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THE BRIDGEWATER-SOMERVILLE CONNECTION
FEB/MARCH 2016
www.youtube.com/user/ConnectionsNJ www.theconnectionsnj.com Connectionsnj@gmail.com Scan This Code to Visit The Connections YouTube Channel THE CONNECTIONS Chinatown Calls By: Linda Seigelman On a day when you are looking for some- where to spend some time outside, maybe do a little shopping and stop for something to eat, hop on Route 78, head into the Holland Tunnel and find a spot to park in Chinatown. Door to door it’s rarely more than 45 minutes. Canal Street is the main artery of Chinatown, and it is known as much for knock-offs as for food. Stroll up the north side of Canal from West Broadway, and you are immediately approached by hawkers offering Rolex watches and designer handbags of every type. The street is lined with shops and booths brimming with souvenirs, perfumes, jewelry, sunglasses and electronics. Still further up Canal are stores with beautiful Asian art and artifacts. Canal Street offers something for everyone, and it is one of the few places left in New York City where you can still bargain. If it’s time for a break, on Lafayette Street just south of Canal is the appropriately named Excellent Dumpling House at #111. Eat in or get some freshly made vegetable dumplings to go and weather permitting, walk down to the park benches at the end of the street for an al fresco break. Continue north to explore Centre, Baxter and Bayard Streets, working your way to Mott Street, once the culinary heart of Chinatown. Stop in at a bakery or two for a selection of enticing sweet and savory snacks including my favorite steamed pork buns and refreshing drinks in lemon/ plum and mango/basil seed flavors. Down the block is Columbus Park where in warm weather locals congregate to play cards and Chinese checkers. Take time to explore the wonderful food stalls and markets on Canal Street between Baxter and Mulberry. The steamy store win- dows feature delicious looking Peking ducks and other meats. Fish stands are brimming with every imaginable type of seafood. Neighborhood shoppers are stocking up on fresh fruits and vegetables, many of which you won’t find in a local supermarket. The area’s grocery stores offer a wide assortment of well-priced Asian specialty items and are the perfect place to find a lovely bowl or teapot hidden among the colorful displays of teas, spices and housewares. On the north side of Canal, walk down Elizabeth Street to the Deluxe Food Market at #79. It is a narrow, bustling indoor market with long steam tables selling all types of pre- pared food for takeout – sweet and sour pork, fried shrimp, dumplings, bean curd, lo mein and sesame chicken are just a sampling – and counters filled with fresh fish, meats, fruits, vegetables, and a large frozen food section. If you are looking to prepare authentic Chinese dishes, this market offers one stop shopping. If you are looking for unusual ingredients from alligator to rabbit, you can find them here as well. A few blocks south of Deluxe Food Market at 215 Centre Street is The Museum of Chinese in America which was designed by Maya Lin. Originally founded in 1980 on Mulberry Street, MOCA is the leading muse- um dedicated to preserving and presenting the history and culture of people of Chinese descent in the United States, and it is a lovely oasis in the midst of Chinatown’s hustle and bustle. SOME FAVORITE SPOTS China Village Restaurant, 94 Baxter Street (bet/ Canal & White) – full menu, most- ly Cantonese, lots of soup choices, the lunch special is still $6.68 – what a deal DeLuxe Food Market, 79 Elizabeth Street (bet/ Grand & Hester) – one stop shopping for great takeout and everything needed to pre- pare an authentic Chinese meal Dim Sum Go Go, 5 East Broadway (Chatham Square) – very good dim sum made to order in a non-traditional setting, no carts Dragon Land Bakery, 125 Walker Street (at Baxter) – a bakery/café with a large assort- ment of pastries, buns, drinks and sandwich- es, open early for breakfast too Excellent Dumpling House, 111 Lafayette Street (bet/ Canal & Walker) – as the name indicates, excellent dumplings, noodle soups and other dishes, a neighborhood favorite Fay Da Bakery, 83 Mott Street – modern bakery/café offering a tempting array of goodies, delicious sweet and savory buns rea- sonably priced, filled with local families on the weekend Hop Kee, 21 Mott Street (at Mosco) – classic Cantonese spot, been around forever, Anthony Bourdain put it back on the map, it’s all old-fashioned and good Original Chinatown Ice Cream Factory, 65 Bayard Street (bet/ Elizabeth & Mott) – family-owned, a local treasure, traditional and unusual ice creams and sorbets: lychee, red bean, black sesame, taro to name a few, open late Red Egg, 202 Centre Street (bet/ Grand & Hester) – Chinese Peruvian restaurant, mod- ern décor, extensive dim sum menu until 4pm, try the Peking duck sliders Yi Li, 60 Bayard Street (at Elizabeth) – clas- sic window displays of hanging Peking ducks and large tanks filled with crabs, lobsters, fish and eels entice passersby, extensive menu meets every taste www.theconnectionsnj.com