344144 Sun Nov 19 05:55:27 -0800 2006 8 1 San Francisco Bay Area 0 2033450 On Monday we had just enough time between doctors' appointments for me to haul my parents over to Ming's Diner on Taraval for lunch. At 11:30am we had our pick of tables, but the room soon filled up with other eaters in the know who were also tuned into the incredibly cheap lunch specials here. Once again, no rice stuffed chicken available for us, too early this time. Mom and Dad each picked a lunch special, priced at $3.25 or so, and I had the tomato beef chow mein (and asked for curry to be added). Though rather unusual for us to all choose beef, it was an opportunity to compare and contrast. Soon a small tureen of the house soup, pork bones with black mushroom, came out, a big enough portion for each of us to have two rice bowls full. The complimentary soup included with the lunch specials could have been more intense, but we still enjoyed the warm brew immensely. The best of the three dishes was Mom's beef with tender greens, shown in the center of the photo. Nice sear on the beef, redolent with garlic and wok breath, tender and juicy choi sum, and a deliciously complex pan gravy, this one disappeared first. Dad's curry beef (on the right) was the most tenderized, but the portion of meat was much less than than Mom's dish and buried under way too much onion. The saucing was straight ahead Madras curry powder with a bit of sugar and comforting over the steamed rice. Rice was served separately, a full caddy that would run $3+ at dinner time, included in the lunch specials pricing. I wouldn't order tomato beef chow mein here again. The pasty beef was a thicker cut, too chewy, and not properly charred. Also the noodles had hardly been browned. This did make a good leftover though, as we poured the gravies from the other two dishes into the carton along with the rest of the onions and bell peppers, and refrying it in a skillet added a lot of pizzaz. The tab for lunch was $11.80 including tax, before tip, for the three of us. Our bag of leftovers was heavy, including nearly all the chow mein and a full carton of rice. My mother asked me why we didn't eat here more often, and I have to say it beats me too. Lunch time images - http://static.flickr.com/103/300552151_325945d70b_o.jpg My Ming's Diner experiences - http://www.chowhound.com/topics/show/30016#128323 Sun Nov 19 05:55:27 -0800 2006 10039 Melanie Wong 1 2033833 Thanks Melanie. I wonder why I don't go there more often myself. The beef with greens does look delicious in your photo! But now I have a craving for really good tomato beef chow mein. Any suggestions on where to go for that dish? Sun Nov 19 16:24:11 -0800 2006 2033450 10158 susancinsf 2 2034100 It's not easy to find a good plate of tomato beef chow mein. I keep trying and am usually disappointed. A few months ago I had a pretty good version at New Woey Loy Goey in SF Chinatown - http://www.chowhound.com/topics/show/45846 The key is to find an old school place that knows how to make Chinese-American dishes. NWLG is certainly one of those spots --- my dad used to eat here when he was an undergrad. Also wanted to mention that my mom enjoyed watching a round table of 10 mainlanders chowing down at Ming's Diner. We think they ordered the wo choy menu for 10, based on the dishes that went by. It's priced at a rock bottome $95 or so to feed 9 to 10 people. She noted that they ate heartily and still had leftovers. Sun Nov 19 18:55:43 -0800 2006 2033833 10039 Melanie Wong 3 2255195 oh melanie i would kill for even a bad plate of TBCM. it's been 30 years since i've been home. on the east coast they have low mein. beef, pork, chic,shrimp, house. all the same, over cooked noodles swimming in soy & fish sauce. and no steamed buns, never heard of them. count your blessings Fri Feb 02 18:32:08 -0800 2007 2034100 71323 morpheus 1 2034771 There are a few other places with cheap cheap lunch specials in the area. How they are Dragon City on 20th and Travel and Jumbo on Noreiga about 27 or so. We had a lot of lunches after the Doctor appointment. Two years ago they were only 2.88 but have not been in a couple of years. Enjoy, I think your Mom and Dad would enjoy more new places. As for NWlG in the day when I was a little kid my Dad would take me there for Roast Pork (western style) and huge pork buns. But now they have a five course meal for 5 people for under 30 buck. Half a chicken, steamed pork hash, salt and pepper shrimp, Peking spareribs and steamed mustard greens. Mon Nov 20 01:34:04 -0800 2006 2033450 10686 yimster 2 2035197 Thanks for the reminder on Dragon City --- forgot that I wanted to try it! Dragon City thread - http://www.chowhound.com/topics/show/45539 Mon Nov 20 05:44:57 -0800 2006 2034771 10039 Melanie Wong 3 2038158 be sure to ask for light on oil (i.e. no lard) and no MSG at Dragon City, you'll be doing fine. Tue Nov 21 06:14:55 -0800 2006 2035197 15426 chowchowchow 2 2035322 ...and the crispy fried little fish with the eggs inside them, and wasn't there a kind of quick fried..crisp skin chiicken??? Mon Nov 20 09:32:04 -0800 2006 2034771 10485 ChowFun_derek 1 2034784 My friends and I use to go to Ming's for the oxtail stewed in XO sauce. So good over rice! Mon Nov 20 01:40:45 -0800 2006 2033450 14400 karen2006