Dim Sum at East Harbor Seafood Palace

A bunch of us went to the East Harbor Seafood Palace (726 65th Street, between 7th & 8th Avenues, 718-765-0098) on the border of Sunset Park, Bay Ridge & Dyker Heights, in a bland, peach & beige building that looks like anything BUT a palace. We went on a recent, frigid weekend morning and stood in the windy entryway with our ticket in hand, asking the kind people around us what number the gentleman inside was shouting into his microphone. He eventually did yell out our number, in English no less (they write it down if you need such assistance when you get your number) and were seated, 45 minutes after arriving at a cozy table away from the action at the front door.

Immediately plates of Pork Spare Ribs were brought over (Bottom Center), along with some Shrimp Dumplings (Top Right) & Fish Balls (Top Left) (please excuse my ignorance at not knowing the proper names for some of these dishes, we were so hungry and frantic at first, I could barely stop to take a photo, let alone write down the name!). Happily and hungrily we dove into our food and were quickly put at ease. The ribs were cut into small pieces you had to eat with your fingers in order to scrape the meat off of the bone. They were fatty too, so I could only stomach 2 or 3 pieces. The Shrimp Dumplings were "fierce" as one of my dining companions exclaimed but the Fish Balls were my preference. They were of a soft consistency - sort of doughy, sort of mealy, but a pleasant texture overall and very tasty.



Next came some Flat Rice Noodles stuffed with Shrimp and doused in a sweet Soy Sauce. They were so steamy, I had to photograph them twice!



What are you eating?



Oh, there you are! These were wonderful. The sauce was sweet and a bit thick, the noodles were slightly sticky and gummy, yet pleasing to the palate and they had juicy, tender shrimp nestled in them.

Of course, it wouldn't be a complete meal without some Buns. Fluffy dough, slightly dry, with tender chicken meat inside - perfectly proportioned.



We also went out on a limb and tried a dish of Little Fried Fish. This was an "Extra Special" dish, and was the most expensive item we ordered, ringing in at $6.95. Tasting very garlicky and fishy, I ate a small handful before cutting myself off. Two of my dining companions couldn't stomach them at all, while my other friend seemed to enjoy them a lot. See their little eyes?



We also got some BBQ Pork in Flaky Pastry (Bottom Center) (YUM! saucy, flaky, delightful), Spinach & Shrimp Dumplings (Top Right) (so great with the spinach) and some Turnip Cake with bits of pork (Top Left) (not my thing).



MORE flat noodles with shrimp. So tasty!



Of course we had to have something sweet to round the meal out. Sesame Balls with Red Bean Paste are a must. So sweet, a little oily, but so delicious. Again, the consistency of the inner dough is slightly gummy but I love it. These were cut with a special scissors by our server!



We also had these really great doughy balls covered in coconut flakes. There was some kind of dark black/brown paste in the center that I couldn't place, but I really liked these too.



I haven't been to Dim Sum too many times so I'm not a reliable critic on this one. My friend who grew up eating Dim Sum regularly rated the EHSP passable. Most of the dishes were decent, but she's had better. It's definitely a fun option for a group wanting something different for Brunch some weekend morning. Seating is available until 3pm.

Dim Sum at Pacificana

Congratulations to Best View in Brooklyn for winning a copy of Andrew Coe's new book, Chop Suey: A Cultural History of Chinese Food in the United States. Here is a post she wrote about Dim Sum in Sunset Park. Enjoy!

After several less-than-patient attempts to partake of dim sum at Pacificana, I have finally experienced the legendary tidbits and nibbles above the Chase bank on 8th Avenue and 55th Street. I went with a friend who speaks and understands Chinese, and she also was familiar with some of the items I hadn't ever seen. The servers did translate the dishes, so don't worry if you don't know Chinese.

We started out by ordering Chrysanthemum tea instead of the regular green tea. So good. Let it steep for a while after it gets to the table. Fanny also told me that it's polite to tap the table with your fingertips while the server (or your friend) pours tea for you. It basically means "Thank you for pouring my tea."

Other highlights we ordered were shu mai, shrimp dumplings, and some crunchy goodness wrapped in squishy goodness. Fanny had to eat most of that since only the crunchy-squishy goodness was sans meat. We then saw a bun/pastry cart go by. Fanny picked out the durian and egg custard plates. I was a little dubious about eating the durian pastry (pictured below) because I had seen that bizarre foods show with that food guy on that food channel. The durian vendors in his show were stationed far from everyone else due to the smell of the durian fruit. It's also banned in touristy hotels in China and Singapore! Fanny assured me that the taste (and smell) is much different post-cooking than fresh. I would have tried it anyway, just to try it.

However, it was really good! The durian filling is kind of like cooked but uncaramelized Vidalia onions. It was all I could do to save one to bring home for my better half.

The photo below shows some of the other items we tried. From right to left: the egg custard tarts were also quite tasty. Very eggy flavor, and sweet. The greens were excellent, and it was a good thing we ordered them. Nice to have something to help things move along. The turnip cake has chunks of turnip and some pork in it. I did try a little of the turnip chunk, and it was tasty. On the far left is an almond pudding. Very sweet and very good. In fact, it was particularly tasty as a way to cut some of the bitterness of the greens. There is also some hot sauce on the table. You have to order that specifically; just ask for "hot sauce."

The entire meal, Fanny had been talking about fresh tofu pudding. She hadn't had it for years, and we didn't see any going by in the carts. After we'd already ordered an obscene amount of plates (we were there to try lots of stuff - we didn't finish them all!), I saw a server scooping wobbly white stuff into bowls. I'd found it! I was very pleased to make myself useful at Pacificana. So, of course, we had to order a bowl of fresh tofu as well. It was a perfect ending, actually. Very light, the tiniest bit sweet, and it actually tasted like tofu...not spongey shoelaces like some of the pre-packaged tofu can be. Here's what the serving looked like before we attacked it.


What surprised me about Pacificana most was how crowded it was. I mean, it was 11:30 AM in the middle of the week! I thought there would be SOME people there, but the place was FULL. And when it started to thin out at about noon, a new wave of people came in. I have to say, we spent a lot more time there than most. At first we were seated with the maternal side of a family (grandmother, mother, three girls), they finished up while we started, and then a couple of White women came in and they were seated with us. (We three were the only White people there, by the way. Coincidence? I guess we got the kids'/White people's table.) The two women were out of there within 20 minutes...quick lunch. A third party was being seated when we finally had our bill tallied. Perhaps a lot of people use it as a quick, relatively cheap way to have lunch. Anyway, I was amazed by the amount of people in that huge space.

I'll be back, for sure. I know that on the weekends it's best to get there quite early. We were seated almost immediately, so weekday lunch is pretty easy. Enjoy!

Dumplings at Eton

**Eton has moved and is now located at 359 Sackett St., just off of Smith St., around the corner from Zaytoon's. The menu is the same.**

Eton, 205 Sackett St., between Henry St. & Hicks St., 718-222-2999, hours: 11:30am-11:30pm), Carroll Gardens.

Five dumplings come in an order for $3.50. Quite a bargain for such scrumptious little treats. We took home the Chicken Dumplings with Sweet & Spicy sauce and the Vegetable (with Mushrooms, Lentils & Tofu) with a homemade Soy Sauce. Yummy! The chicken had abundant, juicy white meat and the sauce was a perfect match, tasty and tangy.

Chicken:


The vegetable dumplings tasted very fresh. The flavor of the celery and carrots jumped out, but the lentils were a little dry or something. I didn’t like the texture of them, and thought the soy sauce was on the bland side, as compared to the sweet & spicy sauce.

Vegetable:


I tried the beef and pork dumplings the first time I went into Eton and they tasted fantastic - deliciously salty, savory and tender. They also serve Shaved Ice, with a huge array of flavors to choose from, but I’ve yet to try them out. Eton is awesome, and is the only late-night place to go to in the neighborhood if you need some quick, warm & tasty food at 11pm.

**** UPDATE 10/3/08****
Just found out that Eton has "re-opened" with a new wood counter-top, new stools, new staff, and new biodegradable take-out containers! They're also selling their homemade sauce by the jar. Yay!

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