Xi'an Famous Foods (Nolita, New York, NY)

So these lil guys are another recommendation from my dumpling plug, she knows who she is, Holla. They are the Spicy & Sour Lamb Dumplings from Xi'an in Nolita. First, impressions walking into this little restaurant was this is about to be some great dumplings made here. The place is tiny, and decorated with big pictures of the menu items, which I'm always a huge fan of. The divey-er the better when it comes to me and Chinese places. 

Xi'an is famous for it's noodles, but this ain't a noodle blog, so I'm bringing in the lamb dumplings. The presentation alone is spot on for this little hole in the wall, I mean look at that pic. Either they know I'm a big deal in the dumpling circuit or they are just OG's in the game.  They come already sitting in the sauce, so one might expect them to be soggy, Wrong. The dough was a bit thicker than the more recent dumplings I've been eating. This wasn't a bad thing at all though because it helps them stand up to the drenching of sauce. The filling was great, and the sauce definitely added that little bit of heat to jazz 'em up.

If you're going to Xi'an to grab noodles, do yourself a favor and try the dumplings, they are worth it.

4.8 out of 5

Eric 

Mimi Cheng's Round 2 (New York, NY)

What kind of dumpling critic would I be if I didn't review the July special dumpling at Mimi Cheng's. These beauties are the beautiful collaboration between Black Tap and Mimi's. They are essentially the dumpling equivalent of the Greg Norman burger. I had a good feeling going into try these. Black tap, love, Mimi's, love, Greg Norman, love. I was not disappointed in these gems. They definitely captured the essence of a burger. The filling was juicy, the arugula and tomatoes added a little extra something, something. The ranch on the side was the perfect compliment, to the burger ling's. I would say go grab some but you only have a day left.

In all, the peeps at Mimi's always do it right. All things work in this mashup. Keep on keepin on Mimi Cheng's. You can guarantee I'll be bringing you the August special too.

4.5 out of 5

Eric

Nom Wah Tea Parlor (Chinatown, NYC)

Another Thursday, and I'm back in NYC. This time I had a nice insider scoop into Nom Wah Tea Parlor deep in the heart of Chinatown. If you're looking for the genuine, I want to feel like I just got lost in Beijing feeling then Doyer St is where it's at. Nom Wah is a perfect low key laid back vibe on the inside, and a ton of dumpling options. Starting off with the classic pan fried dumplings, and the house special fried dumplings, I knew we were in for a treat. They were both crispy and definitely a sign of things to come. 

Now venturing off the dumpling train, we had to order an order of egg rolls, and these things were monsters. They blow every single frozen egg roll you get when you order  special combo at a classic Chinese restaurant. These things were crispy and definitely lighter than those other ones. Mixed reviews though, but I highly recommend them (Some people weren't a fan). 

Now to the main event, I  went big. I got them all, as if anyone should be surprised. We went with the fried dim sum platter, which had all sorts of fried dumplings on it, and it was amazing. Also got an order of soup dumplings, and shrimp and snow pea leaf dumplings. I know, I know these two orders were steamed but trust me worth it. The fried dim sum platter was amazing, and I would recommend everyone try it at least once, but the two steamed dumpling orders easily stole the show. 

In a tough second place, are the shrimp and snow pea leaf dumplings. These things were packed with shrimp. The flavor was light, but the bite of the shrimp, and how packed they were definitely added some heft to a steamed dumpling offering. Get them.

Finally, the showstopper, the soup dumplings. These things are amazing. the broth and the filling were full of flavor. Don't worry, its not as messy as you think. If you're contemplating getting into the dumpling game these should be high up on the list. If you are even just in the mood to step out of the NYC bustle and want some good food, than definitely stop in to Nom Wah. 

They have the crown so far in NY, but it can easily be taken. 

On to the next,

Pork fried 4.1 out of 5

House fried 4.1 out of 5

Fried dim sum platter 4.4 out of 5

Egg rolls 4.2 out of 5

Shrimp and Snow pea leaf 4.8 out of 5

Soup dumplings 4.9 out of 5*

* I'd give it a 5 out of 5 but I was waiting on water for a while, hey gotta be perfect to get that illusive 5 out of 5.

Eric 

Dumpling Darling (Iowa City, IA)

I was feeling the urge to get back to dumpling basics, and with Tyuck already eating dumplings in Asia, there was only one place left for me to look. Someplace warm, a place where the beer flows like wine; where beautiful women instinctively flock like the salmon of Capistrano. I'm talking about a little place called Iowa City. 

So that's what I did. I treked out 15 hours to the land where some say dumplings were invented. I arrived in Iowa City pleasantly surprised with the surroundings. It was a cool, laid back kind of college town, a lot more going for it than just corn.

So I hopped into Dumpling Darling. This is nice low key little joint. I went traditional steamed. I know, I know fried dumplings are our bread and butter, but I had to get a pork filling so these guys were it.

The sauce was a classic midwest style soy sauce. I have no idea if that is a real thing so I am just going to roll with it. Dumplings were pretty good, I'll admit my expectations were not super high on anything Iowa, but I was mistaken. They were a solid dumpling that I would throw against anything from Chinatown in the city (New York City for anyone from the midwest reading who is wondering what I am talking about). 

Well done, Iowa. 

4.0 out of 5

Eric 

P.S. They might have been higher if I didn't leave Iowa without getting a "Not everything is flat in Iowa" shirt. Major mess up on my part. I should have been better. I'm sorry.