Grub Street checks out the 11-item menu and talks with owner Yuan Li.
Li’s real secret weapon, though, is his mom, Qihui Guan, a mathematics professor and amateur cook turned professional dumpling-maker. When she emigrated to the United States 15 years ago and couldn’t find work in her chosen field, Guan’s hobby became her profession, leading to a position at soup-dumpling dynasty Joe’s Shanghai.
As for the "Drunken," Li says that in this case "the term alludes to the juiciness of the dumplings." A monster soup dumpling called the XL XLB is served with a straw.
Too rich for my blood. Potstickers were $10 and six soup dumplings $12 or maybe $13. Compare to Bao on St. Marks which has great soup dumpling $8 and up.
ReplyDeleteDumpling Man is still my favorite: 10 piece pork for $9ish. Thank the landlords greed for the insane prices at new spots.
ReplyDeleteI will be there will bells on. I live for dumplings. I think it will be a HUGE success.
ReplyDeleteDamn that is a pricey dumpling
ReplyDeleteI know they are trying to be punny with the name of a food that you literally drink while enjoying, too bad it strikes a wrong note. 'drunken' is typically a negative word, perhaps even more so in a neighborhood overrun with alcohol.
ReplyDeleteI went to the Drunken Dumpling the other day and was so captivated by its dumplings, that I went to all the other well-known dumpling places in East Village, including The Bao, Dumpling Man and Mimi's dumplings. I was so disappointed with all the other dumplings at these places that I went back to the Drunken Dumpling just to wash the taste of the other places out. While the prices are high, these are the best dumplings I have ever had, and I used to live in China. The ingredients are extremely fresh and the flavor combinations are well planned.
ReplyDelete@ 1:55 PM. Not only did I live in China, I used to be Chinese, and I have to agree: Best dumplings in the known universe. And well planned too!
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