Coolest Experience Ever @ C-46

[Fat Guy]

Greetings people of New Jersey. I wanted to relate to you all the coolest experience ever, which I enjoyed in the company of the Perlows (and another eGulleter who may or may not wish to reveal himself) this evening at the venerable China 46 restaurant in Ridgewood. Or maybe it was Ridgefield. Or perhaps Edgefield. No, Edgewater. Something like that. The point being, it is on Route 46. In any event, what happened was we had this big meal. And, unless you've been living under a rock, you must know that the Perlows are regulars at and champions of the restaurant they affectionately call C-46. So they are well known to the staff.

From time to time I have been dining at Chinese restaurants either late in the afternoon or late at night, and have seen the staff assemble at a large table and eat food that obviously isn't on the menu. And I've wondered, what the hell are they eating? Are they holding out on us? Or are they just feeding the lowest level of crap to the staff?

Well I'm here to tell you, people of New Jersey, that your worst fears are true: they HAVE been holding out on us all these years. I learned this tonight when, at the end of the meal, the manager of C-46 came by our table with a large plate of rough-hewn, misshapen steamed dumplings -- I'm talking at least 20 of them -- placed it on the lazy Suzan (have we had a lazy Susan thread? If not someone please start one!), and announced, triumphantly, "This is our dinner."

I wasn't sure what to expect. Would the filling be as delicious as the lion's head meatballs we had just enjoyed? Or would it be more akin to an actual lion's head? Either way, this wasn't something to miss.

The dumplings were incredible. I believe, quite aside from the rush we got from being welcomed into the inner circle, they were among the best if not the best dumplings I've ever had. They were filled with pork, scallions, and what I assume were fresh mustard greens, wrapped in soft, thin dough and steamed. The filling was mostly the vegetables -- almost the opposite ratio from what you'd see in a typical pork-and-scallion dumpling. The slight bitterness of the mustard greens combined with the sweet but secondary dose of pork to make these into little meals-in-a-wrapper. Indeed the manager explained that where he comes from in China, dumplings like this are typically a main course -- the culmination of a meal -- not an appetizer. Already stuffed to the gills, I believe I consumed 7 of them. And they were by no means small.

Thank you, people of New Jersey, for your attention to this matter.

[tommy]

i like china 46 very much.

[Jason Perlow]

Yeah, I gotta wonder why the hell these things (which he referred to as Jiao-zi) aren't on the menu, I would definitely order them.

[herbacidal]

Most chinese restaurants are holding out on you, sorta.

Chinese staff meal can consist of any kind of thing:

that fish that flopped in the tank that they had to take out because it didn't look good

homestyle kinda stuff that wouldn't be on the menu because no one would order it

big huge fish that fish purveyor brought by that they could only get one of

random dish that is so labor intensive, there's no way you're gonna put it on the menu because to have to do it in the middle of a rush is nuts

random dish that won't meet the perceived flavor requirements of the client base

random dish that kitchen was just screwing around with and decided to cook it anyway to see how it turns out

random mistakes that happened over the course of the day that you can't sell

Sounds like you got a combo of the last 2-3.

That being said, staff meal at chinese restaurants is never as bad as the gruel i've had at the 1 western restaurant i used to work at.

Edited August 28, 2003 by herbacidal (log)

[dumpling]

Steven - that's so cool! You have discovered the secret! This is why I like to make friends with waiters. It isn't because I'm a friendly human being; I'm really a snotty s.o.b. It's just that I want their food.

Herb's post really is the case. I've found that, generally, the stuff the staff eats in a Chinese restaurant is infinitely more interesting than stuff on the regular "American" menu. I've had some incredibly delicious homestyle stuff at different places. There is less of a concentration on meat(similar to the way it actually is in China) but again it depends on what's available.

I've eaten amazing stuff including the going away party for one of the kitchen staff which was pretty cool and a New year's banquet.

If you are friendly, are a frequent guest, try to speak some Chinese, act semi knowledgable about Chinese food, and compliment the staff's food, you may be invited into the secret brotherhood of the Chinese restaurant.

By the way jiao zi are available in many places in Chinatown. They really should be served more here in NJ. Here it's just generally guo tie, the regular fried dumplings with the thick dough of which most people are aware. You can buy bags of frozen jiao zi from the Chinese store in River Edge(albeit not as good as eating it from and with the restaurant staff).

When I start my dumpling place, jiao zi will be up there on the board to order.

[tommy]

Herb's post really is the case.  I've found that, generally, the stuff the staff eats in a Chinese restaurant is infinitely more interesting than stuff on the regular "American" menu.

C46 doesn't hold back on tommy.

cecil brings out slices of cold kidney (delicious)and shit like that quite often. although i don't know if they eat that in the kitchen!

[Rachel Perlow]

I have had similar (but not nearly as good & homemade looking) from King Fung supermarket in River Edge (across from Finks), that I think dumpling is referring to. We frequently have them as lunch with a sauce of black vinegar, soy sauce and a dash of sesame oil. My chinese friend refers to them as boiled dumplings (as opposed to steamed or fried).

Glad you had fun last night, FG!