Danny Ng's Place

This is my first true restaurant review on the Manhattan Cheap Food Blog and I hope you all enjoy it! I decided to review, in my opinion, the best Cantonese-style Chinese restaurant in Chinatown, Danny Ng's Place, on 52 Bowery. Danny Ng's Place is located on the ground level of Golden Bridge Restaurant, which is a dim sum restaurant. When looking for Danny Ng's, there may be some confusion because both restaurants share the same address and entrance. To get to Danny Ng's, you would need just to walk straight through the entrance, directly to the back of the ground level floor. What you'll see is a smallish 12 table dining room in a clean modern setting.

Now for the food. Why is this restaurant so good when there are so many other Chinese restaurants in the neighborhood? There are two main reasons why I love this place:

#1 reason is the care that they put into making their dishes.
#2 reason is the service.

What does it mean when I say "care" into making dishes? Let's take a look at why many people like Chinese food, especially Cantonese-style cuisine. The restaurants that serve "Chinese" food all around Manhattan and the outer boroughs tend to serve traditional "American Chinese cuisine." Generic items from this type of cuisine are: egg rolls, lo mein, fried rice, General Tso's chicken, etc. American Chinese cuisine has its roots in Southern Chinese (Cantonese) cooking as all these dishes contain elements from this style. Cantonese cuisine reveres the straightforward natural tastes of foods and encourages steaming, quick stir-frying and simple sauces that do not overwhelm the underlying taste of the food.

What's so good about the cooking you'll get at Danny Ng's is the conscienciousness of the chefs in not falling into the trap of making "American Chinese" food. I am not against American Chinese food, but only want to point out a different way to view and taste Chinese food out of the usual paradigm. For those of you who have travelled to China, you will find less of a reliance on frying that requires heavy breading, heavily salted foods, heavily oiled foods, and finally less processing and over-marinating. At Danny Ng's the chefs have really thought about how to make all your favorite American Chinese dishes into something that is cooked in a more traditional and healthy way. Let me explain. My signature dish here is, da-dum,... General Tso's chicken. We all know and love this dish which has a long history in American Chinese restaurants. They take this dish, marinate the white-meat chicken, make it moist and fry this dish with the thinnest of batters. In fact, it is very hard to notice a crust. Then they make the sweet sauce that is not thick, but thin, yet clings on the cubes of chicken. It is all presented on a bed of broccoli. The truly amazing part here is that it is like no other General Tso's chicken you've ever had. It's easier to describe what it is not. It is does not have a thick breading. It does not have an overly thick and overly sweet sauce. It is not oily. It seems that there are three principles working here in their kitchen:

1. Lower the salt content
2. Lower the oil
3. Insert plenty of vegetables in each dish
   

This philosophy in creating their food is perpetuated throughout their menu. I have been to this restaurant 5 times already and I have never been disappointed. Some of my recommendations are the oxtail stew, the fish maw soup, anything with a bean curd wrap (great for vegetarians and in my opinion, the best mock duck in the world), fried pork chop with pepper salt, any of their casseroles and fried frog legs. The only item that I would avoid are any of the sizzling platters. I've tried a couple and the volume of food and combinations of vegetables and meat weren't adequate in taste or excitement.

Now, since this is the cheap food blog, you may be asking, "How are the prices?" I would say that they are competitive in the mid-range. Most dishes are in the $12 to $15 range, with many tasty dishes in the $9 to $11 range. I've even tried their fried rice dishes and noodles, which are cheaper and they are all excellent. Also remember that if you do not order soup, the house will serve the house soup free of charge and will also give free orange slices and dessert soup at the end of your meal. Given all of their affordable menu choices, I would say this qualified to be on Manhattan's Cheap Food Blog.

Cream Cakes at Quickly

After a satisfying meal at Joe's Ginger last night in Manhattan's Chinatown, I made a delicious new discovery on my way home. As my wife and I were walking down Pell Street, we noticed that a new eatery had opened up to the right of Joe's Shanghai. We took a look from the outside and noticed there was a little window where a man was making small oval-shaped cakes using a 21st century contraption. The contraption consisted of a conveyor belt made of metal cake shapes, which were constantly being filled by two tubes that hung over the conveyor. I took a quick look and saw a sign that said $2 for 8 pieces and $5 for 20 pieces.

Since my wife and I wanted some dessert, we ordered 8 and were really delighted. The yellow cakes were shaped like a lady finger with a texture that was denser than spongecake. Cream was injected inside while it was cooked. Unfortunately, the cakes we had were pre-made and were only slightly warm, but they were still delicious. My wife told me how good they would be if they were just taken off of the conveyor! For those of you who have been to Mitsuwa, a Japanese supermarket in Edgewater New Jersey, this cake is very similar to the round cream-filled cakes in their food court. I liked this one better because of the slightly sweeter taste and the more bite-sized portion.

To finish this story, I took a look at the sign above and saw that the store was named Quickly, a Taiwanese bubble tea chain. I took a quick step inside and confirmed that this was a bubble tea store with limited seating. They also have a limited hot food menu. So if you're in Chinatown, try these instead of the street cart "Hong Kong cakes". In my book, they're moister and tastier!

The Right Time to Shop at Sidewalk Vendors

I made a discovery this weekend as I was food shopping in Manhattan's Chinatown. As I was walking around Mulberry Street, below Canal, I noticed that all the fruit and vegetable sidewalk vendors were closing for the evening. I took a look at some of their last items before they packed up. The vendor saw that I was interested in some blueberries and cherries and they became insistent that I take them off of their hands. They said $4 for 4 pints! I couldn't believe it, so I ended up buying the lot. So my advice for today is that if you want some deals and can time your visit, go to Chinatown to pick up some bargains between the hours of 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. You never know what they'll have available!

Cherry Season

Late June is my favorite month for fruit, particularly for red cherries and blueberries. To me, this is "high season" mainly because during this time of year, their sweetness levels are at its highest. I love diving into a pound or two of cherries. I like the ones that look conjoined, because they resemble something funny! Can you guess? :) But I digress... To get the best prices for these two treats, go to Chinatown and get off at the Canal Street Station. All the fruit stands are to be found on Canal Street between Baxter and Mulberry Streets. If you walk south on Mulberry Street toward Columbus Park, you will find more stands at the intersection of Mulberry and Bayard Street. My wife made a discovery yesterday. Some fruit stands were selling 2 pounds of cherries for $5 and some offered the same cherries for $3. It definitely pays to shop around as some locations justify their higher prices by being at a prime sidewalk spot. I can't wait till July as the yellow cherry season begins. I found some in Midtown, but they're not ripe just yet. In a few weeks they should be just fine!

Pluck U

Here's yet another post on my favorite topic, chicken wings! Pluck U, in my opinion makes the best buffalo wings, bar none. I was first introduced to Pluck U back in the late 80's when they had a location near NYU. Throughout the 90's there were several locations all around Manhattan and all equally good. For some reason, during the 2000's almost all the locations closed for some unknown reason. One closed in the Financial District, another the East Village, another in Murray Hill and then another in Hell's Kitchen.

About 3 weeks ago, after walking around the Hell's Kitchen area on Memorial Day, I stumbled upon a new Pluck U (47th Street and 10th Avenue)!! I couldn't believe my eyes because as far as I knew, the last remaining store was located on Thompson Street in Greenwich Village. I was so happy, ... salvation! I finally got to try the wings and true to form, the same great taste remains! Pluck U is known for their exceptional sauces. I am partial to "Gold" which is the non-hot sauce and mildly sweet. Others like BBQ, Mild, Medium, Hot and Death live up to their name. What's great about this chain is their consistency. A final note about their wings is that they are fried perfectly and never to the point of gristly skin.

For about $10 you can get 10 wings a drink and a fry. There are plenty of side dishes to be had and they're all good. I do not recommend the boneless wings because the bone give the wings better flavor. In the end, Pluck U are not necessarily the cheapest wings you can get, but they taste the best. A final note, the two remaining Pluck U's in Manhattan have very limited seating, so the best way to enjoy them is to take out!

Frozen Yogurt

My, have we come a long way from the days when Colombo soft frozen yogurt was king of the New York deli. In a category that was once sweet and filled with many flavor choices, we have now changed to "kinder and gentler" yogurt, less sweet and more healthy. There are now three major frozen yogurt chains that predominate in Manhattan, Tasti D lite, Red Mango and Pinkberry. I've tried all three and each have their pluses and minuses.

Of the three, the one that compares most closely to Colombo, is Tasti D lite. It contains the same high sweetness level, has plenty of flavors and offers similar traditional toppings for their yogurt as with ice cream. However, I can't get over the "plasticky foam" taste of their yogurt. After eating one, it just seems to occupy a space in your stomach without the leaving you with the feeling of heft and satifaction. It is a physically hollow feeling.

Red Mango and Pinkberry has some heft behind it, although you could say they are in a category of their own. This category of yogurt gives a textural feeling of millions of tiny ice crystals in your mouth. After the initial bite, both yogurts are tangy and sweet, perhaps half the sweetness of ice cream. The main difference between Red Mango and Pinkberry is that Red Mango is a tiny bit sweeter than Pinkberry. All the toppings offered for both products are the same, from fresh fruit to Captain Crunch to little mochi rice balls. Both are fairly expensive. Expect to pay about $5 for a small and up to $8.50 for a large.

Today, I actually stumbled upon a new place called Yogurt Yogurt located at Lexington and 23rd. I asked the guy working inside if there were other branches and he said there were some in Brooklyn and Queens. About the yogurt, this place sells the same type of yogurt as Red Mango and Pinkberry. It is as sweet as Red Mango, but the difference is the texture. Their yogurt actually has nearly 90% of the texture of real ice cream. Very different and I liked it! I like their price even more. A small goes for $2.70!!!

That is what I love about this new frozen yogurt trend. There are so many different kinds and I know I've left out a couple, so if anyone would like to add more and about their qualities, I'd love to hear it!

Hong Kong Supermarket

I took a trip to Chinatown yesterday and took a look at the remains of the oldest Hong Kong Supermarket in New York City. Hong Kong Supermarket is an Asian supermarket chain which has several stores located on the East Coast. As I recall, Hong Kong Supermarket on Pike Street and East Broadway, opened in Manhattan's Chinatown during the late 1980's. This, I believe, was the first Hong Kong Supermarket in the Tri-State region and started when the original landlord in the location had originally intended to open an Asian-type mall, with sectioned off stalls. Somehow, that never happened and the owners of HK Supermarket leased the entire lot. It was there for so many years until a huge fire, several weeks ago, destroyed the supermarket, in addition to an adjacent building.

Hong Kong Supermarket was always a landmark to me because it was the first time a bonafide supermarket selling Asian items was opened, other than the conventional mom and pop type stores in Chinatown. As the Asian community grew, branches were opened in Brooklyn, Queens and in New Jersey. Other Asian supermarkets followed and now the "Asian supermarket" is seen as institutions in their neighborhoods and communities. It always amused me how the Fire Department always flashed their lights and double-parked their firetrucks in front of HK Supermarket while making their food runs. Somehow, the fire department saw HK Supermarket to be on par with Pathmark, the local giant in the surrounding neighborhood.

As of now, the status of HK Supermarket is unknown. I'm sure those of us who are fans of Asian supermarkets and their low prices, are eager to see it return, hopefully bigger and better. The original was always tight and it would be nice to see a two or even a three-story supermarket take its place. For the record, my last ever purchase at this HK Supermarket was frozen green onion pie, the kind that is savory and speckled with scallions and onions. I hope I can shop there again!

Strange Taste Cuisine

A couple of months ago, I saw this Chinese restaurant called Strange Taste Cuisine located on Henry Street, between Catherine and Market Streets in Chinatown. The name was so good I had to take a picture. So what is so strange about the cuisine? Since I haven't eaten at this place, I found through research that this is a Fujianiese dumpling and noodle restaurant. That doesn't seem so strange...

Bagels - Austin's Cafe

What makes a good bagel? To me, a good bagel should be shiny and crusty on the outside, to ensure that it is baked through. It should be doughy, yeasty and and chewy and should spring back when touched. A good bagel should also be tasty both hot or at room temperature! A bagel should not look like bread and should not have rough texture crust. In all my years, the worst bagels I had are the ones that resemble or taste like a kaiser roll or a round roll, shaped into a bagel. They're just awful, and when presented with one, I just close my eyes and imagine it to be something else, usually when I'm out of town.

It was a sad time last year when, in my opinion, the best bagel shop in Manhattan closed, David's Bagels on 1st Avenue and 14th Street. Their bagels epitomized the best in bagel-making. Now that a year has passed, I'd like to share with you Austin's Cafe, which is located on the corner of Park Avenue and 34th Street. This is not a bagel shop but a deli, selling sandwiches, coffee, salads, danishes and such, but it currently has the best bagels, nearly as good as Davids. I looked around Austin's and didn't see anybody making bagels, so I assume that they get their bagels delivered from somewhere. Anyhow, if you want a bagel that is truly heavenly, try theirs. They are not overdone and everything about it is just in the right amounts. I'd give it a 9 out of 10, with the long gone David's being the perfect standard.

There is another bagel place nearby with a great reputation and where these guys actually make the bagels on the premises which is Daniel's on 37th and 3rd. However, I find their bagels to have a "floury" taste. It tastes as though they are made with a different kind of flour or perhaps yeast that gives their bagels a different taste and aroma. It's not bad, just different.

If you try either, you'll taste the difference. So what is your favorite New York bagel shop? I'd love to know!

Beard Papa Cream Puffs

Woe is me.... the Beard Papa located near Grand Central (on 41st and Madison) is now history as I discovered this past Sunday. It was actually located in a place called Cafe Zaiya and has been there for years. I loved to stop by every once in a while to pick up a regular or a green tea cream puff, or even one of their eclairs. Now I'll have to take the subway to one of their other locations in the city and there aren't many of them.

For those of you who don't know Beard Papa, it's a Japanese cream puff chain. It's logo is recognizable to us as it resembles the Gorton's Fisherman. What made Beard Papa one of my favorites was the they way the cream was made. Generally, Asian bakeries tend to dial down the sweetness level in their cakes and creams and Beard Papa is the perfect example. The cream has a lighter consistency than a regular Italian cream puff. It isn't as sweet and tastes milkier. The other tasty aspect of their cream puffs was the pastry shell. They bake it in the store and it had a thin and flaky yet firm consistency. Italian cream puffs tend to be chewier and more eggy. The best part is that the cream is injected when you make your order, which ensures the life of the pastry shell. All of this deliciousness could be had for $1.75 to $2 depending on the filling.

For now, I guess I'll have to settle for the store-bought cream puffs at some local Japanese supermarkets. They are surprisingly good, but not as good as Beard Papa.

Shake Shack

About a month ago, I finally had the chance to walk over to the famous Shake Shack, which is located in Madison Square Park. New York had a fairly cold spring so the line outside the shack was really short. I found the prices to be standard in the $7 to $8 range which is not outrageous in New York. If memory serves me correctly, I think the fries were about $4. In any case, I finally discovered what the fuss was all about. The burger, although small, probably 3 inches across, was probably made with sirloin. There wasn't much fat content but surprisingly it was tender. The bun tasted as if it was freshly baked and the fries were freshly cut and did not have the odor of frozenness. I only waited 10 minutes for my order and I would say I would go again, but only during a low period when the wait isn't so long. Next, I must try the frozen custard, which I have no idea what that is!

Wharf Bar

Okay, so here's my first blog about my favorite places for food in New York. I'll start with the place where I've been going to most, and in these recessionary days, a good bar with cheap bar food is definitely high on my list. Wharf Bar is located on 3rd Avenue between 38th and 39th Streets. It appears to be an after work watering hole, with office workers streaming in after 5. But the real reason to come here is for the cheap food, and my own personal favorite, chicken wings. Where oh where can you get 20 wings for $8 in New York City? I'm thinking you may be able to find something similar in its price range, but as for taste and value, this place is the place to go. The 3 flavors are teriyaki, barbeque and the regular buffalo wing sauce. Any of these hits the spot and for $8 bucks, you can't lose. By the way, if you want fries with those, get the waffle fries, not the shoestring. That'll set you back another $3. Great place for the recession!

Welcome to the Blog World

I'm finally blogging yeah, like 10 years after blogs first appeared! I had actually had one blog before this one and probably posted twice, but this time I guess I'll give it a go for real. I will write about the restaurants and my general experiences around New York City, mainly about eating. So now I can say goodbye to Yahoo 360 and hello Blogger.com!