Not Terrible, But Not So Teariffic

Teariffic.

This review originally appeared on The Gotham Palate.

Fresh from a weekend trip to Boston, my friend and I arrived back in the brusque city streets of Chinatown where the scents of fish markets, dumplings and automobile exhaust accosts you from every angle and the food is plentiful. Famished (notice how most of my entries mention acute hunger pangs), we trudged along to Mott Street, my wheeled luggage jolting up and down over crooked sidewalk cracks.

Destination: Teariffic.

Squid Balls & Shrimp Balls Noodle Soup.

I had the Squid Balls & Shrimp Balls Noodle Soup ($4.85) and small hot Honey Green Tea ($2.55). I like the squid balls, which had a chewy give, but for some reason I couldn't get into the shrimp flavor. It was off-tasting. Perhaps this was a subtle hint to me that shrimp should stay in its original form and not morph into a ball. Ever.

The udon noodles were overcooked and lacked any al dente buoyancy. Lucky for me, I was too hungry to obsess over the texture, so long as I had sustenance in my belly. Also, the hot broth worked wonders in clearing up my nasal congestion. For brisk fall and winter nights, hot stews and soups are just what the doctor ordered.

Hot Honey Green Tea.

The green tea was steeped too long and had a bitter, acidic quality, despite tasting like a sugar pill - no shortage of honey in here! Generally, for green tea, the tea leaves should remain in the pot for no longer than two minutes.

Service lagged, and the waitstaff seemed inattentive and unenthusiastic. Our waiter looked indifferent - or maybe just tired. I think the restaurant was short on staff. Luckily, we didn't have to wait too long for our food. As for the decor, it was very much like Saint's Alp, except transported in a Chinatown setting. Small wooden tables matched with low, square stools. Each party sat in close proximity to one another, enhancing the convivial atmosphere.

Steamed White Rice with Marinated Pork.

My friend had Steamed White Rice with Marinated Pork ($4.85). As always, Taiwanese cafes serve boiled tea eggs with their hot meals. I happily chomped on mine, but my dining companion does not enjoy boiled eggs. The pork was plentiful, however, and a sufficient amount of sauce covered the hot rice.

Prices were very affordable, as are most of the restaurants on this strip of Chinatown (Mott St). The cafe was 80% full, which, on a weekday at 5 p.m., is saying a lot. It seems people aren't cutting back on their bubble tea anytime soon. I didn't try the boba, but I hear the ginger black tea and mango with green apple and aloe vera are a thumb's up.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars. While the food is decent, the spotty service and ultra-sweet tea detracted from the tea-drinking experience.

Location:
Teariffic
51 Mott St.
New York, NY 10013
212.393.9009

MOCA Presents: The Chinatown Film Project

This is kind of off-kilter, but really rocks. It's the Chinatown Film Project, a short film exhibit produced for the Museum of Chinese in America. Video by Rich Wong.

As a result of watching this video, I have a newfound appreciation for the melodica (showing up at 1:18). And that chick playing the red drums is nothing short of awesome.

Chinatown's got spunk!

Curry in a Can

Photo by WIRED.

Canned Japanese curry. I'm not sure what to think about this.

Sure, Japan has vending machines for almost anything you can think of - from batteries to booze. At one vending machine in Shibuya, actual humans dispense umbrellas (that's right - a live jack-in-the-box).

But back to the curry: WIRED's Daniel Feit reports that the liquid concoction is little more than bland soup. Everything tastes the same, and the fake rice is especially disappointing. This is one curry-in-a-hurry not worth trying.

Big Phony on KoreAM Webcast Tonight

Photo by knots0fast.

Big Phony fans take note: KoreAM is hosting a live webcast of the singer/songwriter tonight at 7 p.m. Pacific Time (that's 10 p.m. EST). Big Phony will be playing some of his new hits, as well as answering questions on the chat. So tune in for what's sure to be a rousing performance!

Tokyo's Plastic Food

Life-like versions of the real thing. In Tokyo, it's an art you master.

If only all menu display showcases could be like this.

Recipe Teaser

1. Red Velvet Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting.

2. Omurice (Omelet Rice).

3. Japanese Beef Curry.

4. Budae Jjigae (Korean Army Stew).

5. Autostrada Sandwich.

Sweet Chili, Chacarero's, Starbucks Challenge

Before I totally forget about this, I'm posting some pictures of Boston from last week. I stayed with A in Arlington, and we caught up with another friend, R, over some (surprise surprise) Thai food near A's house. The restaurant is called Sweet Chili. I've been here before in college...

Unfortunately, the waiter misunderstood A's body language and served her the Pad Thai instead of the Drunken Noodle that she wanted. (A case in which, ironically, pointing at the item backfires on you.) It turned out that the Pad Thai was quite tasty, as I ended up discovering (I ordered it). I don't think A would've minded eating it, even if she had had it the last time she came here. We all ordered off the lunch special, which included an egg roll and a spicy triangle along with your main dish ($6.95).

Sweet Chili also sells udon and bibimbap, but common sense told me to steer clear of the non-Thai offerings. Simply put, you don't order Korean or Japanese food at a Thai restaurant - you get the well-known Thai items.

Beef.

R ordered a beef dish...the name I can't remember. In the name of adventure, she decided to try the Singha beer, which is locally produced. Singha beer is the oldest and most popular Thai beer in Thailand. It's a relatively smooth pale lager, though it doesn't really stand out in any way.

Singha beer.

I liked the glass it was poured in.

Testing the beer.

This is not an iPhone ad.

Drunken Noodles and Thai Iced Tea.

I had a picture of my scrumptious Pad Thai but it didn't come out right. All the ingredients were fresh and crispy, from the bean sprouts to the fat rice noodles. I ate it all!

Next morning (Sunday), M took D and I out to Chacarero's, located in Downtown Boston. We arrived early at 10:45 a.m. and found the windows dark and the doors locked. Luckily, a friendly chef opened it for business in 15 minutes.

"It's worth the wait," said M.

According to the restaurant's website, a chacerero is a traditional Chilean sandwich. M recommended the small Chicken & Beef Combo. For $7.50, you get a hefty amount of soft, grilled meat with your tomatoes, Muenster cheese, steamed green beans and avocado spread. It's all contained in homemade bread. I don't know why I didn't think of inventing this myself! The avocado really ties together the bulky sandwich and gives it a moist flavor. I only wished I'd tried the hot sauce! Sans hot sauce, it was rather plain and a tad bland. Satisfying nonetheless.

Chacarero's also offers empanadas, sweet oven fried potatoes (I heard those are divine) and a selection of omelets.

While in Boston, I took the Starbucks Challenge. Starbucks insists that, given a blind taste test, you won't be able to tell the difference between its regular brew and its new instant coffee.

Well....I squashed that pretty soon.

In fact, I didn't even need to taste the coffee. I just took a whiff of each one and determined which was which after all of two seconds.

And I was right.

Who's the biggest coffee addict??!