Yes, New York again. I know the blog is called Elizabeth Minchilli in Rome, but since I seem to be the resident New Yorker for a lot of my Roman friends, I’m taking the opportunity to post about some of our favorite places we visit every time we’re in town.
As you’d imagine, when in NYC, we steer clear of pizza, pasta and anything else even vaguely Italian. Instead it’s either 100% American (like Peels) or else from a far away continent – preferably Asia.
One of our traditional stops is at Jing Fong, for dim sum. I’m sure there are probably quainter, or even better, dim sum places in Chinatown, (and you can check out this app for everything you’ve ever wanted to know about that neighborhood) but we love Jing Fong, in all it’s glorious, tacky, Hong-Kongish, over-the-stop splendor.
If you’re lucky, or go off hours, just ride the escalator straight up to the dining room. If not, give your name to the lady behind the podium. She will give you a completely random number (don’t worry if numbers before or after yours get called) which should get you seated in under ten minutes.
Why the short wait? The place is huge. And by huge, I mean HUGE. This is Chinese banquet style dining, big time. The stage at one end of the room is usually decorated with an elaborate balloon arrangement, ready or left over for some wedding or birthday. (Notice that almost all the other tables are full of Chinese families)
You’ll be shown to your table, given a little slip of gridded paper, and the show begins. Kerchiefed ladies pushing steam carts between the rows of tables pass by, yelling out undecipherable names of whatever is held in their bamboo baskets. We usually grab one or two of everything. The ladies squeeze the appropriate sauce atop our dumplings, check off our running tab on the numbered card, and wheel away.
Tiny pork-stuffed dumplings, thick rice noodles wrapped around chopped beef, fluffy pork buns. All is good.
Eventually we make a trip up to the buffet, which is always a surprise. Piles of seasonal greens, tripe and this time around mini steamed eggplants stuffed with shrimp. Noodles are ordered off the small menu, and come out from the kitchen. Worth the wait.
It’s always hard to tell when we’re done. It’s so easy to continue grabbing just one more bamboo basket, just one more plate from the buffet. But eventually we take our tab up to the cashier, pay our bill (shockingly cheap) and take the escalator back down to continue on our New York day. 
Jing Fong
20 Elizabeth Street
NYC
212-964-5256
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Mmmm… I want to go back.
I had to laugh when I saw this Elizabeth. This restaurant is two blocks away from the infamous “Mulburry Bend” — the center of Little Italy around the turn of the century. (Jacab Riis, the Danish Journalist turned social reformer, has a picture of Mulburry Bend in his book “How the Other Half Lives”.) This area was home-base to most Southern Italians who passed through Ellis Island. (The old “Hewbrew Quarter” started at Baynard St.) Now, most of the area is “China Town”. Lower Manhattan is such an interesting place!
I love the Occupancy sign!
We happened to sit at the same table as one of the owners of Jing Fong last time we were there. Fascinating! Underneath the seeming disorder of the place, there is science. Everything is worked out perfectly. I think he said they serve 7,000 people per Sunday. My wife has a theory that no matter how much dim sum we eat, the bill is always $13 per person. And he said that their goal was $15. So about right. They have one whole floor that does nothing but dishwashing. Then there is a prep floor, a cooking floor, and a couple others. 6 floors total I think. A real palace of dim sum.
Will you please stop posting on NYC soon, Elizabeth? This is torture, torture I tell you! 🙂 Truly, my little face is practically pressed up against the screen.
I’m in the airport lounge at LAX at the moment, heading for NYC. I’ll make this a trip from mid-town. Thank you!
Nicely done. Although I eat most of my Asian food in Flushing, Queens these days, Jing Fong is where I mostly recommend that out of town friends or locals who want a guaranteed upbeat meal go for dim sum. The overall experience is well worth it and the great variety of freshly prepared food beats almost any other place in NYC. I love it, escalator and all.
Now I’m craving dim sum!!!
I’m feeling a trek to NYC is in order. Glad you had a nice visit!
@Michelle: I love this part of NYC, since I guess it feels most like ‘home’ (i.e. Rome)
@Josehpine: I know! Love they had to cross it out from 800!
@Jake: Wow, would love to have the full tour – all six floors – one day. Or not?
@Steve: We always mean to get out to Queens, but never seem to find the time during the week we are there.
Mmmmmm Jing Fong. I was born and raised in NYC and I think this is still the best dim sum place (with dim sum in Flushing coming in a close second!!).
When I was younger the huge escalator seemed soooo big.
Elizabeth (or anyone reading this post), I would be Forever Grateful for tips on where to get good dim sum in Rome – I grew up in Vancouver, BC, (or Hong Couver, as we affectionately call it), have been away for over 3 years and am in serious Xiao Mai withdrawal…