The Dumpling Man and Cold Stone

Dumplings are a true art form. My sister recommends we take a journey through Chinatown and taste dumplings at different locations. It is a great idea.

The Dumpling Man on St. Marks caught my attention so we made our way over there for lunch yesterday. Conceptually, great idea. It is a small shop in the East Village. Window for take out and stools inside. There is a sushi type bar with a glass partition so you can watch the 4/5 people making dumplings. That part was great. Making dumplings is a skill, so watching is an experience. We had steamed pork, shrimp and chicken dumplings. You can get them with different sauces like tomato sauce or parmesan but we had ours the old fashioned way. We also had the salad with a carrot ginger sauce and the edamame which was coated in pepper. We (my kids - jessica, emily and josh) rated the place when we left. We were consistent in our rating. We gave it a 4. Although conceptually very clever, the dumplings were not that good. Very garlicky, sort of spicy and not that interesting in taste. Great concept though.

Ice cream has always been part of any type of Chinese food for me. When we were kids we always got ice cream after Chinese food. My step-Grandfather, Larry, used to think that it was bad for the digestive system. We used to laugh at him. Anyway, Cold Stone Creamery just opened on Astor place so we walked right over. Jessica and Josh have been to the one in Times Square. Emily and I were new comers. There are 3 sizes which are cleverly named. Like it, love it and gotta have it. The smallest size, like it, is plenty. Everyone had a different concoction. The concept is a knock off of Steve's ice cream (there was Dave's too and at one time they were partners) in Boston when I went to school. He was famous for mix-ins which is exactly what Cold Stone does. You pick your ice cream and your mixings. They lay the ice cream out on a cold stone and mush it all in. What could be bad? The ice cream is made on the premises. It is incredibly rich, guaranteed no air in there and only cream and tons of egg yolks. As much as I love ice cream, this is a bit too rich for my senses. Noone could even finish their small portion. They sing in there when you order or give a tip too. Very gimmicky. I am sure there will be a Cold Stone on every corner at one point. It is amazing the cost too. A small, Like it, with mix-ins, cost $5. So, for 3 smalls and tax it was about $17. What happened to B & R and the 75 cent cone?