Dick Lee's - best moon cake?
I just had to give a thumbs up to the moon cakes made by Dick Lee's in SF Chinatown.
I went around various bakeries that made their own moon cakes and found Dick Lee's to be the tastiest and freshest. I think they make them every night. Last Saturday I purchased a box and the lady behind the counter told me they were made last night. For a box of 4 it's $11.50, mix and match any flavor. The price goes down if you buy more boxes. I got the white lotus with two yolks and the red bean with two yolks. The crust is tender and slighly crumbly, not thick and starchy. The filling is smooth and sweet, with the sweetness off set by the salty yok in the middle. It's so good I think I'm going back this weekend to buy some more before the season is over!
I've also tried Napolean's Bakery, Tung Kee, Mee Mee, and one other bakery on Stockton (forgot the name). But none of them measured up to Dick Lee's in my opinion, and they cost more, averaging 3 to four dollars each.
Wendy Lai
Sep 03, 2002 05:40PM
Thanks for doing the research for us, Wendy! Very timely. Always looking for the double yolks.
I'll mention that SFWeekly did a piece on dim sum a year ago which described Dick Lee as "scary", iirc. As I said at the time, what's scary about a 4'10" grandma trying to elbow in front of you? Not scary to me, but thought I'd mention the warning anyway.
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Looks like they've pulled that article. According to my dim recollection, the writer mentioned Dick Lee as suitable only for "hardcore" dim sum fans. Dunno about that - I've tried them several times and found their food to be quite decent and among the least expensive in town.
That bit about the grandma gave me a chuckle. I see them every time I visit Chinatown. Actually, what's "scarier" to me are the local folks who try to cut in front of me, whether I'm in line for groceries or dim sum. Maybe I'm moving too slowly for them :).
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The two items I can recommend from Dick Lee are the custard tarts (kept warm) and the sweet rice cakes (bubbly texture, cut into diamond shapes). Very cheap and good value.
Some of those grannies can be pretty aggressive, guess they've earned the right. (g)
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I don't see any old grandma's who are scary. In fact, I find most of the ladies behind the counter quite helpful. I don't speak Cantonese, so sometimes I speak Madrin and sometimes English, and they are available to communicate both ways.
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Thanks for the recommendations. Given Yimster's warning about old fillings from China-made mooncakes, I think I will try the Dick Lee ones. How do these compare to the imports, in your opinion? In years past, we've always bought white lotus/double yolk from St Honore Bakery - HK (purple tins). The crust is thin and the filling is not too dry. I also tasted more lotus seed in the filling than some others, which had strong yam after tastes. Is Dick Lee on Jackson street? I haven't been there for decades literally! Thanks. Margret
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I don't know about the imports. I havn't had a those in years. But my guess is how can something that's made weeks maybe even months ahead of time, be better than something that's made last night?
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OK, maybe I'm just a heathen, but what are these marvelous sounding Moon Cakes?
I tried to search CH for a description, but no luck...
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I would recommend that you try one before you buy in quantity. Some of the permutations may be exotic in taste for the uninitiated, yet, perhaps not so much for the persian palate. Sweetened meats, nuts, dried fruits, salty egg yolks, marzipan-like nut/bean pastes - does sort of sound persian, doesn't it? (g)
Link: http://www.chowhound.com/topics/show/...
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Just a little thing - mooncakes are not meant to be single portions, rather to but cut up into small pieces and shared (hence the common presence of plastic knives taped somewhere on the box). While there are people out there who can tackle a whole one, most people would find it a pretty tough slog. Personally I have no love for mooncakes, but I can manage to get down a tiny tiny sliver. Which was my only salvation every year when what appeared to be thousands of these fudge-like monsters masquerading as pastry would start showing up every day.
I just thought of this because my office mate recently received a block of yokan (an extremely sweet, dense Japanese confection) as a gift and started eating it like a chocolate bar. I thought we were going to have to scrape her off the floor.
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Oh, I didn't realize they were only supposed to be eaten in small pieces.
When I was working in Taiwan, the hotel I stayed at gave me a beautiful box of moon cakes with three perfect cakes. I still have the box. I'll have to try the local versions.
Really loved the moon festival it Taiwan. On a warm Autumn night, families gathered on the local park and picknicked. Big telescopes were set up to gaze at the moon. The local temple had tables filled with food as offering to the gods. People burnt huge pots of money for the deceased.
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Thank you, a very important point!
I guess we can make the analogy between mooncakes and Christmas fruitcakes that folks just trade and pass around without ever eating them...
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Melanie, I realize that you were only referring to Global Singular Fruitcake as a joke, but,
I'd like to respectfully voice my opinion and perhaps form:
The Union of Actual Fruitcake Fans.
I love fruitcake. Homemade fruitcake, or good purchased ones made by Harry and David, or Trappist Monks, or Benedictine Nuns. Yum yum yum. I know most people think it is wrong, but there are some of us out there who truly love it. And it's not a Deression-Era-generational thing -- I'm 32. The only people who like fruitcake in my family are my mother in her seventies, me, and my 10-year-old niece. It's a special taste and I think since so many people have had BAD fruitcake, and never good fruitcake, that they think all fruitcake is bad.
Any other fruicake lovers out there? And if you DO exist, do you know if there are any fruitcake vendors here in SF that emerge around holiday time, and are they any good?
--signed
Mrs. Smith, Defender of Fruitcakes
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The Cheeseboard in Berkely has one of the best fruitcakes I ever had. Deep rich with 3 or 4 liquors, dried apricots, almonds, raisins ... more ... I can't remember everything. Not a cherry or pineapple bit in site.
I'm more of a fan of the darker fruitcakes. Not into the bright red cherries and neon fruit varieties.
My mother had her fruit cake baking years and I have many yellowed clippings of different types. There was one called black cake that appeared many years ago in one of the SF papers that had about 30 ingrediants. It was too intimidating to make.
Maybe when the time is right, we should start a fruitcake recipe post on the general board.
Other than Cheeseboard, can't think of anyplace else that has a good one. However, if you need sources for buche de noel or panetonne, I have a slew of recommendations. I'm kind of looking forward to see what Tartine does with it's buche de noel.
Here's a link you may enjoy. There is even a fruitcake of doom game.
Link: http://mbgoodman.tripod.com/fruitcake.html
Image: http://mbgoodman.tripod.com/newfcban2...
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Several years ago the Washington Post decided to try and find the best commercially made fruit cake in America. They sent away for over twenty five including about a half dozen made by different religious orders around the country. The one which was unanimously voted the best is made by the Monks of Gethsemani in Trappist, KY. A year or two later the Wall Street Journal also decided to look for the best fruitcake. Perhaps not surprisingly they also chose the Monks of Gethsemani. Below is the link to their website.
But this is only half of the story. Years ago I would bake 25 to 30 pounds of fruitcake and age two and five pound loaves for up to five years (yes, five years). Through time I tried a number of different combinations of liquor before settling on the smooth Gentleman Jack (from Jack Daniels) which is the taste that I preferred. Somewhere along the line I started buying the Monks' cake and aging it. Incredibly, but after a year or so it was as good as the dark Jamaiican cake with 34 ingredients that I had been baking lovingly from scratch.
Take a five pound Gethsemani fruitcake and soak cheesecloth in 1 and 1/2 cups of Gentleman Jack. (Not an exaggeration: one and one half cups.) Wrap the cheesecloth around the cake and drizzle what is left in the bowl over the "bound" fruitcake on both sides. Place it back in the tin, cover with two layers of aluminum foil and refrigerate for two weeks. After two weeks remove it, uncover it and drizzle 1/2 cup of Gentleman Jack over both sides of the cake. Cover again and refrigerate. Do this again one month later with exactly the same amount. (Total of approximately 20 ounces of liquor goes into this cake!) Every two weeks or so turn the cake over (which lets the liquor pass back through it). Do this at least a couple of time. Leave it alone for at least another six months except when you want to remove the foil and smell it! You won't believe how good this smells. (We've had people come over to our house just to smell our cake!)
When you finally open the cake and slice it expect a VERY alcoholic cake that, assuming you like bourbon, WILL be arguably the best dessert you have ever eaten. Don't be embarassed to smell your fingers after picking up the cake. Your fingers will never have smelled better!
Link: http://www.monks.org
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My way to cook. I'll have to try this. Have you tried any of their cheese or fudge? That's not a bad price either. It can cost alot more than that to do yourself.
The cake looks delicious though. I'm impressed though about all those years of baking that fruit cake on your own.
Thanks.
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Chocolate bourbon fudge is truly delicious-worth every penny. I actually give their fudge as gifts to clients at Christmas. Cheese? I've tried it but rather buy more fudge or liquor for their fruitcakes.
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The fruitcake from Emporio Rulli has prreviously been praised here on Chowhound.
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I to love fruitcakes and christmas puddings as well.I am glad to hear their is someone else out there.
The fruitcakes at the cheesboard are really good and I am not ashamed to buy them in broad daylight. As for the christmas puddings i usually make my own.
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My husband and I are both fruitcake lovers. The absolute best fruitcake that we have found (other than our own -- lots of work!) is at the link below. We like the Monastery Fruitcake better than the Ginger Date Nut Cake.
Link: http://www.trappistabbey.org/fruitcak...
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I have not had Dick Lee's Moon Cakes for a few years. But I buy from Napolean We should have a Moon Cake taste off. Local products only. I have given a few to Chowhounds to tried (those that I have seen lately lets hear from them).
Napolean white lotus paste with double egg yolks are only 10.00 a box. You can mix and match or buy one at 2.50. The only draw back was the ones I got two weeks ago were a little oily. The ones I got on Sunday were just fine. My mother in law buys from them also and she is a smart shopper.
I never have problems with pushing old gannies. I learn three quick words. Yee Man Goo and point to myself. Translate to INS. I hope nobody catches me Yimpostering again. This for JFW.
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Those mooncakes from Napoleon are great. Now that someone mentions Dick Lee - it got me curious.
Is it better ? Hmmm. Got to try it then before season is offer.
I reminisce from the old days in Indonesia when they were made of actual pork lard. Whew, were they good. There was also another kind which is round about 6" diameter and 1" thick. There were cheese flavor, chocolate, durian and others. Too bad, they don't make it here. It's absolutely delicious. Maybe I should start making it ??
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I think with all the talk recently re: transfat, i.e, Crisco & margerines, pork fat or lard would probably be less damaging and they do taste much better!! I agree with Chibi,though. Mooncakes can only be enjoyed in tiny slivers with strong tea to cut the grease. Yes, I too saw someone eat a whole mooncake like a hamburger once...I don't know how he did it but he finished the whole thing. He said he didn't like it because it was too heavy.
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You can find the ones with cubes of ham fat in them around here.
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Where can I buy them & what is it called ? Thks
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Where can I buy Nepolean Moon Cakes? Thanks. Margret
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Margret: Napolean Bakery is on Stockton between Jackson and Washington. You can buy a next boxes or you can just buy one. Then Dick Lee is just around the corner on Jackson.
Buy one of each and report back. I am really interested to see which it the best. It will be the weekend before I can get the City to buy a Dick Lee Moon Cake.
My wife who is the real Moon Cake eater says that within the same box was three prefect Moon Cakes and one that was a little oily. She is of the opinion that the Master Baker did the prefect one and a helper did the other.
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Yimster: What is the name of the mooncake which has the nuts, etc in it that I told you about last time ? I will order it when I got a chance to go to Napoleon again. Thanks
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Han: I say Ngo Yun. Just the servers you want the ones with nuts.
If that does not work email me.
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Had a side-by-side moon cake tasting this weekend.
One from Dick Lee--lotus paste filling with two yolks.
One from Napoleon--also lotus paste, but without any yolks (something I found out only after cutting into it).
I found the moon cake from Napoleon's to be superior. The version from Dick Lee was a bit oily and the filling was on the dry/grainy side. The filling in the moon cake from Napoleon was very dense and smooth. Its exterior was also a bit oily (though less so than the one from DL), but I think that's something of an occupational hazard for moon cakes.
I didn't like egg yolk in my moon cakes when I was young, but nowadays I appreciate it as a different experience that has its own merits. but I still insist on the lotus paste and not the red bean variety.
mmm, moon cakes.
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