Taiwanese | Chopsticks and Marrow | Page 2

Dish O' The Day

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by Joe DiStefano

10/30/14 12:11am

Behold Flushing’s Top Secret Taiwanese Chicken Parm Slice

by Joe DiStefano

luciataiwan

Two great tastes in one via Taipei and New York City.

Until very recently I was a pizza purist. Then I ate the falafel slice at Benjy’s Kosher Pizza Dairy Restaurant and Sushi Bar in Flushing. This surprisingly delicious mashup of Israeli and New York City street foods can be found on Main Street in Flushing , not the Chinese portion but the Jewish neighborhood sometimes called Kew Garden Hills. Yesterday I created a decidedly non-kosher mashup in the heart of Flushing’s Chinatown. Ladies and gentlemen, I present the Taiwanese chicken parm slice. (more…)

Chinatown, Flushing, fried chicken, Italian, Lucia Pizza, mashups, pizza, street food, Taipei Hong, Taiwanese

Sandwich Wednesday

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by Joe DiStefano

04/16/14 1:49pm

The Bao Shoppe’s O.G. Is a Tasty Twist on Taiwanese Gua Bao

by Joe DiStefano

SW-BAO

The Bao Shoppe’s O.G.comes correct.

PLEASE NOTE THIS RESTAURANT IS CLOSED

I went into the Bao Shoppe a newish Astoria restaurant with a skeptical attitude. After all Astoria is home to almost as many bad restaurants as good ones, places like Mexican hookah lounges and the like. But the décor, a giant graffiti mural of a Joe Cool Snoopy chilling beside the N train, and what I ate soon changed my mind. To get a base line of the place I started with The O.G. ($3.50), a braised pork belly number. Dressed with little more than a carrot daikon slaw more commonly seen on Vietnamese sandwiches and a fresh pickle, the O.G. is more stream-lined than a traditional Taiwanese gua bao. It’s a tasty two or three bite sandwich and the pork is braised to wobbly perfection. (more…)

Astoria, Chinese, closed, sandwiches, Taiwanese

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by Joe DiStefano

12/30/13 2:50pm

C+M’s 20 for 2013, a Look Back at the Year That Was

by Joe DiStefano

As 2013 draws to a close rather than offer up a list of resolutions—less chips more gym, save money, etc.—C+M offers a list of 20 of our favorite posts, a highlight reel of the year that was. Let the mostly Queens-focused cavalcade of offal, sandwiches, mashups, secret eats and deliciousness begin.

Crazy Crab’s Yunnan special sliced pork salad.

PLEASE NOTE THIS RESTAURANT IS CLOSED

1. Best use of Pig Face
Crazy Crab’s Yunnanese pig face salad is a spicy sour, salty, and unabashedly funky showcase for swatches of cool, slightly chewy pig skin.

2. Best Fizzy Water for Gluttons
Apart from being the preferred beverage of Cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin the selling point of Borjomi, a Georgian sparkling mineral water, is that it “Gets rid of unnecessaries,” or as expressed in more forthright language elsewhere on the company web site, “Borjomi also improves functioning of intestines and supports slag excretion.”

3. Flushing’s Cheapest Veggie Burger
The $1.25 cài bĭng at Super Snack, a counter just outside Golden Shopping Mall is packed with crunchy piquant mustard greens and is as fine a snack as any.

Sandwich Wednesday

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by Joe DiStefano

11/20/13 10:45am

The Taiwanese Fried Chicken Gua Bao, an Exercise in Excess

by Joe DiStefano

CHICKBAO

Nothing quite exceeds like excess.

Ever since I saw the ad for Subway’s Sriracha Chicken melt sandwich I’ve been strangely fascinated by it. I had every intention of covering it for this week’s Sandwich Wednesday, but couldn’t bring myself to pull the trigger. That’s how I found myself in Flushing casting about for a sandwich idea and settled on trying the gua bao ($2.50), or Taiwanese pork belly sandwich from Taipei Hong, my secret Taiwanese fried chicken connection. And then it hit me. “Let me have a Number 1, spicy,” I said giving the secret password for the off-menu fried chicken, “and a gua bao.” (more…)

Chinese, Flushing, fried chicken, pork belly, Sriracha, Subway, Taiwanese

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by Joe DiStefano

10/04/13 1:39pm

Taiwanese Da Zui Bing are A Delicious Mouthful

by Joe DiStefano

BigMouthPastry

Big Mouth Pastry at Liang’s Kitchen in Flushing.

PLEASE NOTE THIS RESTAURANT IS CLOSED

I’m proud to announce that in the interest of sharing the love and deliciousness we all crave C+M’s Photo Friday is taking reader submissions via Instagram. This week’s entry—大嘴饼 Da Zui Bing (literally ‘Big Mouth Pastry) at Liang’s Kitchen or “humongous sesame-studded pastry shells stuffed with minced meat, spring onions and Chinese parsley”—comes from my good friend, Colin Goh, who as always proves to be a font of information about dining in downtown Flushing. To submit your delicious finds simply tag your Instagram photos with #CMSHUNGRY. And while you’re at it check me out on Instagram, joedistefanoqns.

bing, Chinatown, closed, Colin Goh, Flushing, instagram, Ling's Kitchen, Taiwanese

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by Joe DiStefano

08/27/13 10:32am

A Chinese Fried Chicken Battle in Flushing’s Chinatown

by Joe DiStefano

CHATIME1

Chatime food court, home to Flushing’s fiercest fried chicken rivalry.

Once upon a time not too long ago on the corner of Main Street and Maple Avenue in New York City’s most magical Chinatown there was a food court that went by the name Savor Fusion. Its overlord was a distinguished Taiwanese gent named Bobby Lee, who looked like he just stepped out of a Hong Kong gangster flick. Depending on the day’s vibe, the mustachioed Bobby was either chilling with his attractive and much younger wife, getting into a fracas with rowdy patrons, or giving out fruit to his handpicked roster of vendors who represented cooking styles from all over China. One thing was always certain though, excellent food turned out by two female chefs.

Mind and palate-blowing Sichuan fare—dan dan mian, spicy fried fish, and all manner of spicy pickles—was the specialty of the charmingly gruff Zhū Dà Jiě. Home-style Taiwanese chow, including lovely salt and pepper fried chicken, was the province of the equally gruff matriarch of Taipei Hong. Sadly Savor Fusion is no more, but Zhū Dà Jiě. now has her own restaurant, which is quite excellent. Taipei Hong and its magnificent chicken were but a distant memory. I’d given up all hope of ever tasting it again. Then one day I ran into the chef on Roosevelt Avenue. I’d already eaten a substantial meal at the New World Mall, but she insisted on showing me her new joint. (more…)

Chinatown, closed, Flushing, food courts, fried chicken, Main Street, Roosevelt Avenue, Savor Fusion, Taipei Hong, Taiwanese, Two Peck Chicken

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by Joe DiStefano

08/23/13 12:01pm

Chopsticks and Marrow Literally Found at Liang’s in Flushing

by Joe DiStefano

oxtail

The stewed oxtail lunch special at Liang’s is spectacular.

PLEASE NOTE THIS RESTAURANT IS CLOSED

I’m proud to announce that in the interest of sharing the love and deliciousness we all crave C+M’s Photo Friday will be taking reader submissions via Instagram. This week’s entry—níu wěi fàn or oxtail and rice—comes from my good friend Colin Goh, who as always proves to be a font of information about dining in downtown Flushing. Colin found this bountiful plate of sumptuous stewed oxtail, firm tofu, cabbage, and a hard-boiled egg, all topped with a generous sprinkle of minced pork at Liang’s Kichen. At $8.95 it is one of the best and tasty deals in downtown Flushing. And as Colin points out it’s not every day that one literally the name of one’s web site embodied in a plate of Taiwanese comfort food. By the way Liang’s is one of those places that Colin and I have both passed by hundreds of times. Located in the basement of a hotel, it turns out some of the tastiest Taiwanese food I’ve had in downtown Flushing. To submit your delicious finds simply tag your Instagram photos with #CMSHUNGRY. And while you’re at it check me out on Instagram, joedistefanoqns.

Liang’s Kitchen 133-51 39th Ave., Flushing, 347-506-0115

Chinatown, chopsticks, closed, Flushing, instagram, marrow, oxtail, Taiwanese

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by Joe DiStefano

08/08/13 10:58am

Fang Tea, an Oasis of Calm in the Flushing Chinatown Hustle

by Joe DiStefano

Fang Gourmet Tea lies at the back of a mall on Roosevelt Avenue.

Fang Gourmet Tea lies at the back of a mall on Roosevelt Avenue.

For as long as I can remember tea has always been an accompaniment to Chinese food. First at various suburban restaurants it was bags of Swee-Touch-Nee orange pekoe. Later as I began to enjoy yum-cha at dim sum houses in Queens and elsewhere, the tea was decidedly better. I never gave all that much thought to the nuances of tea though until I went to a tea tasting at Yumcha Yoga with tea expert Theresa Wong from Fang Gourmet Tea.

That day Wong poured pu-er tea. The most striking thing about my first tea ceremony was the method in which Wong prepared the tea. First she warmed the teapot discarding the first batch of leaves. Then she brewed the tea. Everything was done in a measured almost meditative manner. I honestly don’t remember exactly what the brew tasted like, but I know I liked it and recall it was a relaxing experience that left me wanting to learn more about tea. (more…)

Chinatown, Chinese, Fang Gourmet Tea, Flushing, Taiwanese, tea, tea ceremony, Tibetan

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by Joe DiStefano

06/17/13 12:45pm

Scenes from Opening Weekend at LIC Flea & Food

by Joe DiStefano

Hungry hordes gathered to eat and shop.

Hungry hordes gathered to eat and shop.

When it comes to food Queens has Brooklyn beat. After all, the diversity and quality of the grub in Queens is simply mind-blowing. Plus, we have M. Wells Dinette. And as of this past weekend Queens is giving Smorgasburg a run for its money with the newly opened LIC Flea & Food. Here’s a look at some of the market’s food offerings.

Alobar’s big dog topped with ginger pulled pork and carrot slaw.

Alobar’s big dog topped with ginger pulled pork and carrot slaw.

On Saturday morning I was actually at Smorgasburg performing a Thai chicken skin mitzvah for my friends over at Scharf & Zoyer. They also turned me on to a sandwich and I sampled some wonderful couscous from NYSHUK. And then, I had some ice cream from nearby Oddfellows. So, by the time I got to Long Island City the old food tank was pretty full. Good as it looked there was no way I would have been able to take down Alobar’s Big Dog ($12) a frankfurter topped with ginger pulled pork and carrot slaw. (more…)

Astoria, barbecue, burgers\, Chinese, festivals, Italian, Japanese, Long Island City, pizza, Smorgasburg, Taiwanese

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by Joe DiStefano

06/07/13 12:33pm

Chill Out with Taiwanese Shaved Ice at Flushing’s Hot Spot

by Joe DiStefano

Despite the name the newly opened Hot Spot specializes in shaved ice.

Despite the name the newly opened Hot Spot specializes in shaved ice.

PLEASE NOTE THIS RESTAURANT IS CLOSED

Come summertime one of my favorite ways to chill out is shaved ice, whether of the Dominican or Taiwanese variety. So I was pleased when Hot Spot, a new Taiwanese shaved iced stand opened on Main Street a few days ago. It’s affiliated with the late Ice Fire Land, hence the name. Situated in front of an apothecary, it’s the only grab-and-go shaved stand in Flushing’s Chinatown. (more…)

Chinatown, closed, Flushing, shaved ice, Taiwanese

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