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The best restaurants in New York City Chinatown – http://ow.ly/44m2D
A rather long note to the link:
Don’t wonder aloud if you think you’ve read the article in the link from somewhere else. I’ve got 2 versions of this article that are found online, which resulted from the editing and updates I’ve been doing to the original article. Actually, this article grew out of the need to list down those Chinese-food restaurants I’ve actually been to, and have found to be among the best food places here in New York City (NYC).
I follow my taste buds and my wallet, plus my sense of what makes good quality service whenever I rate these food places I’ve been to. Check the list itself if any of the foodplaces has been under your radar and would get you excited enough to consider visiting the place soon (or even be included in your to-do-list). I know from experience that the food in most foodplaces here in NYC has been updated to cater to American tastes. They’re actually different from the tastes I remember having when I came to China as well as those I’ve been to in the Philippines, which is a country much closer and more closely linked to China.
By the way, some regional Philippine cuisines have very strong similarities with regional Chinese cuisines. For example: lo mein or any other kind of noodle meal in Chinese cuisine has its counterpart in the Philippines – and what’s odd is that they taste very similar. And in other cases, Philippine Chinese-influenced cooking tastes better, hands down. Another example: the Philippine lumpia versus the Chinese spring rolls you’ll have in Chinese restaurants here in NYC – the Philippine lumpia is easily the winner! But we’re going too far with our topic here, as we say this.
And to be more honest about it, Chinese food here in NYC pales in taste and flavor for some reason or another. I think it’s the ingredients, including the condiments, or perhaps the way the chefs are preparing the food. Most have that fast-food taste that you find in McDonald’s or something similar. Actually, the word is ‘bland!’ Chinese food here in NYC, with certain exceptions, is basically bland. I suspect that most of those who have been eating Chinese food here in NYC have never been to China. Ever found yourself in a lauriat where they serve Peking Duck in a Chinese restaurant here in NYC? They’re noticeably toned down in taste, just as to make the unknowing customer get convinced that [s]he is not eating something that’s cooked in its own oil. Peking Duck tastes a lot better when roasted in the oil from the melted fat that came from the duck itself….but it’s not done as often here in NYC as people are scared of confronting their own health issues as they munch on these Peking duck servings.
But nevertheless, take the courage to check these foodplaces I’ve been recommending in my list. Begin with the noodle houses. You want to make sure if a Chinese food place offers what can be considered ‘good quality’? Check if there are Chinese customers around who’d buy and eat food from the place. If you see them showing up there, you’ll be assured the food is really of good taste and quality. Most of these places are found in Chinatown – all the rest happened to be just visited most often by customers who are non-Chinese, hence, these places have become well-known.
