I’m a sucker for Cha Siu Bao, so whenever I’m in a city with a large Chinese community, I head immediately to the nearest bakery.
I tried two while I was here. The Guardian says that the buns at Mei Lai Wah at 64 Bayard St are the best in Chinatown and I couldn’t disagree. It was one of the best I’ve ever tasted (A) and a steal at just $1. The bun from the Tai Pan Bakery www.taipanbakeryonline.com at 194 Canal St, were okay, but not quite as good (B).
For Cantonese food, check out…
Jing Fong (Intermediate A) 20 Elizabeth St, jingfongny.com
I came here with Karen & Tom for Dim Sum. As you can see it’s a huge place.
The Dim Sum is very good. Amongst many things we had Choi Sum with Oyster Sauce…
…Turnip Cake…
…Steamed Rice in a Lotus Leaf…
and Shrimp Noodle Dumplings.
The ‘Pheonix Claws’ were good too.
Little Italy stopped being a residential area for Italian Americans a long time ago and it’s slowly being subsumed into Chinatown, its neighbour just to the south. There are a fair few Italian restaurants left though. After our Dim Sum we went to Caffe Palermo www.caffepalermo.com at 148 Mulberry St for some decadent Cannoli.
There are heaps of other good places of course, both Italian and Chinese, this is just my brief experience.