I took my family to the place where I take my friends almost every Chinese New Year. At that day, most places are super packed. But not so much here underneath the Manhattan Bridge at East Broadway and Market Street. I think it’s because there’s no real English sign marking it as a dim sum place.
So this place will be good. I get to show off this place that mostly only Chinese people know about and we won’t have to wait long for a table like at Jing Fong. We got there at 10am. I was absolutely correct …no line. Actually no customers at all. It was empty as fuck.
They were serving and we did get food rather quick. However, it was really weird eating in a huge empty banquet hall. I don’t recommend it.
When we left, my dad told me that that place was really bad. Then I blew up. I already felt like shit for picking the previous two places that I felt like they didn’t totally enjoy. I said to him, “Shit. If we went to the good restaurant, you’d complain that there was too many white people.” And that’s a point I realized –I don’t think there really are any hidden authentic gems left in this city that white folk don’t know about. And when I say white, I include myself in that group.
All the good authentic places have already been discovered. People know them about through such things as Anthony Bourdain, Yelp and food blogs (which a lot seem to be Asian bloggers). Foodies and non-foodies want to eat at these places too. Again, myself included. So I don’t think you can say that too many white people eating at an ethnic restaurant is bad. It probably means it’s the place to eat.
Hey, I can’t totally blame my dad. I’m just as guilty for skipping the food trucks that have super long lines, because I don’t think of them as being the real deal –like they are too hipster …and I’m the fucking hipster. But I’m wrong. They have long lines probably because the food is good …or people just like to stand in lines.
As a side note: I do notice that real Chinese-Chinese people still go to places like Big Wong and Great NY Noodletown. They just don’t often stay there to eat. They get the BBQ to-go.
What does it matter who is the one eating the food anyway? In 50 years, everyone’s going to speak English and there will be only one race …Chinese people.
East Market Restaurant –  75 East Broadway (next to the playground, underneath the Manhattan Bridge on the Market St. side), New York 10002
I hear ya. It’s so hard to please parents’ palate. How about going to Flushing for dim sum? Could you bring them to non-Chinese restaurants? Would they enjoy pizza?
Yeah, we actually went to Flushing next.
I was also trying to think of a non-Chinese place to take them, but all I could come up with was Vietnamese or Korean. For real.
Unfortunately for pizza, my mom shouldn’t be eating refined flour at the moment for health reasons.
Thanks for posting pictures of this place. I always go shopping at the supermarket below and my kids play in the playground. I took pictures of “East Market” from the outside to remind me to try it one day.
So, emotions aside, was your father right? Did the Dim Sum stink?
it was alright
That’s damning with faint praise.
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