The Official Great NY Noodletown Appreciation Thread

[AubWah]

Here is a thread for anyone to share a memory from the legendary restaurant, located at 28 and a half bowery, Great NY Noodletown. To me this is the quintessential Chinatown spot. Anyone remember when it opened?

[JMF]

For the last 15 years or so my favorite thing on the menu, that I ALWAYS start with, is their Shrimp in Dumpling Soup (without noodles). The broth is fantastic, the dumplings contain 1 or 2 whole shrimp, some tree ear fungus, (and sometimes some cilantro but they haven't been including it much lately) A tiny bit of their hot chili sauce (which is best when it has a pronounced citrusy taste) and I am in heaven. I really like the roast meats, all are great, the flowering chive and XO dishes, and all the salt baked dishes, especially soft shell crab and the shrimp.

[c oliver]

http://menupages.com/restaurants/grea...

[AubWah]

I was in Noodletown around 11 this morning and noticed that every guy who works there, whether it be waiters or the soup noodle guy who stands behind the register---they are all MASTERS with the meat cleaver. Today the soup noodle guy nonchalantly stepped behind the BBQ counter and hacked up my roast duck in a way that can only be expressed with the cantonese phrase that translates to "God of Cookery" Each piece had the perfect ratio of plump juicy skin and fragrantly spiced lean meat

[brighton312]

Got half a roast duck there tonight to take home and it was excellent. It was $8.50 for the half- seemed like a good price to me, but does anyone know of any cheaper places for roast duck in Chinatown? Either way, I will definitely return to Noodletown for the duck and look forward to trying the suckling pig too.

The congee looked good but I didn't get to try it- how is it?

[fourunder]

Congee is a little too watery for my tastes. There's a place on Grand Street that sells whole ducks for $11-12. Not the best, but it serves its purpose of satisfying my hankering for duck.

-----
Congee
98 Bowery, New York, NY 10013

[AubWah]

These ducks are just not as good as at a restaurant like Great NY Noodletown. Saving $5 is in this case not worth the sacrifice in quality.

[fourunder]

The request was for cheaper duck......not the best.

:-)

[brighton312]

Yes it was- sometimes I just need something to satisfy my duck craving, quantity over quality! Maybe I'll get a cheapo duck and a Noodletown duck and have a taste test. Thanks for the tips!

[fourunder]

That's precisely the correct attitude to have......taste and compare. As I have said, it's not the best I have ever had, but it's still good. I live in New Jersey, and the local Chinese Market sells them for $17-18. As recently as a year ago, these ducks were $8-9 uncut. I could go to this shop, and for all intents and purposes, get 2 for 1. They are not seasoned quite as aggressively as some others....but that's what condiments are for.

The store is at Grand and Eldridge....

http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&q=eldridge%20street%20%26%20grand%20street%20nyc&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&tab=wl

http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/6251...

[AubWah]

The only congee I eat in NYC comes from Mings Caffe on Canal

[squid kun]

Interesting; appreciate the tip. What's good about it? Any particular favorites?

-----
28 Ming's Caffe
28 Canal St, New York, NY 10002

[AubWah]

Probably just sentimental

[Pan]

Excellent, and my experience has been contrary to fourunder's, in that I've found the congee pretty thick and full of content.

[fourunder]

It's probably been a couple of years since I purchased congee specifically....and it was take-out. It's possible the consistency changed on the ride home back to NJ. More recently, I had some congee at Big Wong. It was good, but I also thought it was a little thin.

I remember enjoying the congee @ Congee Village....not loaded with content, but served bubbling hot in covered bowls.

-----
Big Wong
67 Mott St, New York, NY 10013

[Pan]

I like their congee, too, but Noodletown's is thicker. Try eating it in some time.

[Chandavkl]

I'm presuming the change in the name from N.Y. Noodletown to Great N.Y. Noodletown maybe 10 years ago was just an organizational thing. Can anybody confirm?

[Motosport]

I have been hitting C-Town in the wee hours since I drove a taxi back in the 60's. My favorite place was Lin's Garden on Bayard which close about 20 years ago. I switched to Wo Hop for the "side show" since it was open 24/7 or is it 21/7 now?
Last weekend we tried "Noodletown" and loved it. My only regret was that there were only 2 of us and not a larger group to order several dishes and taste more. We'll be back!!

-----
Wo Hop
17 Mott St, New York, NY 10013

[fourunder]

Back in the 70's it was the spot we went to in Chinatown after closing the restaurants and bars I worked at in New Jersey, since they were open late. The food was good and cheap and withing a 20 minute ride from the GWB at the late hours....The toll was only around a buck back then ......The roasted meats and soup bowls were popular given, but the favorite dishes back in the day were Crabs in Black Bean Sauce and a Whole Poached Sea Bass with Ginger and Scallion.

My favorite today is the Roast Suckling Pig when available.

[Pan]

Thanks for confirming that they were already open in the 70s. I thought I remembered going there in the late 70s but wasn't completely sure.

[AubWah]

Wow that sounds so good Kathryn, its got me hungry for Noodletown before 7 AM! I've never ordered anything with chives there, but I have been a fan of the braised noodles with crab and chives at nearby shanghai cafe. I find that the ginger scallion sauce is a must at GNYN whenever eating a rice dish. I love their bbq meats so much, I rotate between roast pork, pig, and duck.

[ESNY]

Its been a while since I've been but any of the flowering chive dishes are great. I usually get a salt and pepper shrimp, a flowering chive dish and a baby pig on rice. Wife always insists on a beef chow fun too.

[kathryn]

Had roast pig on rice (oh that crispy skin), roast duck (2 orders!), and flowering chives with beef tonight. So good, so fast, so cheap. I guess you can have all three.

[AubWah]

The guy in charge yesterday told me Noodletown has been there since 1965. I was too polite to call his bluff

[fourunder]

I remember going there when I was still in grade school with my parents.....so it was definitely open in the 60's.....