After deciding to find the best Chinese food, we knew that Port Washington was out of the running, especially with Flushing, Queens, just a few train stops away.
You can start eating in Flushing as soon as you get off the train. There are two food stands right under the Flushing train station that offer cheap and yummy snacks. The first food stand is directly under the train station and offers the cheapest food. Their most expensive delicacy tops off at a whooping $2. The crispy chicken drumsticks and the delectable fried scalion pancakes, but they have everything ranging from chicken lo mein to fried fish balls on skewers. Don’t be deterred by its rough appearance and B-rating for cleanliness because the food is great and a perfect snack if you are about to miss your train.
The second food stand is at the corner of Main Street and 41st Street and sells small duck snacks for $1. The stand sells duck in sweet sauce with scallions, all wrapped in a soft piece of dough. The final product is somewhere between a duck burrito or hotpocket. Because of their small size and the light dough, it’s easy to polish off three or four of these in a minute.
Best known for their dumplings, the Little Pepper Szechuan Restaurant on Roosevelt Avenue, certainly lived up to its four-star standards. The dumplings in chili sauce were heavenly. The meat was tender and flavorful while the sauce added the perfect amount of spiciness to the dish.
To compliment the dumplings, we ordered szechuan style noodles, which we picked randomly off the menu. While the noodles were not exactly what we were expecting, they were delicious nonetheless and we devoured them, forgetting about the five other establishments that we planned on visiting. These noodles are not the doughy noodles that one would typically expect at a chinese restaurant. Rather, they were thin, borderline crunchy, spicy, and served cold.
We should have ordered a hot pot, one of Little Pepper’s specialties as we were informed later on, but decided it against doing so since it is large and supposed to serve an entire table of people.
Our second stop, Xi’an Famous Foods, is located in the food court of the Golden Mall and took us about fifteen minutes to find. If you have any sense of direction and can manage not to get lost (it really isn’t that difficult to maneuver your way through Flushing, we just weren’t paying attention), we highly recommend Xi’an Famous Foods. If you have circled the food court and can’t find Xi’an in bright lettering, it’s okay. Xi’an’s food stand is devoid of any signs in English so fear not. After circling the food court, and you end up at the same neon-yellow sign, you’ve found it.
Nearly everything at Xi’an is under $10 dollars. We ordered sliced boiled lamb hand-ripped soup noodles for $7.50 and it was incredible. The noodles were doughy and delectable. The broth of the soup was equally flavorful and, like the noodles at Little Pepper Szechuan, just a little bit spicy. To compliment our soup dish, we ordered a stewed pork burger, which is essentially sloppy-joe like meat piled onto a soft as a pillow bread bun. The meat was a little bit too salty, but that didn’t stop us from eating it.
If you’re looking for a great place to bring your parents or to go with friends for a nice sit-down meal, check out Wild Ginger. The small restaurant right on Main St. has a sleek look and an extensive, far more modern menu.The beef stew with spices and wide noodles has flavorful broth with a variety of interesting spices, tender vegetables, and noodles. They also have a variety of fun appetizers like chicken skewers that are great for sharing. Even though this restaurant is good for a sit down meal the prices are still cheap and great for students on a budget. The appetizers are all priced $4-7, while the entrees range from $7-12.
Even if you are stuffed, go to Paris Baguette for desert. It’s conveniently located right off of Main Street and just far enough away from all the hustle and bustle so you can relax without missing your train if you’re running late. The spacious bakery is a South Korean bakery that uses French techniques. Just walk in and pick up one of their hundreds of delicious and neatly arranged pastries.
Their deserts range from French inspired berry tarts and coffee cream cakes to the more Asian-inspired deserts like Green Tea Chiffon cake. Like any good French bakery, they also make a variety of delicious breads and succulent cakes to bring home. They also serve lattes and cappuccinos to go along with their desserts. It’s usually packed, but it’s worth the wait because all of their desserts are not only beautiful, but tasty.