo remained in the van, apparently cognizant that there was serious eating going on inside (the drool, the drool!):

[tommy]

when momo sneezes, the burst of air actually shoots upward. he kinda caught me off guard with that little trick.

[coquille]

can't believe how fast you all put up pix, etc! but it could take me a while to get a full transcript up -- that pesky needing-to-earn-a-paycheck thing keeps getting in my way. pleasure meeting and putting on the feedbag with y'all, though it's making work a little difficult today, as i keep obsessing about those wonderful softshell crabs!

[Rosie]

What a delicious evening. Thanks to Rachel and her helpers for getting this dinner together. It was great seeing everyone.

[Jason Perlow]

Too funny. A bunch of chowhound people went the day before.

http://www.chowhound.com/boards/tristate/m...ages/11418.html

[tommy]

the fella states:

One more note: at 9:30 on a rainy Saturday night we were the only customers. This place, like so many others, is suffering because of fear of SARS.

maybe he was there the day before? still, good news. and a nice report.

[Jason Perlow]

Yeah, I just emailed him, he was there the day before.

[tommy]

a few other posters are being a bit hard on C46. one even characterizes it as "expensive". on a normal night, i have a hard time spending 25 bucks there.

[Rachel Perlow]

Someone else says it is "too expensive"?!?!

OK, granted, we paid $45 pp, inclusive of tax & (generous) tip, but that included some of the more expensive and adventurous things to order, and many courses. However, when we go with a group of people (say, 8 or less) and order off the menu, I don't think we've ever spent more than $30 pp. If you compare it to say, a medium-average Italian restaurant (not a pizzeria, but not the best either), it is cheap and way way better. People are just prejudiced against Chinese food being anything but cheap eats.

[jhlurie]

can't believe how fast you all put up pix, etc!  but it could take me a while to get a full transcript up -- that pesky needing-to-earn-a-paycheck thing keeps getting in my way.  pleasure meeting and putting on the feedbag with y'all, though it's making work a little difficult today, as i keep obsessing about those wonderful softshell crabs!

Wow. You managed to eat AND transcribe? (Is there an admiration emoticon?)

Talk was boring at our table ("the other table"). Something about monkeys. Something else about bulldogs. I missed the rest. Jason kept holding up a camera and we all commented on that quite a bit. Along the lines of "Push the button Jason. Hold the button down a few times! Get out of the way of the food Jason!"

EDIT: Duh. Of course you meant a play-by-play of the food. Not talk. I knew that (knocking head against monitor). And I'm kidding about the boring part--charming company, of course.

Edited June 9, 2003 by jhlurie (log)

[KatieLoeb]

Wow - this dinner looks TRULY awesome. Why wasn't this place around when I was growing up in that neck of the woods??? Of course my palate wasn't as sophisticated then, but I still knew what I liked, and I'm certain I would have enjoyed this immensely. Those soft shell crabs are right up my alley!

It had occurred to me to jump in my car and drive up there from Philly on Sunday afternoon, but I figured it was both too late to RSVP and I had to go track down my cell phone which I had accidentally dropped in a friend's car a few days before.

Perhaps you active Jerseyites could plan some events that are more toward the Central Jersey area so that some of the adventurous Philly folks and the adventurous NY Gulleteers could join you? Since Fat Guy and Ellen were nice enough to come join the DDC Rodizio Road Trip to Perth Amboy, a location in the middle might encourage more folks to join in. Not that you'd want that or anything...

[tommy]

It had occurred to me to jump in my car and drive up there from Philly on Sunday afternoon, but I figured it was both too late to RSVP and I had to go track down my cell phone which I had accidentally dropped in a friend's car a few days before.

any sunday you want to take a drive up the Turnpike you just give me a holler.

[=Mark]

Perhaps you active Jerseyites could plan some events that are more toward the Central Jersey area so that some of the adventurous Philly folks and the adventurous NY Gulleteers could join you?  Since Fat Guy and Ellen were nice enough to come join the DDC Rodizio Road Trip to Perth Amboy, a location in the middle might encourage more folks to join in.  Not that you'd want that or anything...

At the China 46 dinner coquille had mentioned a sushi place in Colts Neck that she feels is worth travelling from Princeton to eat. This is even closer to the Philly area than the Portugese place (It's also about 5 miles from my house...).

There is also Mie Thai in Woodbridge but we did an eGullet meal there a year ago. (Of course we did a China 46 meal last year too, I guess reruns are permitted...)

coquille? Anyone?

[Rachel Perlow]

Scallion Pancake

BTW - I ordered the scallion pancake because a) it said scallion pancake deluxe on the menu, so I thought it might be the kind with pork & scallions and b) I'd never had them there before (obviously). They were OK, but not worth ordering again when there are so many better items on the menu. Get more dumplings instead.

[Kim WB]

I've been thinking about the soup dumplings, and trying to compare them to the ones I had in China. I've decided that the ones I had in china were definitely crab and seafood...there was a very strong broth in the dumpling. the China 46 versions had the texture down, but these were much more "subtle" tasting...they were great, and I guess my initial lack of enthusiasm over them was more because I was expecting a very strong flavor, and got a delicate one. Rachel mentioned that they come in a pork/crab variety, but that the crab was not dominant..so I doubt even this version will be quite like the ones in Nanning.

[tommy]

I've been thinking about the soup dumplings, and trying to compare them to the ones I had in China.  I've decided that the ones I had in china were definitely crab and seafood...there was a very strong broth in  the dumpling. the China 46 versions had the texture down, but these were much more "subtle" tasting...they were great, and I guess my initial lack of enthusiasm over them was more because I was expecting a very strong flavor, and got a delicate one.  Rachel mentioned that they come in a pork/crab variety, but that the crab was not dominant..so I doubt even this version will be quite like the ones in Nanning.

i wanted to cry when i saw the look of disappointment on your face, by the way.

the crab version has a *bit* more going on for sure. but as you say, it doesn't do much to make the soup much more dominant.

i'm no expert, but i'm pretty sure there are several versions of "soup dumplings". perhaps the version you had in china was from a different region of china?

[Kim WB]

no expert, but i'm pretty sure there are several versions of "soup dumplings".  perhaps the version you had in china was from a different region of china?

I was in the Shanghai region, Hangzhou, so it was Shanghai style Chinese..And even suring the time I was in the Southern Provinces, namely Guanzhou where the consulate is, htere are a variety of style restaurants...that's where i had the dumplings, but they were definitely in a Shanghai style restaurant..they are very distinctive from

the Cantonese ones. However, even within a region of mainland China, the transportation systems are not great..so a city by the coast or River is going to have seafood dominated dishes, while inland might be more pork...but the same style of cuisine might be used. I'm no expert, either...while I ate amazing foods, there was a constant language barrier, because we were mostly in smaller cities and towns. In Hong Kong you can ask a million questions about the food, no problem, but in Nanning, for example, you just smile and nod and point a lot!