Oh, Do You Know the Dumpling Man?

Dumpling Man Sign; Photo -- Youngna Park We all sang songs about the Muffin Man as kids, but what about the Dumpling Man? With growing fondness for the East Village block of St. Mark’s Place between 1st Avenue and Avenue A, where hoards of cheap eats including Hummus Place, Crif Dogs, Yaffa Café, and the chocolate shop Australian Homemade take residence, Gothamist and friends stopped in to see how the Dumpling Man (100 St. Mark’s Place) stood up to their bargain competitors.

Hit with the pungent smell of hot sauce when walking in, we instantly took note of the steamers and searing pans operating at full force. The hole-in-the wall eatery, with no actual tables, but two long counters with bar stools at varying heights, seats no more than twenty at full capacity. Gothamist decided to try a combination of the seared and steamed dumplings, which come with pork, chicken, veggie, or shrimp fillings, described in glowing colors on the giant-size menu painted on the wall.

Dumpling Man Dumplings -- Photo, Youngna Park Dumpling Man also offers “Marco Polo” and “Red Monster” dumplings. We passed up the Marco Polo variety, the venue’s attempt at ultimate pasta-dumpling fusion, a concoction described as “East meets West – steamed Asian dumplings in homemade Basilico pasta sauce with crushed tomato, fried shallots, extra virgin olive oil, sweet basil and parmesan.” Gothamist did enjoy a taste of the Red Monster dumplings, referring to the sauce they come with made of red pepper, wild pepper, garlic, green onion, rice vinegar, soy sauce, vegetable oil, Chinese pickle, and ground peanuts. The sauce kicked up our taste buds, but was not too spicy to enjoy.

Prices vary slightly from one variety of dumplings to the next, but they can be ordered in batches of 6, 10, or more. Prices range from $3.95 for 6 seared pork dumplings to $7.95 for 10 steamed shrimp dumplings. The dumplings can also be mixed and matched – the price per dumpling is 70 – 90 cents.

Dumpling Man Dumplings -- Photo, Youngna Park In the end, Gothamist and our dining companions unanimously enjoyed the seared dumplings over the steamed dumplings. Seared chicken came in first as most flavorful with a nicely textured wrapper and filling, while the steamed veggie was a bit mushy and fell apart. Gothamist noticed the veggie dumplings were seared in the same pan as the meat-filled dumplings, so vegetarians might want to be wary, though if requested, they might cook them for you separately.

Incapable of eating a dinner without dessert afterwards, Gothamist split a green tea flan with dining companions, but was disappointed by the lack of flavor and uneven texture. Made specifically for Dumpling Man by Tia’s Flan (Red bean, Vanilla, and Pumpkin are also available), Gothamist wonders if the subtlety of the green tea flavor is to blame or if we should save dessert for the chocolate bar across the street.

Gothamist has mixed feelings about Dumpling Man: it’s hot food at a bargain price, freshly made, and fast. However, with Chinatown just a hop, skip, and jump away, we’re more likely to head to New Green Bo or Yeah Shanghai Deluxe for dumplings. Or, for a variant, to Veselka on 2nd Ave & 9th Avenue for homemade Ukranian pierogies. Still, filling and kind to the wallet, if you’re in the East Village, drop in and grab a bite at Dumpling Man.

Dumpling Man, 100 St. Mark’s Place, Open Tuesday – Sunday, 12:30 p.m. – midnight
(212)505-2121 with delivery to a limited area

Contact the author of this article or email tips@gothamist.com with further questions, comments or tips.

By youngna park in Food on January 28, 2005 9:07 AM

Comments [rss]

Donald

Strange, I've seen that face before ...

paulconrad

There's a dumpling hole in the wall on lovely Mosco St in Chinatown, 5 pork dumplings for a dollar. When GBV played Pier 54 I got 15 to go thinking my friends would want some. They had already eaten. Then I got hella drunk. I ate all 15 delicious greasy dumplings, and had the shits for 3 days.

tien

thanks for the tips! i'll have to look into those. i would probably just buy the skin though. my uncle has been known to make everything from scratch. i should fly out to LA for a lesson.

christiona

Hehe, I went to the Dumpling Man once. While I was unimpressed with the food, I did enjoy the kid who stole the tip jar. The Dumpling Man was one speedy little man and he ran after the sticky-fingered youth, scolded him and returned with the tip jar. It was all very amusing and action- packed.

Jen W

Tien, one of my favorite shows, Good Eats, did an episode all about dumplings. I don't have an opinion about the insides, but he had good pointers for technique, storage, and equipment (not buying a one-function implement; how to make a steamer out of tin pie plates).

la depressionada

Tiens it is easy to make dumplings, especially if you dispense with the lotus pinch and just fold over into a semi circle and press the edges with a fork.

My second husband became quite proficient at making momos -- tibetan dumplings -- when he was a neophyte at the monastery. The monks directed and the kids rolled, kneaded, chopped and steamed.

For a long time we chopped by hand, but a food processor makes the entire process a snap.

Since as a child I had early been pressed in ravioli-making duty -- together we would turn out a 100 or so in about an hour. You can freeze them raw or partially steam/boil them, freeze and then pan fry them.

burt

'dumpling man' is like dumplings for gwei-lo.

grace

i loooove dumplings. if i could eat one thing for the rest of my life, it'd probably be that. i've been wanting to try dumpling man for a while but my urges are usually satisfied with getting dumplings from chinatown. they have these amazing juicy dumplings at this shanghainese place on mott street i think?

tooyochin

Jed,

I'm with you on Fried Dumplings, but I prefer Dumpling House on Eldridge b/w Broome and Grand, with their huge pans right behind the counter.

Just watching them fry the sesame pancakes is worth the trip.

tien

i bought a huge frozen bag from some place in flushing a while back and am still working my way through them. and they are delicious. and i get the satisfaction of "making" them myself.

what i really want to do is make my own once.

Drew

I agree with Jed. Their dumplings aren't bad, but after sampling 8 or more tasty dumplings for a dollar or two from practically anywhere in Chinatown, it's hard to justify $4 for six. Skip that and go get 8 soup dumplings $2.50 from East Broadway.

Jed

The dumplings at this sanitized establishment are from flavorful. If you want quality dumplings go to Fried Dumplings on Allen off Delancey.

jurivicious

though, delightfully appetizing, a full order of dumpling mans dumplings tend to leave one feeling a bit overnourished

Jen

I am a fan of most foods that use a smiling, anthropomorphized version of the food as a mascot. That said, I hate how Golodish crackers wear sunglasses now.