Restaurant Review: Lower East Side's Mimi Chengs offers No-Frills but Delicious Dumplings
179 Second Avenue
(between 11th and 12th Streets)
New York, NY 10003
Happy Easter & Happy Passover
Pass the Dumplings...
We have been happily reviewing food, restaurants and hotels here on the blog along with our design postings, and this past year with all of the travel to design shows from Milan to Paris it has been a fun journey to chronicle it all. Sometimes we forget that at a moments notice we have a plethora of innovative food right here in our own backyard. My kids love heading downtown to sample innovative new food created by New York City's finest artisans. Gabby regularly researches new hot spots when she is home from college. All this purveying of delicious tastes keep us on our foodie toes. Tonight, we head downtown to the lower east side to a popular haunt for the young artist types ever in search of unusual and artisan-made food, and perfectly suited for those on a tight budget. We kept hearing about this little dumpling shop opened by two sisters and inspired by their mother's cooking, so we put it on our holiday weekend schedule.
Mimi Chengs is a delightful twist on classic Taiwanese Chinese dumplings served up in a simple, small shop with yellow potting stools, fresh art and a one long farm house table. The space navigates a steady stream of those ordering oodles of dumplings for take out as well. Each day they serve up a signature vegetable dish along with their classic three dumpling choices and always a monthly special dumpling to boot. For a mere $8.00 per plate for 6 dumplings, this is dinner on a budget but packed with flavor. Using local farms and vendors like Fleisher's Grass-fed and Organic Meats from Brooklyn and Lancaster Farm Fresh Co-op, they assure consumers the meat comes from animals never having been given antibiotics or hormones. The Mimi Cheng Menu is simple yet satiating offering the classic three variations, and their monthly specials experiment with unexpected ingredients and spices. Today, they offered a stir fried Broccoli and garlic, and a kale brown rice as sides, which were both delicious! The dumplings themselves are light and fluffy and melt in your mouth. All can be ordered boiled or pan fried, and the Mimi's Secret Sauce is unique and pungent.
April's dumpling of the month
has an unexpected spicy, curry bite
with a fabulous dipping sauce!
Another fun note:
the shop also offers weekly dumpling cooking classes for those inspired and up for the challenge.
Happy Nesting
XO Tamara
