Writes of Passage

This year, 2020, is dominated by covid-19 pandemic. Although I don’t know anyone who has it but few did get laid off as the economy worsened.

I don’t go to Flushing as often, maybe every other month. Three of my go-to eateries on Main Street, a restaurant, one makes chive pancakes and one meat buns are replaced.

1. Chaozhou (?) 潮州 became Xing Fu Tang 幸福堂 Happy House.
2. Tianjin Pancake 天津馅饼 became Wenzhou Chicken 温州熏鸡
3. Meat-buns 肉包子 in the old Golden Market, is under renovation.

From Prince Street to 40th Road. I got a few chive pancakes from Corner 28 (a separate vendor) and the quality is poor, cost 25% more at $2 each.

The new Chinatown of New York. The old Chinatown in lower Manhattan (… used to be all Cantonese) is kind of fading out as Flushing rises.

Flushing is more of Mandarin speaking community. But lately, (perhaps since 2000, many other dialects are being spoken, such as Wenzhou …)

The Town Hall on the corner of Northern Blvd & Linden Place.

The building booms in 2010s. the page

• 2022.1.18, subway
• 2021.7.24, Roosevelt Ave, between Main & Prince
• 2019.4.27, TJ Pancake & LIRR station
• 2018.10.20, condo by LIRR & working girls
• 2018.7.06, beating
• 2017.04.11, from lirr
• 2015.09.03, municipal parking lot on 39th and Sanford Ave
• 2012, Corner 28 旺角

file 21783

My first trip to Flushing since February this year. Less people and pretty subdued. The rainy weather may have contributed to the let down mood. 

Nan Xiang Xiaolongbao has moved, a block south to 2nd floor at 39-16 Prince Street. They now serve with paper cups and plates. The buns are ok (6 for $7.95) but the turnip ham puff (4 for $4.55) is really good. 

Modell’s has finally closed. I’m surprised that it stayed this long. Wrapped vinegar and extra cup for the spicy oil are nice touch. A progress I would say. 

Modell

^{Dongpo Pork: L to R: reality and the lie – on their menu.}
39-07 Prince St
Flushing, NY 11354

Probably won’t return.

Once up on a time, there was a poet from Song Dynasty who, among many talents, was a gastronome. Rightfully, a dish is named after him, Su Dongpo (1037 

In Fresh Meadow.

40-46 Main Street
Flushing, NY

Qingdao restaurant is next to the LIRR east bound station. It has been there for a very long time, over 10 years, which is long in Flushing. Actually I never paid any attention to its name until now. For some reason, I thought it was a Taiwanese restaurant [changed hand(s)?].

It’s convenient for me to zoom in and grab something then catch the train. And the one item I’ve buying is the popular Sichuan appetizer Couple Lungs – 夫妻肺片 fuqi feipian. It’s made of thinly sliced beef and beef offal, and could serve cold or at room temperature – great with beer or chill white or rose. I think theirs is the better one in and around Flushing. Today I ventured a little further and bought two full bags…

• Pork Hock 猪肘子 is NOT soft at all and too hairy.
• the mini meatballs not sure what they’re made of.
• the giant meatballs are ok (not really to my taste).
• fried fish – why so so salty? To cover something?
• the wheat pancakes are pretty good.

As I was looking for it name, I found there are nine reviews on Yelp and 3 on TripAdvisor. … Rudeness is a common complain. I do speak Chinese but …

Ok, you may say, it’s a cheap eat. But I don’t seem to recall any other ethnic vendors (or even street vendors) treat their customer like dirt or non exist. Is it our tolerance that led the Chinese vendors to treat other Chinese like dirt?

Today as I was buying, the woman behind the counter was constantly serving other patron.
Me, “hi, can we finish up here? I’ve a train to catch.”
She, “I’m not delaying you. I’m just taking a payment …” And next moment, she went to clean up a table.

When I saw the slow saut

45-46 Bell Blvd
Bayside, NY 11361

Won’t return: bland and over priced. The shrimps NEED bath – cleaning.

We set to dine at another restaurant but someone didn’t want buffet. It was about to rain and we crossed the street … Obviously it’s a wrong move.

A waste: they use a lot of raw shredded cabbage as garnish, which made me wonder their sense: neither Korean or Chinese eat raw cabbage. And the abundance is just overwhelming and silly.

The chive and pork dish: made me feeling like a cow, chewing on long and tough grass.
…
…

249-32 Horace Harding Expy
Little Neck, NY 11362

This was the old Pine Court. Not much has changed. The decoration is better than their Flushing branch. The service and food are average. It’s convenient for me: a Chinese grocery store is next door.

Roosevelt Ave & Main St,
Flushing, New York, 11354

And … the handicap parking spots are filled with German made cars, always. Have you seen anything like this before: so many, so often at the same time?

What’s going on here?

136-20 Roosevelt Ave, 2nd floor
Flushing, NY 11354

Calling them cheaters maybe too harsh but I won’t return.

Three aging women having lunch. My friend said to the staff as she was ordering the Boiled Fish with Picked Veg, “… we’d like to have the small.” – this dish comes in two sizes.

“Yes, small would do.” We said. We don’t and couldn’t eat a lot.

But when xicao (西曹) soup dish came in this giant bowl, we knew instantly it’s the large size. We asked why but the staff just shrugged and walked away. We let it go. But we won’t return.

The food: average.

The serving plates and bowls are pretty neat. The tea pot is heavy which I don’t mind – good exercise for my bicep, tricep 4-cep …  hey … summer is coming -:).

The decoration: above average in Flushing. Good ceiling height. But the booths by the window are uncomfortable: too far from the table and the couches are too low for the table. The worst: the glassed tables have greasy streaks. I had visited it when it was first opened and sat on the table, which had no glass.

The service: was subpar. I have to signal for tea all the time, especially when it wasn’t busy at all. They didn’t offer rice, not even asked if we need or want rice. Again, we have to ask for it.

Bathroom: a public bathroom, a little walk from the restaurant. Cute washbowls (the white towels underneath are ugly…) but a dirty bathroom.

There was a dirty dish station by our table: I’m wondering, the restaurant is nearly empty, why can’t they move it elsewhere or do NOT throw in the dishes n chopsticks. Unless, they meant to chase us away. We were there for less than two hours.

The elevators are SLOW, very slow. Ten minutes slow. Parking is in the basement for the mall.