Asian Dumplings

[diddy]

what's a good and relatively cheap place to get dumpling to go in dc or va?

[JLK]

Very sorry you didn't find my post helpful. Personally, I like a bit of background and have seen plenty of cross-posts here. To each, her own.

[Scott Johnston]

China Bistro in Rockville has some of the best dumplings around. They are not great for take out. I suggest you look at that thread. The other thing is go to Super H on the weekend and sample the frozen dumplings they have there. You may find some you like.

[Heather]

Just out of curiosity... why would one reference a thread (1) on another board and (2) at least two years out of date? Doesn't the question, alone, merit it's own thread on this board?

Because lots of us read more than one board, and some of the information there is still relevant?

A&J pork dumplings, definitely.

[bonaire]

No one here will believe me, but the Longworth House Office Building cafeteria used to have a mean chicken and dumplings. I think they may still have it on Mondays. And it's cheap -- max $5 bucks with plenty of crazy people watching.

[JLK]

That's a whole 'nother type of dumplings! I think we're talking about Asian-style filled dumplings here.

[Sundae in the Park]

A&J pork dumplings, definitely.

Seconded for both the fried and the steamed pork dumplings. The beef bun (fried) is also dumpling-like and exceedingly wonderful.

[bonaire]

That's a whole 'nother type of dumplings! I think we're talking about Asian-style filled dumplings here.

See, that's what I thought it might be (no more posting during basketball for me!), but I couldn't resist doing my part to promote such a classy eating establishment.

[Scott Johnston]

I had the pan fried dumplings and the beef bun this week at A&J, they get my vote. I was not as wild on the steamed veggie dumplings.

[KeithA]

So who does have good veggie dumplings? Every time we get them from Chinese restaurants lately they stink.

[Scott Johnston]

China Bistro in Rockville has great dumplings. (Plug for $20 dollar tuesday on 3/21). Mama's Specila Dumplings are my faviorites. Check out the thread on China Bistro.

China Bistro

700 Hungerford Drive

Rockville, MD 20850

301-294-0808

Here is the China Bistro thread: http://www.donrockwell.com/index.php?showt...hl=china+bistro

So who does have good veggie dumplings? Every time we get them from Chinese restaurants lately they stink.

[jasonc]

Are there any good places in the area for Shanghainese soup dumplings (xiao long bao)?

[DanielK]

Are there any good places in the area for Shanghainese soup dumplings (xiao long bao)?

Shanghai Cafe in Potomac and Chinatown Express in DC both have them. SC is good, but pretty out of the way if you aren't already in that area. At CE they're wildly inconsistent. Actually, the consistency is the last few times I've been there, they were so sloppily prepared, that my soup dumplings didn't have any soup in them.

[ol_ironstomach]

Are there any good places in the area for Shanghainese soup dumplings (xiao long bao)?

Good? None that I'm aware of. Apparently, chefs who know how and are willing to correctly make the aspic and filling have always been in short supply...we used to make trips to long-departed Hunan Garden in Rockville solely for xlb when they had such a chef. New Yorkers are completely freakin' blessed to have several good places to choose from.

But here, you'll find almost universally that the flavor is too thin, and at most places the skins are a somewhat too thick. A&J's version is among the better and more consistent ones, and yet I find them to be bland. Haven't sampled SC's yet, but that'll be fixed quickly since they're a whopping 5 minutes from my home.

[porcupine]

Haven't sampled SC's yet, but that'll be fixed quickly since they're a whopping 5 minutes from my home.

Got a carryout last summer; they were awful. Thick, doughy wrappers over dry, old-tasting meat. Eee-yuck. Also - and please correct me if I'm wrong - last week driving by I couldn't see the sign; was wondering if they're gone.

[jpschust]

any chance for good dumplings in reston?

[DanielK]

Got a carryout last summer; they were awful. Thick, doughy wrappers over dry, old-tasting meat. Eee-yuck. Also - and please correct me if I'm wrong - last week driving by I couldn't see the sign; was wondering if they're gone.

That certainly doesn't mirror my experiences eating there, but I can't imagine how you could possibly do soup dumplings for takeout that wouldn't be awful.

I haven't been by in a couple of months, but that would be news if they were closed.

[porcupine]

That certainly doesn't mirror my experiences eating there, but I can't imagine how you could possibly do soup dumplings for takeout that wouldn't be awful.

I haven't been by in a couple of months, but that would be news if they were closed.

The ones from A&J carry out just fine (15 min drive). Even in the restaurant I wait a good five minutes to let them cool. Besides, "thick, doughy wrappers over old, dry-tasting meat" is a problem that stems from the kitchen, not from the carryout container.

And - SC is probably not closed, as I just got a flier in the mail. They now do Thai food.

[ol_ironstomach]

I thought I'd torture you all withshare a photo of what xiao long bao are supposed to look like. Here's a close-up of a fresh steamerful at Shanghai Café (100 Mott St., NYC Chinatown, tray of 8 for $4.25), where they are handmade at the front of the store. Note the sag...the skins (which could be slightly thinner yet) are barely able to contain the soup. The dumpling at lower left also gives some idea of how much juice is involved here - the dark level just below where the folds begin is caused by the soup, not the thickness of the dough. Should you suffer a leaky wrapper at the last minute, it about half-fills a Chinese soup spoon.

[eating out]

I thought I'd torture you all withshare a photo of what xiao long bao are supposed to look like. Here's a close-up of a fresh steamerful at Shanghai Café (100 Mott St., NYC Chinatown, tray of 8 for $4.25), where they are handmade at the front of the store. Note the sag...the skins (which could be slightly thinner yet) are barely able to contain the soup. The dumpling at lower left also gives some idea of how much juice is involved here - the dark level just below where the folds begin is caused by the soup, not the thickness of the dough. Should you suffer a leaky wrapper at the last minute, it about half-fills a Chinese soup spoon.

That's just mean.

[deangold]

That's just mean.

You mean you can't download an order from your 'puter? I love 'em from Yeah Shanghai Dumplings on Bayard.

[eating out]

You mean you can't download an order from your 'puter? I love 'em from Yeah Shanghai Dumplings on Bayard.

If only it was that easy. This just makes me sad all over again that I missed the dumpling fest at China Bistro a couple weeks back. That's the only place that satisfies my dumpling cravings (still need to try A&J).

[anhdeluxe]

what's a good and relatively cheap place to get dumpling to go in dc or va?

Don't go to Bumblefish in Old Town. It's too new and they don't know what they are doing. Their shumai is anemic, their salad rolls are so loose, they collapse when you bite into them, and their buuble tea is so bad it gave me a stomachache.

[anhdeluxe]

You mean you can't download an order from your 'puter? I love 'em from Yeah Shanghai Dumplings on Bayard.

They are my favorite too! So much better (and cheaper) than Joe's Shanghai. Although, I think their name is NEW Yeah Shanghai Deluxe. And then I love going next door for Chinatown Ice Cream Factory!

[Anna Blume]

Happy Easter! Have a bun.

(As linked on Serious Eats by Adam Kuban.)

[ScotteeM]

Husband and I had our first dim sum at Lucky 3 last Sunday, and we both really liked the vegetable dumplings that we got.

[DonRocks]

My how things have changed since this thread was last updated nine years ago.

"Asian" dumplings? In many ways, our little town has all grown up - not fully, but we've certainly taken a concept like this down to the next level.

At this point, the thing to do is to treat this as a higher-level topic, and spin off more-specific threads, pointing to them from here. "Asian" Dumplings sounds *so* old-fashioned, but that's the reality of the dining scene here in 2007 - I think it's important that we acknowledge, and even embrace, that reality.

If anyone knows of the various threads about "Asian" Dumplings that are more specific to countries and types of dumplings (there are at least several here), please let me know, and we'll link to them here - it's kind of like saying "European Bread": There's nothing *wrong* with it, but our cumulative knowledge has deepened and broadened, and I think that's wonderful. Over the past nine years, *I've* learned of numerous specific dishes from specific countries that I'd never heard of before - that's how I know we have threads for them here. 

Ironically, I've always made it a point to include Chinese characters for certain things, going to great pains to do so - and I got burned when we upgraded from Invision Level 3 to Invision Level 4, as the Chinese characters did not survive the translation. If Invivion can fix this, then good for them; if they can't, then I've spent dozens, perhaps hundreds, of hours working for nothing, and I hope people at least remembered that I was trying to be respectful by doing that.