Lotus Garden (James Island, SC)

There are few comforts in life more rewarding than ordering Chinese food straight from your favorite couch. Soon, technology will allow us to beam the food right to our table, but for now delivery will be a close second. My girlfriend and I had a craving for some fried dough and MSG, so we called Lotus Garden right down the road. Despite being close in proximity, the delivery time was upwards of twenty minutes. That we looked past because we were hungry. We had the sweet and sour chicken, the brown rice with veggies, and suchlike.

Now on to the real reason we're all here: the sweet, sweet delicate deliciousness of the dumpling. The first bite was savory, not too sweet, not too salty. The dough to pork ratio was appropriate - still hot, still fresh. We devoured them quickly and without remorse, the stains of soy sauce blotting the table like a Rorschach pattern. Alas, they were gone, and our appetites were hardly satiated -- that is the effect of MSG on the pallet. Despite our ferocious devouring of the dumplings, their rating is now overwhelming. They were good, but not great. Delicious, but not impeccable.

Four stars out of five for Lotus Garden of James Island. Remember, we must reserve five star ratings for the true connoisseurs.

4 out of 5

Tyuck!

Asia Lee (Franklin, NJ)

When a new Chinese place opens, it's my duty to deliver a new dumpling review for it. Asia Lee is somewhat new. It meets all my criteria for a go to Chinese place, used to be an old tire shop, Check, limited number of tables, Check, visibly empty a good majority of time, Check. With all that going for it, I was very excited to give these a whirl.

I usually go with pan fried dumplings, the far superior alternative to steamed dumplings, however, this time around it was steamed dumplings and fried them up myself. I have to say this dumpling fell well short of its potential. You would think a dumpling made in an old garage would be a delectable gem, these were far from it.  Give me some flavor Asia lee. These dumplings were some of the most bland, I have had in a long time. They were very reminiscent of those dumplings at Chinese buffets. Sauce was eh, Dough was eh, and filling was basically devoid of all flavor. Not the stellar dumpling, you would expect from a small, dive like Chinese place.

There are far superior dumplings in the area, but if you found yourself stranded in Franklin on Rt. 23, and dumplings are the only thing that can and will help you in a predicament like that, than by all means stop on in to the former ice cream shop turned sushi/Sichuan/Japanese/thai/Chinese fusion they got going on and grab some.

1.75 out of 5

Good Job, Good Effort.

Eric

China Wok (Baltimore, MD)

Let me preface this by saying there are at least 12 China Wok's in and around Baltimore, and you will go to the wrong one. Trust me its just part of the process. Their phone numbers and addresses are a mystery to figure out. It's alright though because they are all small joints with one table so you know they are going to be prime spots.

Super Bowl Sunday means only one thing when it comes to the dinner menu, Chinese. Nothing says America like a good old fashioned dumpling, and this night's delights were provided by the China Wok on York Road. No, not the one by the circle, the one down a ways by the Little Caesars. After, successfully finding the China Wok, I brought these bad boys home. I will have to say these were probably the best dumplings I have had so far in Maryland. The sauce, nailed it. Filling, nailed it. Dough, nailed it. I was a bit skeptical at first glance seeing how big some of them were. Nothing worse than a disproportionate amount of dough to filling, how wrong I was. China Wok #2 (That's what I'm calling it to keep my dumpling map in order), makes a quality dumpling. I should have known judging by the fading overhead menu, the vertical blinds with every 12th one missing, and the lone corner table with two chairs, one of them piled with a gigantic box of sauce packets.

China Wok

4.65 out of 5

The fact that the Patriots won, is the only thing going against these dumplings. They got a raw deal being influenced by the Pats winning. There's only one thing that could ever possibly ruin a dumpling score, Bill Belichick winning the Lombardi trophy, that's it. What do you know that very thing happened. Thanks a lot Bill for ruining what are so far the best dumpling in North Baltimore.

Well done China Wok

Eric

Are they a franchise, there are way to many of them in such a small space for it not to be, right? Then again, if they are a franchise, they might want to invest a little in a menu that features the right phone numbers, I don't appreciate a scavenger hunt, when i have the itch for dumplings.

Kao Sandwich Shop (Brooklyn, NY)

Brooklyn's Smorgasburg is a weekly food flea market held at the East River State Park in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Every Saturday hundreds of vendors flock to the seven-acre waterfront park in search of that perfect deep-fried oreo, mozzarella-basil pizza, ramen burger, or in our case, the perfect dumpling. It is a constantly evolving search -- our efforts becoming more and more addicting, our standards higher and higher. We are like the cat chasing the laser pointer. We may never find the perfect dumpling. But if we look a little harder and keep our ears to the ground, claws extended, that perfect dumpling may fall into our paws.

The dumplings came from a tent rented by Kao Sandwich Shop. The dumplings came out swiftly and steaming. These dumplings were clearly the work of fine craftsmanship and attention to detail. Each dumpling was wholesome, artfully put together and cooked to perfection. The light sprinkling of cilantro was the perfect touch. They were delicious. And yet, the problem upon serving was their heavy hand in the soy sauce. They might have found more success in keeping the soy light as well, but alas the dumplings found towards the bottom of the bowl were drowning in sodium. If not for that, these may have been a perfect five

4 out of 5 stars

Until next time

Tyuck!

Wegmans (Cockeysville, MD)

Normally when I see dumplings in a supermarket, I always pass, but that was before I was a professional dumpling critic. These puppies were found in that long salad bar of hot foods, that is found at pretty much any food store now a days. 

First bite, was not to impressed by the dumplings. Easily, one of the lower ranking dumplings I have had But after a second bite, I realized I was being to critical. Just because these guys are found in a supermarket, and not in a second rate Chinese joint with one table, and a massive box of soy sauce packets, doesn't make them any less of a dumpling. 

3 out of 5

These dumplings might have scored higher if they were right out of the frying pan. The potential was there in the slightly cold mass of dough, there was a hint of what good be greatness. The sauce wasn't to bad either. Definitely not the worst dumpling I have had, especially for being in that buffet line. 

Not to bad Wegmans, not to bad. 

Eric 

Hunan Wok (Sparta, NJ)

Is there a better sight to come home to for a dumpling connoisseur than some dumplings? With Lucky House a distant memory, finding a new go to dumpling place nearby has been a process. These bad boys are from Hunan Wok. I would have to say an overall solid dumpling. The sauce is a bit sweeter than the good old fashioned dumpling sauces at the many other Chinese places I have ventured. I didn't have these dumplings at their peak, and they were a bit cold by the time I wolfed 'em down. (A respected dumpling critic doesn't have time to reheat; if there is a dumpling in my line of sight its in my belly within the minute). 

With Fu's already receiving a solid score, and being a located in town as well, we might have a competition on our hands. Another solid showing from a Sparta Chinese place. It's like I live in some sort of dumpling pocket. 

Sparta does it again,

4 out of 5 

Rivals Fu's, who knows maybe if they were hot out the pan, they would've received a higher score. 

Next logical step is a blind dumpling taste test between the two frontrunners for Eric's go to dumpling place. Eventually that'll happen 

(Notice the Christmas plate, gotta keep it festive on the blog)

Eric 

Chen's Kitchen (Towson, MD)

After working a 12+ hour day there was only one thing that could satiate me...dumplings. I recently moved to Maryland and it's taken me a while to scope out local Chinese places. First up is Chen's Kitchen. Now full disclosure, I was extremely tired and hungry at the time of this review.

After working a long, cold, wet day, all I wanted was a beautiful morsel of heaven, we call dumplings. When I opened the container, I was hopeful. Did I find my go to dumpling place on the first try? The answer, Nope.

While the dumplings had the familiar dumpling taste, the dumpling to filling ratio was some of the worst I have seen. The dough was probably 60 to 70% of the over all ratio. The filling was a little morsel in a sea of empty space and dough. At some points I found myself only dunking dough into the sauce completely devoid of any filling what so ever. Hey, Chen just cut your dough balls a little smaller, it would make a world of difference. What could have been a solid dumpling, ended up with one of my worst ratings.

But again a bad dumpling is still a dumpling,

2.8 out of 5

My quest for my go to Maryland dumpling spot continues.

Eric