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.