Wisconsin Dumpling Tour

Happy President’s Day! I was just sitting in bed, weighing my options: West Wing on Insti-Netflix or Nap? And then I realized that I haven’t written in this thing for WEEKS and I’m sure you’re all just dying to know my recent opinions on dumplings.

Well you all just sit down. This one is a two-parter.

A couple of weeks ago I decided to visit a dearest dumpling darling, Vanessa. The first order of business when entering Madison is typically a stop at Ha Long Bay. And for some reason, no matter what time I arrive, there is ALWAYS a wait. But it’s worth it. When Vanessa and I first started to dine there, we would get one order of dumplings and then a noodle dish and a curry dish. It soon became obvious that we were doing it all wrong, and that we should just be ordering two dumpling dishes because I TELL YOU WHAT, PEOPLE! These things are brilliant.

Here they are! And look - nearly a cup of sauce!

First off, they are chicken dumplings. And I’m pretty hesitant when it comes to ground chicken (and not just because of my dad warning me about the bacterial issues with ground chicken). There’s just something about them that seems so lackluster in flavor when compared to pork. But in this case, they’re just right. There’s not too much of it, and it’s enveloped in heavier homemade dough with a spectacular soy/vinegar based sauce that really inundates the chicken. You get 6, which is reasonable, and works out perfectly if you each order your own.  We branched out the last time I was there and got one fried order and one steamed, and even though I’m all for fried dumplings, the steamed are just a cut above the rest.

Cost: $6
Taste: 5/5
Texture: 4/5 (chicken crumbles leave something to be desired, but it still works)
Amount: 5/5 (if you get your own order) and 3/5 if you don't. 

After this brief trip to Madison, Vanessa and I hopped into my tiny rental car, stopped at an outlet mall and went to Milwaukee! In my opinion, Milwaukee is a lot like downtown St. Paul; pretty buildings, nice museums, a couple of nice restaurants, and it is EMPTY.  In any case, on Superbowl Sunday, we went to Sollie’s for some butter burgers (I am giving them a brief mention because they are AMAZING and SO BUTTERY and so DELICIOUS and also so so so terrible for you especially when you decide to eat them with milkshakes and fries.) But then, as Vanessa and I are both libras, we felt the need for some balance. So, upon a few friends’ recommendations, we went to Sake Tumi for a light sushi dinner.

Sake Tumi has a great Sunday night happy hour complete with half price bottles of wine and a ton of clearance wussy sushi (the only sushi I eat.) And along with the sushi, we ordered gyoza. And I swear to god, every sushi place I’ve ever been to has the same gyoza.  SOMEONE. PROVE ME WRONG. You get 5 (?!?!?!) tiny dumplings with just a thimble full of sauce. Did I still enjoy them? Yes. Could I have eaten 12 more? Absolutely. No contest. Vanessa let me have the third dumpling (presumably so I wouldn’t stomp out of the restaurant immediately and leave her with the bill), but still. One of these days I’d love to have some gyoza with heft. There’s enough delicate sushi out there, let’s balance it out. I feel like I’m coming off as a little too American in this post.

I'm not mad, I'm just disappointed. 

Here’s the breakdown:

Cost: $6
Taste: 3/5
Texture: 2.5/5
Amount: 2/5

Harsh! This was a harsh review! But the sushi was lovely and thank you to our server who was nice enough to turn down the house music so that everyone could watch the Beyonce half-time show. 

Dumplings within walking distance: coming soon

Hi all,

As you anticipate my next post (I went on a mini vacation and sampled the dumpling delights of both Madison and Milwaukee), check this out!

Dara Moskowitz-Grumdahl details a new restaurant opening with a variety of dumpling offerings, including Khinkali (GEORGIAN DUMPLINGS!) and PRETZEL DUMPLINGS! Whoa.

Here is the excerpt that caught my attention: 

"It means Becker is in there training cooks, right now. Training a lot of cooks. Upstairs, 150 seats for people who want steak and/or dumplings. Yes, I said dumplings. Becker told me the new spot will have a whole section of menu sides exploring the hitherto locally unexplored territory of northern European dumplings—pretzel dumplings, handmade spaetzel, semolina dumplings, and khinkali, Georgian stuffed dumplings. What’s with all the dumplings? Becker says they’re delicious—and will serve as a pasta-lover’s destination, not unlike Bar La Grassa, for non-meat lovers. (Yes, there will be lots of straight up vegetables too.)"

For more, click here. 

Khinkali. I could definitely eat all of those. 

Momo Money, Momo problems...(with portion control!- helloooo)

As I sit here, eating a cupcake after some delicate stomach issues (DUMPLING UNRELATED) I realize that sometimes, I should question my choices.  But I never question a good trip to Himalaya. Himalaya is a tiny little restaurant on Franklin Avenue (Side note: I was just fact checking my blog because I believe in the truth, and the restaurant is actually called Himalayan Restaurant – catchy!)  They serve Nepalese food, which I hadn’t tried until I was 24 years old. Unbelievable. I remember my Uncle Basil trying to convince me to go to Himalaya by saying “But Suzy! You don’t even know! They have DUMPLINGS!”

Ding ding ding! Magic word!

Yes, it’s true. The Nepalese make these adorable little purses of yak (take that phrase to the BANK!) called momos. Steamed, (not fried – those are called kothe – I am slightly less jazzed about those) these juicy dumplings pack in a nicely spiced flavor, along with just a little bit of cilantro and a LOT of garlic. It comes in a few different variations (vegetarian/meat – turkey & pork/yak). I chose yak, as it isn’t really offered too many places. It’s tasty meat – though a bit on the dry side. I prefer the “meat” option, but it’s definitely fun to order yak. The wrapper? DOUGHY, chewy, delicious! But not too doughy, because I can eat 5 and still happily pile some chicken tikka with some garlic naan on my plate right after. The sauce that accompanies the momos is not your average dumpling sauce. In fact, it’s a cold, tomato-y, curry sauce with a serious kick! I love it – it makes my nose run, which makes me think it’s also probably some cure-all for colds.

I know what you’re thinking. “Oh my god – she’s selling the farm. She went from a mediocre first dumpling entry to the best?” Rest easy. Yes, it’s in the top 5. But I can’t have you all believing that I exist solely on generic dumplings. Heavens no! I need to start sending my readers to some great places, and Himalayan Restaurant is where it is at.

Just one more thing before the breakdown: In life, you may only come upon this type of person once or twice. No stranger to momo martyrdom, my dear friend Maggie selflessly always gives up the last momo to me – even if we received an even number. Friends, this is Maggie – she’ll be accompanying me on dumpling dates from time to time. I only hope that you all have the luck of finding a potsticker partner such as she, for even my own mother has never given me the extra dumpling.

There it is you guys - the extra dumpling. I call this piece "Anxiety"

Until next time.

Cost: $8 for a full order (10) +$1 if you go yak 

Taste: 5/5

Texture: 4/5

Amount: 5/5 (10 dumplings! Some call it excessive; I call it reasonable)

Hop Wong – the pot of gold at the end of the Rainbow Foods (Lake St)

OK! Whew! Let’s do it!

Here is where I went: www.hopwong.com

I already lied. I didn’t go there. My really lovely fella Alex went and picked them up for me because it was Friday and I was lazy. I have, however, been there before, and I could go on and on about ambience and blah blah blah but that’s not important. Let’s talk about what’s important:

DUMPLINGS!!
They’re here!

Positives!

Here you see a cropped instagrammed picture of some pretty beautiful pouches o’ pork. The shape is textbook crescent. They’re perfectly steamed all over and fried on one side (the way I prefer my dumpling, though you’ll see in later posts that this is not how I prefer my momos – I, like most humans, am very complicated.) You get 8 dumplings for $4.95. They’re doing a couple of things very right.  You’re getting a pretty hefty order for a relatively little dough (pun!), and the number is even. So if, god forbid, I had to share these, I wouldn’t have to cut a bitch for the extra dumpling.

Improvements!

So…what exactly is the meat I’m eating? I’m going to guess it was pork, but it’s pretty hard to tell. The meat is pretty bland and whatever vegetable stuffed inside is indiscernible – a couple of green flecks at best. They could have been scraps of paper, I wouldn’t have noticed. The sauce could also use a little zing. Aaaand a little part of me is always kind of scared I’m going to get sick a few hours later? But, like a good little soldier, I work through those fears. (Any friends of mine who just read that are probably laughing like little creeps and preparing my phone number on their cellular telephones, ready and willing to call me out on my BS due to my extreme hypochondria that I primarily blame on E.R. episodes from ’94-’98 – “Mom, I think I have ebola.” “No, you don’t.”)

Overall? A solid 6/10. These dumplings will definitely be there for you in a pinch (they deliver!), and there are a LOT of them. And if you don’t particularly care or worry about meat, per say, these babies could be the one for you! Hop Wong is located in a strip mall (often a very good sign – I’m not kidding) right next to Rainbow off of Lake Street.

Check below for my super scientific rating system:

Cost: <$5
Taste: 2 out of 5 
Texture: 4 out of 5
Amount: 5 out of 5 (you get 8 for christ’s sake! That’s unheard of in most circles!)

Aren’t we all dumplings anyway? Meat on the inside, doughy on the outside (some more than others…)

Every blog has an origin story. Most of them are made up, and start a little like…”Oh my friends have always said I should write a blog!”

I’m starting a blog because I’m mad.Today, my pal Maggie put a link on my wall.Allow me to share it with you:http://www.mndaily.com/2013/01/24/twin-cities%E2%80%99-best-dumplings
These A&E Scouts did some amateur work.

Really? The Twin Cities’ Best Dumplings?

And so, I will take it upon myself to educate the masses.

Dumplings are my passion. My very first memory of eating these delicious, savory pillows of delight take place at my favorite Chinese restaurant (Princess Garden on Rice Street in St. Paul <-this location has now moved to Shakopee and operates under the name “Far East” and everything still tastes the same, phew) where my mom would have to cut up my dumplings and wontons and feed them to me, like a hungry little baby dumpling bird.

They make me who I am today.

If dumplings are on a menu, I’ll order them. And I’ve been around for 27 years, and I’ve been eating dumplings for 25, which means I’ve got some serious wisdom to impart.

And while I could just give you an elongated history of my dumpling consumption, dear reader, I plan on doing all of you, and all of the Twin Cities, for that matter, a service. From now until I am satisfied, I will visit a restaurant a week and try their dumplings. You can find the review here.  Taste, texture, price, AMOUNT (Jesus this is so important – why on god’s green earth would you serve dumplings in an ODD number? How do you not expect a fight to break out? It can tear SISTERS apart. I don’t have a sister, but it could tear COUSINS apart. I have a cousin. An odd dumpling number nearly tore us apart – numerous times.)

Dumplings, momos, pierogi, potstickers, gyoza, pelmini: they’re me and I’m them.

Join me on my doughy adventure.